1936 On the Continent

so hotels listed by our old friend the
Patronato Nacional del Turismo
have very low maximum charges. The interesting thing about this place, from your point of view, is the fact that it brings you into close contact with the Spanish people, particularly the middle classes and the lower middle classes. I am sure you will find them charming. If you make friends with a Spanish family and happen to admire one or other of their possessions, they may promptly offer it to you as a gift. It goes without saying that you must refuse. Whatever the subject of your conversation with a Spaniard may be, it will inevitably veer round to lotteries, which you will be offered by vendors wherever you go. The Spanish are great gamblers, though only in a small way, and you are sure to be dragged along to a
pelota
match (something like tennis), which no one attends for any other reason than to bet on the result.
    If you sneeze in the presence of a Spaniard, particularly a woman, do not be alarmed if you hear the exclamation “Jesús” or “Jesús, Maria y José”; they are not swearing at you, merely wishing you well.
    A more important thing that you must know is that the Spaniard is passionate in his political beliefs, and you had better not discuss politics with your native friends. True, there may be an advertisement of some kind in your hotelroom to the effect that this or that political party are traitors but that is not really intended for you but for the native visitor.
    To say that Corunna is a lovely place, particularly in summer, is superfluous; to detail its charms would be more superfluous still. But you may be interested to learn that the women of Corunna are reputed to be the smartest in all Spain.
    When in Corunna you are bound to hear about Santiago, the “Rome of the West” and probably meet pilgrims—probably Irish—going there.
Santiago
    Now, although Santiago has little more to offer than beautiful architecture and art treasures, you ought to visit this ancient city. It is different from the usual “museum” cities, though it is difficult to say why. It has an atmosphere of its own, and it shows you a different aspect of Spain from anything you have seen so far. It is a city of eloquent silence. The streets are too narrow to allow of vehicular traffic and there is a reverent note even in the echo of your footsteps.
    Santiago is surrounded by mountains, with Monte Pedros on one side and Pico Sacro on the other. The streets are paved with huge, uneven blocks of the same grey granite of which the great cathedral and ancient houses are built. The cathedral is the finest Romanesque church in Spain. In addition, there are forty-six other churches, scores of chapels and many convents. According to tradition Santiago owes its foundation to a miracle. During the reign of Alfonso II a star appeared one night over an oak tree near Padron (a few miles from Santiago) and, followed by devout watchers, revealed the burial-place of St. James, martyred eight centuries before in the Holy Land. The bones of the saint were transferred to what is now Santiago de Compostela (“Field of the Star”) and during five or six centuries attracted pilgrims from all over Europe. Santiago to-day is a characteristic city of Galicia. It has the rainiest climate in all Spain, and its arcaded streets are overgrown with grass and flowers and even cabbage plants. Santiago is also the centre of an excellent trout-fishing country.
    The inhabitants of Santiago—and Galicia as a whole—are of the same race as the Portuguese, but you will see no difference between them and the Spanish. The uniformed guide-interpreter who takes you round the sights is just as voluble, the beggars just as insistent as elsewhere in Spain, and the policeman on the
Plaza del Hospital
, the finest square in all Spain, smokes cigarettes while on duty just as nonchalantly as in Gijon or Oviedo.
    The new quarter of Santiago is abominable, and you will lose nothing by giving it a wide berth.
    The hotels, as everywhere else in Spain, are good. If you are lucky enough to be at Santiago on July 25th, when the principal pilgrimage of the year takes place and there are colourful ceremonies at the cathedral, you can stay at the Compuesta or at the Suizo.
    As you perhaps know, King Edward VIII, as Prince of Wales, visited Santiago; and the giant censer, which is otherwise only used on July 25th, was swung for his especial benefit.
Vigo
    Vigo, Spain’s most important Atlantic port,