Letters of Anton Chekhov (Tchekhov) - Penn State University

Letters of Anton Chekhov to His Family and Friends with biographical sketchTO HIS SISTER.BERLIN, Sunday, June 6, 1904.… I write to you from Berlin, where I have been now for twentyfourhours. It turned very cold in Moscow after you went away; wehad snow, and it was most likely through that that I caught cold. Ibegan to have rheumatic pains in my arms and legs, I did not sleep fornights, got very thin, had injections of morphia, took thousands ofmedicines of all sorts, and remember none of them with gratitudeexcept heroin, which was once prescribed me by Altschuller ….On Thursday I set off for foreign parts, very thin, with very leanskinny legs. We had a good and pleasant journey. Here in Berlin wehave taken a comfortable room in the best hotel. I am enjoyingbeing here, and it is a long time since I have eaten so well, with suchappetite. The bread here is wonderful, I eat too much of it. Thecoffee is excellent and the dinners beyond description. Anyone whohas not been abroad does not know what good bread means. Thereis no decent tea here (we have our own), there are no hors d’oeuvres,but all the rest is magnificent, though cheaper than with us. I amalready the better for it, and to-day I even took a long drive in theThiergarten, though it was cool. And so tell Mother and everyonewho is interested that I am getting better, or indeed have already gotbetter; my legs no longer ache, I have no diarrhoea, I am beginningto get fat, and am all day long on my legs, not lying down ….426