Sam was awakened at 3 AM by a braying jackass in front of the hotel. The party left Geneva for Italy, stopping at Chambéry, France for a break. More from his notebook:
One dreads going into Italy because of its reputation.
What small & frivolous countries there are over here.
Italy the home of art & swindling; home of religion & moral rottenness…
We were four hours going from Geneva to Chambery, & had infinite difficulty to get seats with 1 class
tickets.–
er
Changed cars once, were herded like cattle through a douain & had a long wait & as much trouble as ever
to secure seats.
On arrival I felt like the man whose oxen ran away over a stumpy road—if I ever have to go to h— I want
to go by the Chambery railway, I’ll be so glad to get there [MTNJ 2: 182-3].