1936 On the Continent

fruit from their orchard, the loveliest flowers from their garden, the best wine from their cellars, and the tastiest food from their larder. You will, when you leave, take with you an ineffaceable memory of a kindly and courteous people devoted to the welfare of Portugal, and tireless in their cheerful labours for the peace and prosperity of their native land.
Allies
    As you are no doubt aware, in a Europe armed to the teeth owing to the instability of international agreements and alliances, our respective countries are maintaining with the strictest loyalty an alliance that has lasted for nearly six centuries. Since the Middle Ages Great Britain and Portugal have faced every crisis in the world’s destiny together and always in a brotherly spirit. In the same year as the alliance was confirmed, a charming incident occurred that is recorded in the story known as “The Twelve of England.” Twelve Portuguese knights travelled to your island country and fought in tournaments, the glory of which echoed through Europe. They fought—and conquered—in defence of the beauty of Englishwomen, about which disparaging statements had been made by some foreigners.
    This happened over five hundred years ago. But in this beautiful country of poets and romantic lovers, whose ardent, impassioned temperament is perhaps due to the dominant influence of the Atlantic which has for centuries listened to the laments of separated lovers, the grandchildren of “The Twelve of England” have not lost the traditional gallantry of the noble knights who fought in those tournaments. And this may be recommended as an additional attraction to the tourist.
    No doubt you have visited the Casa de Portugal in Regent Street, and have obtained detailed information as to how to get to Portugal. Now that you are here, get your camera ready, adjust your binoculars, and remove your hat, the better to appreciate the caress of the sunshine while your eyes dwell on the port of Lisbon, which surpasses all other ports in beauty and charm.
LISBON AND SUBURBS
    You must seek to penetrate the soul of this city. Listen to its heart-beats. Do not treat it with mere contemplative interest, as if it were a monument or a garden. Look upon it as a living thing that shares your joys and sorrows, amuses itself, sings, dreams and smiles with you. Look into its life. Here you see the Rossio, the great square where all the streets, all the arteries of the city meet. Before leaving it, look round. Above you are great buildings in sober “Pombalino” style and on every side gay attics in red brick ornate with flowers. If you stop near the Bandeira Arch, you will have a full view of the lovely square with its monumental bronze fountains, whose spray cascades into lakes that reflect the pigeons circling above; of the statue of King Pedro IV, in the centre, and of the aristocratic façade of the national theatre in the extreme background. But do not stay long. Come with me. Let us cross the square and see how different is the view we get from here, from the window of the “Chave de Oiro” tea-rooms. Seen from here the grandeur of the monuments dwindles and what attracts us are the heights that rise opposite, the confused maze of dwellings crowned by the castle of Saint George, ancient and full of traditions. Enter the numerous cafés and tea-shops and see for yourself how the two sides of the Rossio differ. Here, the stir and tumult of eager crowds reading the latest news on the newspaper hoardings and filling the billiard-rooms and cafés. There, on the opposite side, everything is calm and restful—shoppers, middle-class mothers, children with toy-balloons.…
    And dominating all other sounds is the constant clang of electric trams, the strident dialogue of motor-horns, and the shrill cries of newsvendors. Nearby is the Central Railway Station, built in the Portuguese “Manoelino” style. In the same direction lies the “La Gare” coffeehouse, which is open all night, and the “Martinho,” the oldest of Lisbon restaurants.
    Now let us pass through streets and avenues haphazard. This is Rua do Ouro (Gold Street), which has the appearance of an almost first-class boulevard. Just look down it. You have surely never seen a street in a big city end unexpectedly in a vista of red sails and tall white masts.…
    Please note this contrast. The street running parallel ends in a very different way—in a monumental archway commemorating the virtues of the Portuguese in the