1936 On the Continent

Italiano(Italian cooking) on Carrera de San Jeronimo, are all good, while at the Casa Botin, which is a typically Madrileño eating-place, you can either indulge in a memorable gastronomic experiment or lay the foundations of chronic dyspepsia. However, you may find several of the above places, with the exception of the last-named, closed, in which case you will have to feed at the Savoy on the Prado or at any other of the hundred or so hotels and restaurants listed by the
Patronato Nacional del Turismo
. In fact, if you believe in the safety-first principle you can do no better than ask for a list of hotels at one of the
P. N. T.
offices. The list will probably include, among others, the Hotels Londres, Florida, and Regina.
    In Madrid, in particular, you will hear that the duros, or 5-peseta pieces, are mostly counterfeit, and you will be advised to ring every one of them when you change a note. There may be something in this, but I have never met any foreign visitor to Madrid who could confirm this from personal experience.

The “Sights”
    Madrid being a comparatively modern city, it has few notable sights, that is to say, sights that would be included in a conservative guide-book. But if you wish to do a round of the city you can start from the Puerta del Sol, an irregularly shaped central square from which ten streets radiate, including the Calle Alcalá and the Carrera de San Jeronimo, both of which run into the Paseos, and the Calle del Arenal and the Calle Mayor which will take you to the Royal Palace. The Calle Alcalá and the Gran Via (a general name for three boulevards) are the most modern thoroughfares in Madrid. Of course, you will have to visit the Royal Palace, the Prado and the Armeria Real. At the Prado you will see pictures by Velazquez, Goya, El Greco, Murillo, and so on, but, frankly, unless you can spend several days at the Prado, and unless youare able to appreciate and have a taste for great painting, a visit to the Prado is a waste of your time.
    The Armeria Real contains a magnificent collection of lethal weapons and armour.
    But what may interest you far more is the fact that all the shops in Madrid are open till 10 o’clock in the evening; and you need never hurry with your shopping. There are no luxury shops in Madrid, unless they are tucked away out of sight of the average wideawake tourist. You may, and should, bargain at all the shops. However, Madrid is not such a good shopping centre as, for instance, Paris. If you are taking my lady, see that the Spanish shawl she buys is really Spanish and not imported. If you are out for low-priced antiques, look the article over carefully to see whether its place of origin is not Birmingham. But you can pick up a few lovely things in Madrid at no greater cost than their true worth, such as lace shawls and mantillas of Granadine workmanship, pottery, faience and ceramics, wrought-iron articles, rugs, etc. If you like that sort of adventure go to the Sunday market in the Rastro, which is Madrid’s Petticoat Lane and quite interesting.
Shopping
    If you propose to spend real money in shopping, it will pay you to engage a reliable guide recommended by the
Patronato Nacional del Turismo
. You will save a great deal more than the guide’s fee. However, some guides have an arrangement with certain shops whereby they are paid a secret commisssion which, of course, is added to the price. If you notice anything like this report at once to the
P. N. T.
—for the sake of other tourists.
    On the other hand, if my lady desires a shampoo, trim, wave, singe, etc., she may confidently enter any hairdressing establishment in the principal thoroughfare in the knowledge that she will be served with the greatest possible speed, efficiency and courtesy at a ridiculously low price. Madrid’s hairdressers are true artists and take pride in their craft.
    Barbers are also excellent. It may be accepted as a general rule that although the Spaniard is not exactly a glutton for work, once he undertakes a job he performs it as well as possible.
    Taxis are quite cheap in Madrid, but the foreign visitor has no need to use them. The buses, where you travel in the company of native Madrileños are much better. From their conversation you will gather what lies uppermost in their minds, and even if you know no Spanish, or only a few words, the most frequently repeated words and phrases are bound to stick in your memory. For instance, a foreigner staying in London is bound to