Oh, what a wicked Wife you are! Just to snare another letter from you, I've waited a whole day extra here at Meiringen, since I thought you would be sure to send me an answer here to my letter from Interlaken. I have just come from the post, and the person who hasn't written is yourself! I reached here yesterday afternoon, and certainly found Uhlig's letter with your greeting on it; but when you sent that off, you hadn't received my letter from Interlaken yet, and so I waited till to-day. I was in need of a rest, no doubt, as I had marched hard Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday; still, I should have been on the road again to-day, had I not hoped for a letter from you. Perhaps, though, you were simply too late to catch the post; so I shall leave orders to send letters after me. —
My journey has gone off very well until now: fine weather all the time, saving for a couple of brief thunderstorms, which were only interesting. What pleases me most, is that my boots are behaving themselves; the 12 hours on the last did much good, and my feet are in capital order. On Monday I left Interlaken early for Lauterbrunnen, walked up the Wengernalp (where one can clutch the Jungfrau with one's hands), and from there across the Wengern-Scheideck down to Grindelwald. Tuesday I climbed the Faulhorn (8200 feet high), whence the view is quite terribly sublime: I stayed the night there and came down on Wednesday over the Grand Scheideck, past the Rosenlaui glacier, to Meiringen. I have nothing to describe to you, as that would really give you no idea, but I have been planning how to shew you the Bernese Oberland next time, from this side or from that. — It will be my first complete joy to conduct you, proud on horseback, through these parts: what eyes you'll make! — Tomorrow morning my road lies along the Haslithal to the Grimsel; the night will be passed at the Grimsel hospice, and from there next morning via the Aar glacier and the Sidelhorn to Obergesseln. Thence on Sunday over the Gries glacier to the Formazza valley, and Monday evening I shall be at Domo d'Ossola in Italy. From there I shall write you again. —
Money runs away fearfully; this Bernese Oberland is the most shamelessly extortionate hole one can conceive. Each day I have to change another louis d'or, and saving or economy is quite out of the question. It was a good thing you sent me Uhlig's letter: I had to write immediately thereon to Frankfort, for they at last have applied for the Tannhäuser score in hot haste, as the opera is to come out there the beginning of autumn. You may imagine how I insisted on the honorarium being sent at once; I expect you will be receiving it soon. — See, the louis d'ors will be so pouring upon us ere long, we shan't know what to do with them. Only let me know directly money arrives, that I may reel off a plan where you're to meet me and share a little of my beautiful trip after all. I'm truly looking forward heartily to being picked up by you somewhere — preferably at Lugano. — So, if you write or have letters to send me to-day, address: Monsieur W. R. Wagner, à Lugano, poste restante (Canton Ticino).
Farewell, good old Muzius! Salute our friends, and above all Peps, since of all male creatures he is my best friend. Adieu!
Your husband with the blistered nose.
Source: Richard to Minna Wagner: Letters to His First Wife, trans. William Ashton Ellis, Vol. 1 (H. Grevel & Co., 1909), No. 47