GAULLE Charles de. 2 L. A. S., Riedern 23 June and 3 July 1908, to his parents Henri and Jeanne de GAULLE; 4 and 3 pages pet. in-8. Holidays in Germany. 23 June, to his "dear Dad". He begins by mentioning his brother Xavier's success in his exams... "You are asking me if I have taken my walks to the other side of the Black Forest. You are asking me if I have taken my walks to the other side of the Black Forest: no, not yet, but with your permission, I will spend a few hours in Fribourg, which everyone says is a remarkable city. The weather, for the moment, does not lend itself to this: it was completely spoiled last night, which causes the peasants a lot of pleasure, and me a lot of trouble". He talks about a commissionaire who took part in the siege of Strasbourg and "speaks of the bombardment of Strasbourg with fanatical enthusiasm. It's true that the day I spoke to him, I think he'd had a bit too much schnapps. There's an old Bavarian soldier in the village who, it seems, fought in both the '66 and '70 campaigns. But I haven't had a chance to talk to him yet. The Badeners lost a lot of people during the French campaign", as the commemorative plaques show. The German newspapers "have been pretty biased against us. [...] Obviously, something has changed in Europe in the last three years and, when I see it, I think of the unease that precedes the great wars, particularly that of 1970. I still hope that this time the roles will be reversed"... He adds: "From a Christian point of view, I generally hear the vicar's mass at seven o'clock. On Sundays, high mass at 8 ½ o'clock; vespers at 1 ½ o'clock, salvation at 8 o'clock"... 3 July, to his "dear Mother". He returned from Fribourg delighted with his trip. With the vicar, he "visited the city in depth. We climbed to the top of the cathedral tower, and from there you can see the Rhine plain first and then the Vosges mountains, which is magnificent. A steep hill called the Lillisberg dominates Fribourg. There used to be an old feudal castle there, which was demolished by our cannons and replaced by a fortress built by Vauban and now largely destroyed. From up there, you can see France through the Belfort Gap, and that's how I greeted you from afar". The parish priest wants to take him on a pilgrimage to Switzerland, "saying that it's a magnificent excursion, a unique opportunity to see the Swiss Alps"; he begs his mother to advance him his Christmas bonus so that he can make the trip... LNC, I, p. 44 and 46.