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Show 9ieCharm of Madrid '.' -V.Ai,". , ' , -r 1 i . y ' , ' ! r ' ' , ' ft ' ' " Y -i' -:'' ' ' :--tf i -";: -i-j! "5, . . ;;":4 fcj- : Transporting a Bull t the Madrid Bullring. (Prepared by National Ooofirraphlc Society. WaahlnKton. D. O WNU Service. MADRID, Spain's political press box where It was recently announced an-nounced that Catalonia was voted greater autonomy by the Spanish cortes, is one of the newest new-est nnd uiost modern capitals of western west-ern Europe. To the traveler who spends a few hours or a few years In the Spanish capital, the great avenue, Gran Aven-lda Aven-lda de la Ubertud, is the city's outstanding out-standing feature. It Is one of the tin-est tin-est boulevards In Europe. The most imposing of the governmental govern-mental palaces. Museums, and hoteU face this noble boulevard, which runs north to south along the eastern edge of the city. On its fringe lies an exclusive ex-clusive residential section' and the large park known In the old days as Jluen lietiro. Were the foreign visitor vis-itor to linger In the capital no longer than 24 hours, he could still see much of its throbbing life on this one great avenue. The Avenlda's wide, tree-lined walks for pedestrians, lying between the inner in-ner automobile and carriage highway and the outer traliie roads, are vividly alive by day and literally thronged by early evening. Kows of chairs are packed on each side of the broad walks. Summer Madrid makes itself comfortable. com-fortable. All along the walks are refreshment re-freshment booths. Ceer is popular but has not replaced the many typical soft drinks, in favor for centuries. As you sit sipping your cold, creamy, almond-llavored almond-llavored horchala, up comes the boy known as the barquillero. He carries car-ries a barrel-like metal receptacle containing con-taining the sweet, rolled wafers called barquillos. You hand out a coin, spin the wheel on top of the barrel, and watch for the figure which indicates the number of wafers you will win. No ban has yet been placed on this mild form of gambling. Army officers In brilliant uniforms, men garbed In mourning black even in midsummer, pretty, graceful, dark-haired dark-haired women, sturdy, barelegged children chil-dren these and countless other types pass. Lottery sellers with strident voices, wizened peanut venders, coquettish co-quettish flower sellers, cry their wares. "All the world," as the Spaniards express ex-press it, is out-of-doors. Even with fashionables away, the majority of those who crowd the promenades prom-enades are modishly dressed. The young women have bobbed hair. Upper Up-per and middle-class women wear hats. The woman of the masses scorns a "bonnet" yet her skin Is free from freckles. Fluttering of Fans. Fans, not parasols, are the vogue. The paseos are all a flutter. It is to be regretted that continental and oriental decorations on fans are now the style, for there is nothing prettier than the old-fashioned Valenciau fan decorated with typical Spanish scenes and figures. fig-ures. These fans can still be found, if you will search, along with painted tiles and china with Zuloaga designs from Segovia, decorated porcelain from the ancient factory at Talavera de la Keina, Damascene ware from Toledo, linen drawn-work from the Toledan village of Lagartera, and hand-made lace from the south of Spain. The little lit-tle dolls wearing regional peasant cos tumes are made in Madrid. The capital's summer temperature is high, but It is a dry heat, not moist and sticky. You broil in the sun. but turn the corner, to the shady side of the street, and there Is a breath of cool air from the mountains. Madrid Is elevated more than 2,000 feet above sea level. There is an abundant water supply from the Guadarramas, and in summer the streets are hosed thoroughly from four to six times a day. Systematic tree planting nnd park development have made a refreshing city in the midst of a scorched plain, long ago stripped of its trees. The Castiiian farmers of old believed the birds to be their mortal enemies and left no haven for the winged host. Shops close every afternoon from one or two o'clock until four or live. The dinner hour Is late from our standpoint, from 8 ::i0 to 10:30. -Mad rilenos know how to enjoy the magic hours of early evening. Open-air band concert s continue mi til two o'clock In the morning. If you stay up to put summer Madrid to be'., you will meet the huge, croaking. tw. wheeled, hooded carts lumhyrlns into town Willi country produce in iv::;d. Straw-cover.1:! b::.1 !:i".s. b.i::ni f.c ti:e central nrirWot. where a m"! - ;v::t,.r melons will s.n !. i:i 'v: ' m.v. ':.': which mine from I" . ! i''-".' i j tains put up ovcne:.iii ::i l.r- ' : .'i..:'1 of town, r.t iuu.l !' r v..:-M i the fondouks of Morocco, save that Jaded mules, drowsing in the courtyard, court-yard, here take the place of camels. On the surface, Madrid is modern, continental, as beautiful in spots as Paris; but there are still odd, hidden corners delightfully medieval. In this lies the great city's charm. Youngest, yet mightiest, of Iberian cities, the Spanish capital reminds one more of Buenos Aires than of any of Its Latin sisters. Like the far-southern metropolis, metrop-olis, It Is not congested and is surrounded sur-rounded by a practically treeless agricultural agri-cultural region. Facing Madrid's Gran Avenida Is the gigantic building known as the palace pal-ace of communications, which houses the postal and telegraph ollices. This is one of the finest public buildings in the word. Among its unique features fea-tures are the labeled locating maps on the outer wall Just above the slots where you mail your letters. There are eight of these maps, showing different dif-ferent sections of Spain, with an additional ad-ditional letter box labeled "Army in Africa." Outside the main post office, stamps are on sale at tobacco shops in all parts of the city. In each of these shops is a letterbox. You can also mail your letter in a box on the red and yellow tram car, if you will run after it, and be assured of quick service serv-ice to the main office. Near the post office are the national library, the arclieological museum, and the museum of modern painting all three of great interest to the student and art lover. Even more famous fa-mous is the National Museum of Painting Paint-ing and Sculpture, better known as the Prado museum, where are hung those glorious Sixteenth, Seventeenth, and Eighteenth-century masterpieces collected by the art-loving Spanish kings. The Botanical garden next door provides a breathing place for the poorer classes, a playground for those big-eyed, creamy - skinned children, whose beauty, vivacity, and good manners man-ners Impress every traveler who visits vis-its Spain. Here even the poorest child is taught to practice the courtesies of life. Madrid's eastern park (El Hetiro) has magnificent trees and lakes and the famous "Rosaleda," or rose garden, gar-den, with its three thousand and more varieties. If you keep on the driveways, you will meet, in the late afternoon, every manner of vehicle, from a smart limousine to a provincial mule-drawn carriage; but stray afoot onto the shady paths and you will find even more of interest. In the construction of the splendid Gran Via, with its big hotels, smart shops, and department stores, more than four thousand dwellings, In a labyrinth of ancient streets in the heart of the city, were demolished. Above all other buildings in this new quarter towers the National Telephone company's steel skyscraper. Open-Air Movies. Moving pictures, screened In the ' open, attract crowds on summer ! nights, and by this method the tele- i phone company is teaching the masses how to use the automatic telephone. And, speaking of the "movies." Mary j Pickford. Douglas Fairbanks, and ! riiarlie Chaplin are Madrid favorites. I The Puerta del Sol is Madrid's hub. I This oblong square bears the name of ! a vanished gate in the one-time en- j circling town ha'.l. It Is the terminal I station of many of the ,"0-odd mu j nicipal trolley lin.'s. In the center of the Puerta del Sid is one of the stations of the underground under-ground railway, familiarly known as the "Metro." By the surface entrance of each subway station hangs a uiup ! showing you where you are going or from where you came. Madrid's subway carries passengers the length of the city, with shorter latitudinal lines. Riding north to Cu-atro Cu-atro Caminos (Four Roads) at the end of the line, we rind ama:-.ing building build-ing activity, big apartment houses springing up for the use of the growing grow-ing middle class. As a moans of communication between be-tween towns throughout Spain, the motor omnibus has taken the place of Ihe old-time diligence. Such buses traverse the capital, connecting it not only with uear-by villages, but with far-distant far-distant cities. In recent years there has been notable improvement in national na-tional highways, especially on the main arteries from north to south. High-wheeled carts drawn by mules or l v i:n'es a:id horses harnessed tan I. -:::. d : k" carts and pnnr.ier :av; Jo: !;. vs. their heads (h-.-orated with to-! uoLi.'i !.:...:'s add a pioturos-i'jo o : :'tv s: '.'.'! TV c;r:;bc:so::H o-' n!d 'i.i irid has been ban i--he i. |