JOURNEY HOME BY LAND. 177 



and the atmosphere so dry as to be almost unbearaljh;, 

 and where occasionally the coldest winds sweep down 

 from the mountains, bearing the seeds of disease and 

 death on their wings. This does not, however, by any 

 means apply to the southern and eastern coasts, the warm, 

 sheltered, dry region, the tierra caliente as it has been 

 styled by Ford, where the all-iuvigorating sun reigns su- 

 preme and cold north-east blasts are unknown ; and which 

 can scarcely be equalled by any other favoured spots in 

 Europe, 



With such reflections as these on the general aspect of 

 the two countries, and the disposition of their several in- 

 habitants, we traversed the vast uninteresting plains which 

 stretch eastwards from the frontiers of Portugal ; markin^r 

 the contrast in the dry, parched, treeless district we were 

 crossing, to the green valleys, extensive forests, and lovely 

 heaths we had left behind us : but both meditation and 

 observation tended to the same result, which was an infi- 

 nite preference, in our judgment, for Portugal and her 

 people over the land and inhabitants of Spain. 



I have indulged in so long a digression by the way, that 

 I must hasten to observe that in the course of the evening 

 we reached Ciudad Reale, where we halted an hour : then 

 on all night to Madrid, which we reached at 8 o'clock on 

 the following morning, and were not sorry to leave the 

 train after two consecutive nights as well as a day and a 

 half, which is ample time wherein to discover all its enjoy- 

 ments. 



Madrid was at no distant date as notoriously ill-provided 

 with hotel accommodation as was Marseilles : but now both 

 the great French port on the Mediterranean and the 

 Spanish capital are able to vie with any city in Europe in 

 the excellence of the quarters they can offer to the tra- 

 veller. We found the great Fonda de los Principes in the 

 Puerta del Sol all we could desire, and very different 



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