AERIAL TOURING

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 144, 21 June 1938, Page 17

AERIAL TOURING

By Jean Batti

After returning from South America, t Miss Jean Batten paid a brief visit to « Paris, and then , set out with her mother for an aerial tour, first visiting Spain. c CHAPTER XV. \ The large auxiliary petrol-tank had ' been removed from the cabin of my } Gull and a comfortable passenger seat £ fitted, complete with arm-and-head- ( rests, As it was early April we decided \ to fly to North Africa in search of sun- j shine. Our holiday was to include a flight round Spain, with a visit to the Balearic Islands. We planned to return to England via Marseilles and spend ( a week in Paris. I On April 9, 1936, we took off from ' Hatfield Aerodrome, and landed at • Gravesend Airport to clear Customs ' and obtain a weather report. We had. ' a considerable amount of luggage with 1 us, including four suitcases, a valise, and a rug, for it was to be a leisure flight, and we expected to be away about two months. ' The Gull was well loaded when we < left England, and as I intended to make i our first stop at Bordeaux, 560 miles ] away, we had a considerable amount | of petrol aboard. I After we had crossed the Channel i and passed over Le Touquet we flew ; southward. Intercepting the Seine near Rouen we flew over hundreds of miles of peaceful pasture-land, until the broad sweep of the Giro.nne came into view, and glided down to a landing at the aerodrome at Bordeaux; four hours out from England. News travels 5 fast, and as if by magic, although I had not notified any of the aero clubs at the sites we intended visiting, wherever we landed lavish hospitality was extended to us. The fact that a daughter was flying her mother on an aerial tour seemed to catch popular imagination. In Spain people were in turn astounded and delighted to see the senora and senorita flying together, and although I planned a quiet tour and did not seek publicity we received an amazing press at each place. We met only one bad storm, and this was when crossing the Pyrenees from Toulouse to Barcelona, when low clouds and heavy rain' obscured the pass near Perpignan, and I had to climb the Gulf to 10,000 feet to escape the violent down draughts from the snow-covered peaks. I was delighted that my mother had agreed to accompany me oh this flying tour, as it showed her faith in aerial transport and aviation in general. The weeks that we spent on the flying holiday were among the happiest in my life. We made many friends, and in Valencia met Senor Ibanez, brother of the famous novelist and editor of a Valencia newspaper. He sent me armfuls of the most exquisite roses. I learned afterwards that when the war broke out he escaped to Italy by disguising himself. One day we drove to an orange-grove near Valencia where the panorama which presented itself was an unforgettable one: acres of orderly trees, their green leaves almost hidden,by the gorgeous golden colouring of the fruit, with high purple mountains forming a perfect setting for the scene, oyer which floated the exotic perfume of thousands of orange blossoms. THE BALEARIC ISLANDS. From Valencia we planned to visit the Balearic Islands, as I had heard and read so much about Majorca that I wanted to see for myself if the. island was as enchanting as it was reputed to be. There was a landing-ground at Palma, but no hangar or any facilities. As I was reluctant to leave the Gull exposed in the open over-night with no one to guard it we decided to, : leave the machine in Valencia and travel by one of the small boats that run between Palma and Valencia. We spent nearly two weeks exploring the island, which I thought was wondrously beautiful. Wild flowers grew in abundance, and some of the giant trees in the olive-groves were nearly a thousand years old. We learned that at one time there was a tax on olive. trees, and to avoid this the islanders kept the old trees alive' by grafting. The result was that some of the trees gained enormous proportions, and many are still to be seen with girths as big as those of the largest oak-trees. On one occasion we drove high up, into the • mountains, negotiating a series of astounding hairpin bends and passing through most beautiful 'scenery. At last we arrived at the monastery at Valldemosa, where Chopin and ' George Sands found short-lived happiness. It was a wonderful experience to see the actual piano in the small, stone-flagged room where Chopin com--1 posed many of the preludes. I felt almost awed as I stood in that tiny room, which was bare of furniture save for the master's piano, a table, and a few chairs, and realised that it was in this very room, high up in the solitude of the mountains, that Chopin composed the "Raindrop" Prelude. Long, happy days were spent on the silvery beaches find in Palma, Formentor, Soller, Mirimar, and all the other delightful villages on the island, So enchanted was I.with Majorca that I thought at one time of taking a villa there for some months, but this was not practicable in view of the big programme I had planned. On the way back to Valencia we also visited the little island of Iviza. On the flight to North Africa we experienced beautifully sunny weather and. sighted the Hock of Gibraltar 50 miles away. Even as we crossed the Strait lo Tangier we could still see the lovely white line of the snowcapped Sierra Nevada in the distance, AMONG THE FIGHTING BULLS. One of the high lights of the trip was at Seville. To fly in the comparatively calm atmosphere and escape the bumps which one usually meets when flying over such mountainous country we arrived at an early hour over the city Imagine my consternation on finding about 25 bulls grazing on the aerodrome. "There doesn't seem to bi anyone there!" I shouted to my mothei . above the roar of the engine, as : pointed to the large hangars, whicl ; were all closed. After flying ovei Seville several times I returned to th< '. aerodrome, but there was no sign o anyone to move the bulls. Glidinf ' down I flew over the herd, which scat ! tered in all directions, until at last ! managed to round them up into oni ; corner. I landed the Gull on the clear ed area and asked my mother to watel the bulls as I taxied as fast as pos sible toward the hangars, silentl; thanking Providence that the machin i was not red. i "If they start running toward u ? give a shout, and we will take of , again and return" to Africa." I told hei ' Fortunately this was not necessary, fo 1 the hangar doors opened and som | Spanish mechanics wheeled'the Gul to safety. \ We had breakfast with Comandant ' Esteve, who was in charge of the Tat r lnda air base, and who never ceas& to chuckle about our experience, an' thought it extremely funny that afte flying the Atlantic I should fear lo

A VISIT TO SPAIN

;en: Copyright.

torros. "They are not ferocious," he explained. "Los torros graze quietly on the aerodrome in readiness for the bullfight on Sunday."

The aerodrome at Seville was an excellent one. A profusion of flowers grew round the officers' quarters, or casino, as they called it. This was a typically Spanish building in stucco with a cool, blue-tiled courtyard. The hospitable Comandante insisted on sending his adjutant to escort us in his car to the Hotel Christina, where we were to stay. A guard of honour was formed and we drove in triumph from the aerodrome, crossing the river to the city. GUESTS AT A "VINO."

Shortly after our arrival the Aero Club of Andalusia held a vino in our honour, at which the British Consul was present, and I met charming little Senorita Cueva, the Spanish airwoman, whose husband was stationed at Tetuan, Spanish Morocco. The vino is the Spanish equivalent of the cocktail party, and we made many friends as we sipped the excellent wine. A banquet also was given by the Comandante of the base and his officers, a« which the charming Comandante spoke in halting English, and I had the temerity to make a speech in my elementary Spanish. We found Seville a most colourful city, and greatly enjoyed the time we spent there. The Alcazar was a revelation, and we walked through the great palace, admiring the exquisite Moorish architecture, with its gorgeous colouring, the beauty of which was almost unbelievable. In a tiled courtyard of the palace, surrounded by a profusion of beautiful flowers, orange trees, and palms, we were shown an ingenious fountain, evidently designed to amuse some monarch of olden times. This consisted of a number of tiny jets concealed in the pathway. When turned on, as it was for my benefit, the jets would suddenly send forth many fine sprays of water or, as rumour has it, scent, presumably to the astonishment of the senoras and senoritas strolling in the courtyard. One could imagine the startled cries of the ladies and the laughter of the perpetrator of the practical joke. We were shown right through the now deserted palace, and were greatly impressed by the beautiful lacy carving of the Moorish archways inlaid with gold-leaf and coloured the most wonderful shades. There were some lovely tapestries, and one of our friends proudly showed us the gold telephone used by ex-King Alphonso. Just as we were leaving,the sound of a horse's hoofs was heard on the cobblestones, and a uniformed courier galloped up on a jet-black steed, carrying an immense bouquet of flowers. Reining his horse, he dismounted, saluted, and, presenting the Comandante's compliments, handed me the flowers. Within a few seconds he was away like the wind, leaving me with a great armful of roses and an even deeper appreciation of Spanish courtesy. FEW TAXIS, MANY HORSES. There were very few, if any, taxis i in Seville, but any amount of horsedrawn carriages, which seemed to be the fashion. The rate of hire was only ' two pesetas an hour (about Is 4d), and ■ we used to take a carriage and ride in the large gardens, which were filled with a profusion of gaily-coloured flowers and palms. There had been • an international exhibition in Seville, | and many countries had built repre--1 sentative pavilions in the gardens, but owing to the cost they had never ' been dismantled. It was amazing to - ride quietly along a tree-lined avenue ; and suddenly come upon an Indian 1 temple, a Canadian log cabin, or a ' Swiss chalet. There was also a tiled \ Italian pavilion with two full-sized porcelain figures nearby. "An adjunct ! to any city," a Spanish friend explained to me, when I made this international ' discovery in the heart of Seville. During my stay I had the interesting experience of broadcasting for Radio Seville in Spanish. One evening before we left we had a unique opportunity of seeing the Sevallanos and Falmencos, among other dances, performed to the exotic and colourful music of Moussorgsky and De • Falla by the beautiful girls of Anda--1 lusia. It was a great sight to see these ■ girls with their gaily-coloured frilled 1 skirts whirling to the music, to hear ■ the click of the castanets and little 1 crimson heels stamping the floor in rhythm with the music. We were loath to leave Seville, and ■ reluctantly took off one morning and ■ flew over the city escorted by a squadl ron of aeroplanes from the Tablada air ■ base and set off for Madrid. As we flew '■ towards the Spanish capital I recalled , my flight over Spain on the. way to - South America when we passed over t the great mountain ranges and occa- ' sional villages. : Madrid lies on a high plateau about , 2000 ft above sea-level, and we had a t good, comprehensive view of the great . white city as we circled it before landi ing at the aerodrome of Barahas. As we drove into the city with some mem- ; bers of the Aero Club we passed a pro- ". cession of tiny boys and girls singiry. » All the children were dressed in red, even to the ribbon braiding the girls' { hair, and I learned that they were Communist children. There was a very fine Plaza de Torros near the city, where I later saw a bull-fight, which I failed to appreciate owing to the broiling sun, which burned down with 3 fierce intensity while the elegant matador or toreador—l forget which— e skilfully baited the bull, who on this • occasion never seemed to have a chance from the commencement. e We stayed at the luxurious Palace e Hotel in the Plaza. ... I heard later '" that it was destroyed by an aerial ; - bombardment, which also demolished the beautiful new University City, over which we were shown. IS There were many interesting sights y to be seen in Madrid, and we witIS nessed the Primero de Mayo celebra- & tions and met the Mayor. We spent r * many hours in the famous Prado, in- ''• specting the priceless works of Valas- § quez and other Spanish masters. A '* photographer from one of the Spanish ie newspapers obtained permission from ;r the authorities to photograph me be--1 side a lovely Goya. h The flight to Barcelona was an inter!r esting one, and we flew over high ie plateaux, passing several lovely sap)f phire-coloured lakes, which from above ig looked like great jewels, before we t- crossed a high range of mountains to I the coast, re (To be Continued.)