34 A SPRING TOUR IN PORTUGAL. 



white walls of that forbidding building into the brilliant 

 sunshine ; to wander beneath the deep shade of the dark 

 cypresses in the cemetery ; to stroll through the beautiful 

 gardens of the Estrella, gay wdth a hundred flowers ; or 

 even to saunter through the streets, where the good taste 

 of the colour-loving south has covered the faces of many 

 of the houses with glazed tiles of porcelain, sometimes of 

 a red or brown hue, but far more frequently of a blue 

 colour, and always in a pretty pattern. This is known as 

 azulejo, and imparts a remarkably bright finish to the 

 houses ; and when (as is often the case) several adjoining 

 buildings are thus decorated, the appearance is extremely 

 pleasing. 



