The Royal Palaces of Spain

New Zealand Tablet, 26 July 1906, Page 34

The Royal Palaces of Spain

An English periodical, writing of the marriage of the King of Spain, says that the most stately of Queen Victoaia's many new homes will be the great palace of the Escurial, which stands an enormous and stately pile, amid rather dreary surroundings at the foot of the Guadarrama Mountains, some distance from Madrid. In this fcal-ace generations of Spanish Kings and Queems have ma<le their sumptuous home , but of late years it has fallen into disu.«-c , and is but seldom visited by the reigning family, chiefly on account of its remoteness and isolation. In the palace at Madrid t>he Queen will have one of the most magnificent Royal homes in Europe. It was built by Philip V.. the "fust of the Bourbon Kinrrs of Spain, nearly two centuries ago, and was considered by Napoleon I. to be finer even "than his ralace at Versailles. When Napoleon fi st visited it, he exclaimed to his host the King of S^ain, as he mounted its wonderful marble staircase, ' You are more splendidly lodged than I am.' This pa'ace is of immense size, 500 ft. square, and its interior is of great splendor. The throne-room is a gorceous chamber, with its mag-nificently-painted ceiling, the exquisite mosaic of its floor, its wealth of many colored marbles, its wonderful chandeliers an I mirrored walls ; while the throne itself, the most splendid in Rurooe, is guarded by four Large silver lions and fanned by two life-sized figures of Moors. At El Pardo (where the young Queen stayed previous to her marriage) is another large and stately building which the King uses when shooting in the district ; and among his other legal homes are the A^an.juez and Ildefonso Pa'aces ; the Alcazar Palace, which, ' with its castellated walls, its rooms blazing with gold and colored porcelain, its exquisitely delicate arches, pillars, and ceilings,' is owe of the most beautiful sights in Europe ; and the famous Alhambra, whose splendor defies all description.

But there is. little doubt that young Queen Victoria's favorite home in Spain will be the lovely palace oi San Sebastian, a delightfdl building, which commands- a magnificent view of the Bay of Biscay and the coasts of Spain and France, and which is the favorite summer residence of the King and his family. At San Sebastian their Majesties will find some escape from the pomp and ceremonial of their state, and will be able to cn u oy a more unconventional and unfettered life. Happily King Alfonso and his bride have many tastes in common. Queen "Victoria is a clever actress, and has a passion for things theatrical which her future husband will share. They are both lovers of horses and motoring— King Alfonso is admittedly one of the finest horsemen and motorists in Spain— and they will, no doubt, have many delightful excursions together ; and in numerous other directions, from a love of music to a passion for swimming, their tastes happily coincide.