16 
A MONTH IN SPAIN. 
(Wirs Lantern Views). 
By Mr. THOMAS BELL. 26th January, 1904. 
a 
Spain is not half so well known as other countries at a far 
greater distance from home—it is not half so well known as it 
deserves to be. Probably the principal reason is its geographical 
position. It is at the south-western end of Europe, and, until 
recently, travelling there was both difficult and dangerous, the 
distances between places of interest great, the trains run very 
slowly and at awkward times, and unless one covers 2,000 miles 
of country, a large portion has to be traversed twice. 
There are various ways of getting there, As our visit was 
specially for architecture and art of the country we adopted the 
route through France, entering Spain by Irun, on its western 
boundary, through Burgos, Madrid, Seville, Granada, Cordova, 
then to the east by Murcia to Alicante, and up the east coast 
calling at Valencia, Tarragona and Barcelona, returning by the 
eastern boundary Port Bou, through Avignon and Dijon. Ina 
month’s holiday we travelled over 4,000 miles, visited a multi- 
tude of towns teeming with objects of interest of every kind 
(except perhaps scientific) ; architecture most varied, both of 
eastern and western types, adaptations of both Moorish, French, 
German and Flemish ecclesiastical work, mingled with Spanish 
ideas for their own requirement,—old Moorish towers with all the 
quaintness of Byzantine details and everywhere objects of 
archeological interest, Roman remains — Moorish palaces — 
medimval cities with walls, towers, bastions and keeps, exactly as 
they were hundreds of years ago with most interesting historical 
agsociations—the greatest variety of scenery—a people with 
endless variety of dress, habits, customs and manners—railway 
facilities of the most limited kind—and only a month to do it all. 
It was a hard holiday, with much discomfort, but it has left 
such pleasant recollections that I shall enjoy it all my life—all 
the same it ought to have been done at twice. We knew no 
Spanish and very little French, but with a copy of the European 
conversation book, and two books of railway coupons (one for 
France and one for Spain), and with a sufficiency of money we 
set out. 
