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Read Ebook: Spain v. 2 (of 2) by De Amicis Edmondo Varnall Stanley Rhoads Translator
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Ebook has 1216 lines and 73829 words, and 25 pages
PAGE
ARANJUEZ 7
TOLEDO 15
CORDOVA 53
SEVILLE 97
CADIZ 147
MALAGA 165
GRANADA 175
VALENCIA 257
VOLUME II
PAGE
GATE OF THE SUN, TOLEDO 18
ALCAZAR AND BRIDGE OF SAN MARTIN, TOLEDO 40
COURT OF ORANGES, MOSQUE OF CORDOVA 68
MOORISH ARCHES, ALCAZAR, SEVILLE 124
CADIZ 158
MALAGA 170
COURT OF MYRTLES, ALHAMBRA 194
FOUNTAIN IN THE COURT OF LIONS, ALHAMBRA 200
QUEEN'S BOUDOIR, ALHAMBRA 212
COURT OF GENERALIFE, GRANADA 226
THE ALHAMBRA AND THE VALLEY OF THE DARRO 250
ARANJUEZ.
As on arriving at Madrid by way of the north, so on leaving it by way of the south, one must pass through a desolate country that resembles the poorest provinces of Arragon and Old Castile. There are vast plains, parched and yellow, which look as though they would echo like a hollow passageway if one were to strike them, or crumble like the crust of a crisp tart. And through the plains are scattered a few wretched villages of the same color as the soil, which seem as though they would take fire like a pile of dry leaves if one were to touch a torch to the corner of one of the huts. After an hour of travel my shoulders sought the cushions of the carriage, my elbow sought for a support, my head sought my hand, and I fell into a deep sleep like a member of Leopardi's "Assembly of Listeners." A few minutes after I had closed my eyes I was rudely awakened by a desperate cry from the women and children, and leaped to my feet, demanding of my neighbors what had occurred.
But before I had ended my question a general burst of laughter reassured me. A company of huntsmen, scattered over the plain, on noticing the approach of the train, had planned to give the travellers a little scare. At that time there was a rumor that a band of Carlists had appeared in the vicinity of Aranjuez. The huntsmen, pretending to be the vanguard of the band, had given a loud shout while the train was passing, as if to call the great body of their comrades to their assistance, and as they shouted they went through the motions of firing at the railway-carriages; hence arose the fright and the cries of my fellow-travellers. And then the huntsmen suddenly threw the butts of their guns into the air to show that it was all a joke.
When the alarm, in which I too shared for a moment, had subsided, I fell once more into my academic doze, but was again awakened in a few moments in a manner much more pleasant than on the first occasion.
I looked around: the vast barren plain had been transformed as by magic into a great garden full of the most charming groves, traversed in all directions by wide avenues, dotted with country-houses and cottages festooned with verdure; here and there the sparkling of fountains, shady grottoes, flowering meadows, vineyards, and bridle-paths--a verdure, a freshness, a vernal odor, an atmosphere of happiness and peace, that enchanted the soul. We had arrived at Aranjuez. I left the train, walked up a beautiful avenue shaded by two rows of noble trees, and after a few steps found myself in front of the royal palace.
... "All is peace and silence, And their names are no longer heard."
TOLEDO.
When one approaches an unknown city one ought to have near by some one who has already seen it and is able to indicate the opportune moment to put one's head out of the window and get the first view. I had the good fortune to be informed in time. Some one said to me, "There is Toledo!" and I sprang to the window with an exclamation of wonder.
Toledo rises on a sheer rocky height, at whose foot the Tagus describes a grand curve. From the plain one sees only the rocks and the walls of the fortress, and beyond the wall the tips of the belfries and the towers. The houses are hidden from view; the city seems to be closed and inaccessible, and presents the appearance of an abandoned stronghold rather than of a city. From the walls to the river-banks there is not a single house nor tree; all is bare, parched, craggy, precipitous; not a soul is in sight; you would say that to make the ascent it would be necessary to climb, and it seems that at the first appearance of a man on the face of those rocks a shower of arrows would fall upon him from the top of the wall.
What a city! At the first moment I caught my breath. The carriage had turned down a little street, so narrow that the hubs of the wheels almost touched the walls of the houses.
"Why do you turn in here?" I asked the driver.
He laughed and answered, "Because there is no wider street."
"Is all Toledo like this?" I asked again.
"It is all like this," he replied
"Impossible!" I exclaimed.
"You will see," he added.
To tell the truth, I did not believe him. I entered a hotel, dropped my valise in a room, and ran headlong down the stairs to take a look at this very strange city. One of the hotel-porters stopped me at the door and asked with a smile,
"To see Toledo," I replied.
"Alone?"
"Yes; why not?"
"But have you ever been here before?"
"Never."
"Then you cannot go alone."
"And why not?"
"Because you will get lost."
"Where?"
"As soon as you go out."
"For what reason?"
"The reason is this," he answered, pointing to a wall on which hung a map of Toledo. I approached and saw a network of white lines on a black background that seemed like one of those flourishes which school-boys make on their slates to waste the chalk and vex their teacher.
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