Le Rhin, Tome III

A vivid travelogue opens with the author stepping onto a modest wooden‑railed railway that snakes through the fertile Rhine valley. The gentle hum of the train carries him past orchards, gardens and patchwork fields, each scene slipping in and out of view like fabric tossed aside. Already he contrasts the sleek, unpretentious line with the grand, often decaying architecture that crowns cities such as Mainz, Frankfurt and Cologne.

From there he embarks on a series of wandering observations, cataloguing ruined cathedrals, half‑lost medieval inns and the relentless march of “good taste” that reshapes historic towns. His prose blends nostalgic admiration for stone façades with a sharp eye for the ironies of progress, noting how ancient guild halls are supplanted by modern façades. The narrative invites listeners to share his curiosity for the layers of history that linger in every stone and riverbank.