My Spanish Year

A December festival—The “Mystery”—A holy war—The story of the _Seises_ and their Dance—The Triduum of Carnestolendas—The real Don Juan—The Dancers of Corpus Christi—The defeat o...

The Guadalquivir—Arabic gardens—“Bird’s milk”—Wild camels—Tartessian cattle—The city of Hercules—The foundations of Tharsis—Subterranean galleries—The “Labyrinth”—A careful fath...

A saddle for femininity—September fairs—Three kinds of hostelries—A night at the street door—_Buñolitos_—Mosquitoes and holy water—All the fun of the fair—The etiquette of mendi...

Music and the people—Arabic instruments—The _saetas_ of Andalucia—The tango in the theatre—A working-class wedding—A drama in a dance—The alarmed widow lady—The Jota of Aragón—O...

Holy Week in Seville—What not to see—The Blessing of the Palms—Cathedral dignitaries—The Cardinal and the children—The Dean’s smile—The Cathedral steps—The Entry into Jerusalem—...

Popular monarchs—King Alfonso and the washerwoman—Royal charity—No bull-fight required—Reaction against the bull-ring—A monarchical republican—The guardian of the polo ground—Th...

Mourning customs—“Keening” the dead—The night before the funeral—Sympathetic friends—“Accompanying” the mourners—A verbal error—Black masks at a dance—A black-draped house—The l...

The Convento de la Luz—The Poor Clares and the Conceptionists—Our Lady of Montemayor—A fortified religious house—The _ribats_ of Spain—The ancient refectory—Arabic inscriptions...

Travelling in Spain: four grades of trains but only one price—Ten miles an hour—Dangerous speed—Amusing the villagers—A slow night journey—Suppressing a raconteur—“Shall we go?”...

Entertaining in town and country—Critical guests—A subscription ball—_Le dernier cri_ from London—Dancing in a bog—Why the ladies went home—The search for Spanish gaiety—A disap...

The Columbus country—The way to Moguer—A rickety bridge—An historical family—Blue eyes and honourable hearts—Fifteenth-century iron work—Martin Alonso Pinzón, the friend of Colu...

The wedding—Our Lady of the Carmen: her lady-in-waiting—The ancestral house of the Campos Abandonados—The kissing habit in Spain—Muscatel and Manzanilla—Arabic sweetmeats—King A...

The April Fair—From the harem to the _caseta_—The Prado of San Sebastian—The Inquisition—Conscripts and the Flag—Spanish football clubs—Buying votes—The cattle at the Fair—Harne...

Fancy bread and sun-worship—Prehistoric sandals—A bower of oleanders—An Andalucian St. John—Fashion and footpaths—The _mauvais pas_—The midday rest—A mountain storm—Thunder, lig...

If I were to describe the scene of the wedding where it actually took place, it is just possible that some of those concerned, if they happened to see this book, might recognise...

The “season of the baths,” as the summer holidays are here called, is a very serious business indeed. In the fashionable seaside resorts such as San Sebastian, Santander, Malaga...

Mountain philosophy—A Rembrandt mother and child—Egyptian cotton fields—The Khalif and the _cañeria_—My lodging in a bakery—Embarrassing hospitality—An Arabic banner—Subterranea...

Life in the patio—Locked doors and lovers—The uses of the grated gate—Courting under difficulties: the keyhole and the crack—Manolo and Carmencita, a romance in real life.

Rustic humour—The haunted _venta_—Prehistoric graves—A deferred journey—More mountain hospitality—The end of my ride—A lost train—A night in a _posada_—Chivalrous José—Mixed com...