The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1907-02-12
NOTES OF
TRAVEL.
Hon. Norman Fox Writes Of
Interesting Scenes and Incl
dents in Foreign Countries.
SPANISH RAILROADS GRANADA

From the railway station across
the bay of Gibraltar we took the train
for Granada Travelling in Spain is
not the pleasantest, for the hotels
even in the large cities are not all
that may be desired while the rail
road cars are of primitive construction
and far from clean; the trains are
slow and make long stops at stations
ard there are not generally more than
two trains day. Our journey that
day Of but 1873 miles took us nearly
twelve hours. Express trains are run
but two or three times week We
were fortunate in that the only other
traveller in our compartment was a
friendly young EngliShman mining
engineer-who had spent nearly all his
life in Spain and who not only acted
as interpreter between us and the
railway officials but also could give us
interesting information on local
topics.
With all its drawbacks the Journey
that day was one of unusual interest.
The old Spanish towns and villages
with their peculiar architecture had
each of them a uniquely picturesque
character. At one point and an
other the ruins of an ancient Moorish
aqueduct or other noble structure
spoke of the brilliant centuries of the
Saracen occupation. Along the rail-
way and dividing the fields there
were hundreds of miles of hedges of
tall cactus and century plants, while
the orange, the fig, the almond, the
cork and other semi-tropical trees
gave the scene rare beauty and in
terest We passed thousands upon
thousands of acres OF olive orchards
with their rich green foliage and
loaded with the purple fruit ready for
the harvest. The peasants at work
in the fields with their donkeyS and
their antique agricultural equipment
furnished a continual subject for in
terested observation.
A great part Of our journey was
along and across mountain ranges
with continual views of wild gorges
through which poured the most TO-
mantle of mountain torrents. The
air was wonderfully clear so that the
long lines of the distant mountain
ridges stood out with brilliant
sharpness against the sky and their
ragged broken outlines showed why
they are termed iSie7raS that is, saws.
Over the whole landscape there were
diffuSed tintS of wondrouS beauty, a
c0loring such as that which makes
radiant the Dolomites of the Tyrol.
perhaps might say that never have
| enjoyed days travel more than
this our first journey in Spain
At Granada we put up at the Hotel
Washington Irving. The great
American writer of the last genera
tion has by his charming sketches
made himself part of Spanish life.
With the Alhambra, that fairy
palace, all are familiar.
"L' ALEXANDRIA L. Alhambra palais
que les genies
"Out dorc CONNIE un reve ct
rempli d'harmonieS.
One finds in it at every turning a
new marvel, always new design on
column arch or wall; there appearing
more than a hundred and fifty de-
signs in one compartment alone;
while hall after hall, room after room;
displays an exquisite ivory fret-work,
with splaShes of color-red, blue and
gold, encircling those dreamy courts
of myrtle and the columned windows
frame enhancing pictures OF the
wonderfully tinted surrounding land
Scape, with its beautiful valleys and
the distant mountains. This Moorish
palace is the reSuScitatiOn and artiS-
tic gloritication of far distant past
the tent of the nomad Arab celebrat-
ing a resurrection in its halls.
There are other enhancing Saracen
creations in Granada, for example the
Generaliffe, the summer residence OF
the Moorish princes, with its enchant-
| ing gardens, gigantic and venerable
cypress trees, flights of old Moorish
steps connecting terrace upon terrace
the fountains sending down then
tiny streams in grooves in the long
marble balustradeS on either side,
clipt hedges looking quite black
against the pink walls of the old
palace with its exquisite GjdGmez
windows. and over all the wonderful
color of Spain, indiscribable and I'M
surpassed.
The heights around the beautiful
city furnish many views and it was q
long to be remembered ride which we
took one afternoon at sunset and
from one of the highest hills in the
vicinity surveyed not only the whole
city with its $4,000 of population but
the majestic landscape surrounding it
and in the distance the grand Sierra
Nevada mountains, white with snow.
AS we stood in front of the little
chapel on the summit the veSpeI
music was soft accompaniment &c
the wonderful sunset glow upon the
far distant snow fields.
The cathedral of Granada, highly
ornate Renaissance structure, con-
tains the tombs of Ferdinand ano