Three Weeks in SOuthern Spain
| 1st day |
Gibraltar. For more than two centuries this famous sentinel at the gate of the Mediterranean has been the most imposing emblem, beyond her own coast line, of Britain's strength, influence and usefulness in the world. Gibraltar is not only an impenetrable military fortress and important naval station, but a harbor of refuge, a coaling port and a provisioning depot for the ships of all nations. Along the shores of " the middle sea " nothing more impressive greets the sight of the voyager than the great Rock of Gibraltar, and to land there and visit it will prove a most delightful experience. One interesting feature is the motley collection of nationalities and costumes one meets in its streets and markets. |
| 2d day | Ronda (four hours from Gibraltar) is one of the most picturesque towns in Europe. It is divided into two portions, the old Moorish and the modern Spanish, by a huge chasm in the mountain, 200 feet wide and over 350 feet deep, termed the Tajo, and crossed by two bridges. |
| 3d day 4th 5th |
Granada and the Alhambra (six hours from Ronda). Granada is so situated on four hills $ as to present the semblance of a pomegranate, hence the name of the city, Granada being the Spanish name for that fruit. The Moorish architecture of the Alhambra was effaced or defaced by the Christian conquerors. The French occupied it as barracks in 1810, and, as the English approached, endeavored to complete its ruin by blowing up the whole place, but fortunately did not wholly succeed in their vandalism. |
| 6th day | Cordova (eight hours from Granada) , once a center of civilization under the Moors, has now sunk into destitution. Its chief attraction is the great Mosque, with a Christian Cathedral in its center |
| 7th day 8th 9th 10th 11th |
Madrid (eleven hours from Cordova). The galleries of Madrid contain no fewer than 64 paintings of Velasquez, 58 Riberas, 46 Murillos, 10 Raphaels, 43 Titians, 34- Tintorettos, 25 of Veronese, 62 of Rubens, 53 of Teniers and 22 Vandycks, besides numerous productions of other great artists. The Armory also is one of the finest collections in the world, and contains armor worn by Christopher Columbus. The Plaza de Toros seats 14,000 spectators. While in Madrid excursions can be made to the old Moorish city of Toledo, and the Escorial. |
| 12th day | Return to Cordova (eleven hours from Madrid). |
| 13th day 14th 15th 16th |
Seville (four hours from Cordova). Besides the magnificent Cathedral and the Giralda Tower, Seville has a wonderful collection of paintings, and a Moorish Alcazar, which is in a much finer state of preservation than is the Alhambra at Granada. The Indian archives contain letters and documents touching on the discovery and administration of the West Indies, and of Spanish America in general; and in the Columbian Library are some 10,000 rare books, collected by Ferdinand Columbus. |
| 17th day | Cadiz (four hours and a half from Seville). Picturesquely situated on a peninsula stretching out into the Bay of Cadiz. It is probably the Biblical Tarshish, and is one of the oldest towns of Europe; it has been called the Spanish Venice. |
| 18th day 19th |
Tangiers (six hours by steamer from Cadiz). The present capital of the empire of Morocco, although the sultan resides at the interior city of Fez. Tangiers is a revelation to the Christian who holds that his religion is the superior of all the religions of the world. Here he will realize there are others, and that not the least among them is the Mussulman's. In the market the real Orient is encountered in the form of caravans of camels, and negro slaves from the interior of Africa. |
| 20th day | To Gibraltar (three hours by steamer). |
