TO GRANADA AND AVIGNON.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 725, 26 January 1910, Page 3

TO GRANADA AND AVIGNON.

WELLINGTON LADY'S T(\UR. , Straight from ; very/new Now'-Zealand to tho old 'hauhtsipf romanco. and) chivalry, the iand -.whcrQ ,'Moorish heathenesse; .set: Christendom 'a lofty • pattern i of; courtesy: and ;tho valleys |/: iii/v-enchantcd ■ gardens.-thb troubadours'/sang? of love; and itho Court .'of "-Love' awarded its/>prize, this was the, ' journey - that. : a; Wei-. ;lingtoh"lady<tobk- Jast/'year. - /'-;'/'• :- Miss;. Holmes, who ' has just returned from: a; year's / trip; to; tlio i Old/World .w'ith: her niece, .went |q' : Spaiii and / France, on the'/way .to .England, and "a visit of a-few days, to Tcneriffe, with its old"• Spanish: histor)', 'and.to. Madeira with its Moorish.traditions, formed a: fittihgpreface' to their days in ' Spain. Z -They /took ■ a;bbautiful German .boat , to 1 Gibraltar, a - beat furnished throughout .with: air beds,..and a, notice in'/ each cabin' begging passengers not to .''stick pins . in- ; tho, mattrass," -whichvarigues a certain experience of urihbusewifely ',ways' even ambng tho-'Ger-' mans/'. At Gibraltar thby . stayed for only . a day or two, and then-very early oho morn-'., ing'they; took, a boat to Algcciras, a town whero they found, cork-rolled up' in great, jjales -for ■ shipment' and' ■ watched .the peasants';/ stripping :/the; bark from ./ the trees, leaving• here/ and there/ .on' ".'the trunks /rings. of bark,. which /; gavo /'. the ti'ees; an- odd. appearance (of/ being dressed 'in.-tight-fitting j garments'-Vith/ dark .heins. A; wonderfu}//,rail way, / whichVwill bo .remembered'by readers of,'"Miranda of 'the Balcony; .' runs np. to/Ronda, past the deep ■gofge:- of.. a' : rushing river, " along cliffs /.which seem.- to have been -sliced .down; so. sharply they fall. The sceiiery from .- this line is beautiful, .and Miss, Holmes gives a; fascinating/description of the, charming view, "deep, red, earth, forest lands,- farms carefully/ cultivated,: and Vorchards, filled in spring—and • then'higher still saVago ; brown raountairi l teps rising- abrupt >ncl naked; from • tho lino oi cuitiTation 1 .": , ,

In Southern Spain. ;. .The whole of tho journey in Spain wasa; delight. l -; The people wero beautiful, to lpok:.^t, ; aiid;courtepus :.to:vdeal:; with,' :arid. it :.w-ds gratifying to. find that, while they.;; had no; love: ;for the .-Jrehch-i or Americans, .they cherished most' friendly feelings for. English folk. - Travelling: was not .expensive, and the i food was good', on the i..whole, 'Spaniard likes -his' bread:to/ be sour,' and the butter is apt to tastb Vliko?, creain chease. ;; In -'j-oniemberihg : .': tho'' former Mahommedaii,. occupation; of .Spain; ;;one .has to' free one's, 'mind from; the exp'ecta-' tion 'J .'of^finding, .architect/ire';' of .'•the-'ln-dian type, with its'minarets and domes; The 'houses' aro mainly'flat-roofed,;:/and built with; dull brown 'bricks, r for'thero is; little stone. Even the cathedrals.:and tho.i Alhambra'hayo brown exteriors,'-.-all .the - gorgeous .'decoration ; .isto .;bo found '.inside?, and .thero again it. is .not' always to bo seen, for while tiie Moors had an ;ingenious;V.way, 'of/lighting - thbir ./great buildings ..with transverse, slits,- that kept. .out the ; hot;sunshirie, ; but'let in so much light;' that 1 -, every .detail in ,the ;roofs :can ;-pe. seen, the. Christians never learnt. this 'art.vand their ,;cathedrals '.'arb:.so:.'.dark that or.o can' see little. : : ; i : w v. l - ; Sevillc, ' wheil ; the, travellers visited it, was V. preparing. for:; its .great'; Easter processions, '..which' are an. attraction to : all ~Spa;in,y l ;;.Th'o;.cathedral treasures, of silver,: -jewels,;;and;;lace -wore'.being "brought out and- ; scattered ■ about■. in ' .'.readiness ;for v ; ,tho;;;?proccssion, v ' :■ and\ ' the whole ,jplacoVj^lazod; : with . hundreds ;■ of :caiidles, .So;tho" travellers had really, an exceptional: ■opportunity/for 'seeing -everything.. .^;:llyenj:uypro ! than- with the Cathedral, :;.weroVtliejj';charmed with thb: Church ,of; 5j%0. Caridid,. which' 1 -was' established ceil-' ;tnnes:^gp^by:'tho"gay'original .of "'Byron's' 'iPpn'-J uai,"'who-ircpented/and'at ..leisure' /estiblishtHl .a 'charity .to . which : this bean-} ••^if^olli^'^aon^^OMri-ihe'-'aoof.rUiis: •"Hio inscription "flod is 1.0ve," whicli, by" ith'e/,Eayiithe: Church'.in Spain would .have; : tfojio:'^wpU-;to'-lcarn. by;heart,.and-.'withiu' .Eire: 'thoV'.m^t:': pictures by the"fourider; Silli^trati^v^ts^Sfepivinbv'Pi'bvidenco^. others,'; the jO,f.;.;tbe:;'.grea'festpyp^ ;sclvoplSf .:-;''Tllo ) pri(lo , 6f-,'Grana(ia,'- i t]ib' ancient capiof which 1 is set ; ;ampng'>:theX sn oi ,i Sierras, '.is tho. -there ' are ■ not;'peslered'by tho' guides, but,. : though a careful eye is kept on their.movements, they arb allowed 'to, wander at will. thr'origli the spacious/halls,; with'their , ronrvelious de-' ; cbratioh ; arid ; gorgeous ■.colouring.:- r Next to ■this in.;inteirest; ;rames': th.* Ca'tliedrali : .'whioh: It is hidden .awav;Prnong houses,:.anil, though it-was ..once -as ..perfect , a;' specimen oif,'Mborish'aritiliitecture'::'aS' tiie;;- inhaitibra.-.rit-'was' ,'^ilt^b^.>pliHsUa^faiiatics;'wlio: thrust' of its bpauty a f Gpthic'. na.ye, ;.which-'.is beiutiful in itself. but not in; its surroundings.:. .They had. pdd:waj-s in .-anil' when oho. remembers - that .-the Italians .were- quite of; taking• old: : Soman', baths, put? ting a fa'so frcnt fo.fliem, and clirisioning tho combination 'as a" . church, oho cannot. 1» surprised at. the Spaniards. :t.houghV:it'.is;' gratifying "' to' know:., that Charles Y: scolded/them well ' for; thoir stupidity'; in; destrbyirigi'what could; never 1». replaced.

The Spahish...trip, :.Y\-incli only'took ten days, fended '.with. a visit.'to Cordova, and: ,£ .second,-'nsit:;to .;Bobadilla,' who'ro they' wcro taken through the. bull-ring, arid shown how bullfights were, conducted. At the tirao of their. visit they woro amused to.- ( find- the tragic i ring being .used as a .to Ronda, once more along that steep railAvay,'. and . t!ieii;,bj'-stcamerUo Marseilles, keeping close, to tho. coast; of Spain. w;hich-is. itself full of interest and a wild '.beauty, tho travellers camo to -Prance, where they 'took the "Lightning Conductor" as their guide. I'or six "weeks, they loiteretUwhero ho hadirushed; visiting, the beautiful ..oldJ towns' of ,I'foven'ce,, 'towns ivliose,-.history dates back ; to. theoJWm'an' ,rule;-and; tho .'castles' -'in.;; tho valleys of; the' ; i

Mediaeval Franco. .At Aries , tfoy, found, dvEomah" temple/ J a Roman theatre, and arena,: now used: as a ybull-ring;;,'in; ,very. good ;preservation, arid ...;they;-:.:,were'; • charmed 'vvfth ;the; Arlesienne women- .They-; are.,' beautiful and statelyy ; perfect • th'e' Koman: matron - aid-, the... Roman ; niaidpiior; de-t-cended'.froiri I'hoeniciaiis, they have/alwuTs kept their race pure, ana.havq only nmrried" among, the .innabi:tarits of their , valley; -N<!ar the. town is an old, Norman castle, commanding tlio': valley "road,. : and.'there-.the-Moiitmereucies "ted. to: hold- 'robber: sway. Tho ' guide •who* toot '.tlio ..travellers; over this castle, gave ;them : ,very little information, but from 'a. felloir traveller,, to whom, tliej; confessed ; their dissatisfaction,. .. thby. learned, that nearer.still (was tho pavilion .of'..the beautiful; Queen;: Johanne, .whore,, .before: tho days of tho Trouba- ' dpurs passed for; ever, tho. Jasti Court of tovo was held. This, is loy; hidden away ih'ari lin'susjjected field of lucerne, where 'it escaped even the well-trained; eyo of the, Lightning Conductor, so the travellers fcltftkey' .were"fortunate to- lcarir of its existence. . .

From Aries they went to .Nimcs,. another,town' of 'lJonian origin, with .magnificent Roman 'remains, Beaucaire,' Tarascon, where by now tho author . of ~<:"TaL-tar-is understood to have created a hero, and is.'forgiven; and to Avir;noii. :: It' was interesting,; to hear ' tliactho, reason. why. "tout ,1,e,-,;Uion<lo'V bnce . danced "siir ' le .ponf 'd'Avigiio'n'! ;tyis; because that bridge liad.'beeni built" iii the..wrong, place, rind when the central, supports - were washed away it was .closed to'traffic: 'Then the I gay world- danced upon . it•' under the. shadois of .the'great,'castle.;;Miss.Holmes;! asked- tho guide , whether they .still danced there.",, "Why not," ho-'said,' "as long a.3 young.and;.heels are light!-'' which','was a. pretiy answer/. .And pretty was. the answer given ,by . a little, French dressmaker to - whorii; Miss 1 .. Holmes spoke •of the 'charm she hadijound; iii .Tours. "All," said the Frenchwoman, ""e'est. une vraie- coquette: do; ville;",;;aiid that .Miss Holmes felt, described- it exactly. Toui's, by the wayi-has stiUiauother" charm in,its beautiful shop's,', whero' the - traveller can shop,., to . even;';nioro;:advantage ;than in I 'Paris.';.':,: .! " r ;.; _■. ■ That belouged to- another; part' of 'the trip,.•■when,-.;having : passed through' Or- 1 leans, the:;trarel,lcrs caine to the. valloyj of the Loire • and.' the great. seats' of. the,

old Fren'oh monarchs—Blois," the scene of much of the "Gentlemen of Jfranco," Amboise, Chatres, and'Chononceaux, this last .the .castle built by Henry-II for tho' beautiful Diana of Poictiers, and . after his death seised: by Catherine de Ifedici, who, -'with -her;; great love for - building, extended the castle;'across tho river,' .but never lost: tho memory of the riviil- who had. first possessed it.:' There; is .' great charm about these towns, and though in soiiie' the restorers , ofthe'" Renaissance havo-.dono their worst;' the old palaces are still full of beauty. Aro.und them, cluster legends. of chivalry, of gallantry that- was-far from , 'being chivalrous, stories'.of conspiracy, vengeance, and gjim .revenge. It' was''at Blois / that Guiso .was 1 assassinated in one room, and his: brother, the : Cardinal in the other, and there .is a grim little tale; told of Huguenot conspirators, were discovered and :haiiged'like. a. fringe from .'a', beautiful balcony at : Amboise a . tale romantic, but not nice. . /- : ;.V;

After', these. towns, '.with their, historic atmosphere, ; : Paris;- appearedpainfully iiiodern.and commercial, and'the historic spots in London hard to discover. ■ A -later trip took the'travellers to Italy—Florence, Venice, and. Milan—and in this/last town, 1 the most\up-to7date town in Italy,! they met with, a 'curious. adventure, for; thby. found , themselves' in .tho. midst -of .' a crowd; and' did; not /realise, ..till they saw the civil, gurd- and ..the soldiery, that it was. a ■ riotous crowd. They found shelter /behind: a ..buttress of; tho 'Cathedral, .and afterwards - made their Way, 'back to the hotel, reaching -it . just- before the .doors we're closed and barricaded.against fedr of the;'.ribters, ancp'then they found that .'this- was a.Ferrar riot, and the .crowd of rough .youths had':bceii on./their. way' to storm, the Spanish Consulate.