EASY-GOING SPAIN

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXVII, Issue 4459, 19 October 1933, Page 6

EASY-GOING SPAIN

VISITOR’S IMPRESSIONS. Pastor G. Lahusen, in a lecture before the German section of the Modern Language Association in Sydney, said that travellers to Europe should not fail to visit Spain. Australians, in particular, would find much that would appeal to them, due to the similarity of the climate. Pastor Lahusen, who resided for two years in Madrid, described the Spaniards as a lovable, care-free, and leisurely people, whose philosophy of life brought about at state of resignation to the immediate exigencies of a simple existence, and remained oblivious to the necessities of the future. As an example, he said that he once gave a porter a gratuity equivalent to two shillings; part of it was refused, as it was more than he needed for that day. The general lassitude was in contrast to the hustle in other European countries. No one ever ran for trams or trains. The only occasion on which the fiery Spanish temperament was completely roused was during the bull-fighting season, from May till September. Clinging unrelentlessly to ancient customs, Spaniards were loath to succumb to many modern inventions, and it was usual to see tall buildings of new design, to which the building materials were brought by old-fash-ioned ox-drawn, cumbersome vehicles. The visitor often found himself confronted by pigs, turkeys, or bulls being driven through the main streets of the largest cities.