
49 
FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF SPAIN. 
(ILLUSTRATED BY THE LANTERN). 
By Rev. W. H. GREEN, B.A., LL.B. 
October 2nd, 1906. 
The lecturer, with the aid of the lantern, took the audience 
with him over some of the old world cities of Spain, which he 
visited for the first time in the spring of two years ago. He 
had, before he started, ‘‘read up,’ learnt a little of the Spanish 
language, and he took with him a camera. He was there for 
only six weeks, so that his impressions were but those of a 
tourist. Among the places he visited were Burgos, Valladolid, 
the Escurial, Madrid, Seville, the Alcazar, Granada, the Al- 
hambra and Cordova. Of palaces and cathedrals he had a long 
series of fine views. He regarded the cathedral at Burgos 
as unequalled in the world for sheer exquisite loveliness. 
Madrid was to him frankly disappointing—it was the least 
Spanish town in the whole of the country. It was absolutely 
characterless, and, like other cities on the Continent, was a 
weak and feeble copy of Paris. There were many miles of 
characterless streets. The climate too was treacherous. The 
thermometer varied over 30 degrees in the day. On one side 
of the street they could be grilled in the hot sun and on the 
other side experience weather of Arctic type. The Spaniards 
had a proverb that in Madrid “ you must not change your 
cloak till the 40th of May.’’ Many of the streets of Madrid 
are extremely narrow, so much so that in some places they 
had to get into doorways to let the tramcars pass. 
He found Spanish travelling as luxurious as in any country 
in Europe. The trains were as comfortable as any he had 
been in. They were punctual too; but tourists should not 
expect speed. The fast trains in Spain were timed to keep 
up to 18 miles an hour, and the slow ones to 11 miles an hour. 
If the Spaniard had a cigarette in his fingers and a friend to 
talk to he was in no hurry, and the absence of hurry had its 
advantages. He did not want to break up the entente cordiale 
with France, but in matters of politeness he gave the palm to 
the Spaniard. All are equal and there is no servility among 
them. They have a saying that every Spaniard under the 
King is equal, Boys quarrelling in the street say ‘‘ No, your 
