Chapter 12 Summary

Twain is warming up to France now as he describes its beauty during a five-hundred mile train ride. While he loves the scenery and the cleanliness and orderliness of the French land, he does not enjoy the train ride itself. He compares the French transportation rail to stage coaching back in the U.S. Although he claims the French railway cars are efficient enough, they do not offer the comforts and luxuries he is accustomed to back home. The railway system is so orderly in France that it would be impossible to make any error in travel. Tickets are checked thoroughly enough that if a traveler boards the wrong train, every effort is made to rectify the situation and get everyone on the right track, so to speak. He mentions the Old Travelers, who are people who frequently visit the tourist attractions and...