The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1921-03-26
Picturesque Portuguese Capital
Contains Much of interest
to Sightseer.
CITY OF QUEER CONTRASTS
Modern Town Is Crowded With AMI
mated Groups While Old City Is
Quiet Retreat-Garden of Eu-
rope Set Beside the Sea.

London.-If, some evening. writes
correspondent Of the Times from LIS
bon. you should leave Madrid-that
luxurious but melancholy city, perched
high above a wintry landscape OF
which the hard, bleak outlines are
softened by mist-and if you should
take the little short-winded train that
1olts cheerfully, If pantihgly. all the
way to Lisbon three times week,
you will wake up the next morning IN
an enchanted land,
You will see q clear, pale blue SKY
and q fresh, joyous morning hght
touching forests Of cork trees with Sill
yer; f0cks of red brown goats frisk-
ing in and out among the bright red OF
the stripped tree trunks; torrent
cleaning among white rocks; gelly
painted houses covered with Towering
rose briars and surrounded by clumps
Of slended palms, and brilliant green
orange trees laden with silver gilt fruit
that twinkle like stars. Thus. with all
the peaceful spIendor OF q virginia
landscape. there passes before your
eyes fOrmOsa Lusitania, "Jarcin da
Europa q beira mar plantado,' as the
Portuguese poet Ribeiro called it,
garden OF Europe set beside the sea-
At every little station, as you draw
near the capital. the first-class coaches
there are no thirds-are invaded by
peasants wearing short jackets and
wooden caps that hang down onto
their shoulders, and women with ivory
faces framed in bright colored hand
kerchiefs, all carrying baskets of fruit,
cheese or cackling fowls, and gtrt
round with strings Of cartridges or
woodcock. They swarm into the cor
ridors and onto the footboards with
4 friendly lack Of ceremony; questions
are asked and jokes exchanged In the
soft, somewhat heavy Portuguese Ian.
Ruage. which has lost the rough quail.
ties OF Spanish, and loud, unrestrained
| laughter fills the air. It Is pic
turesque, intimate sort Of scene, which
| has the advantage Of lasting too short
Z time to pail.
Lisbon Worth Delay.
II you are on your way to the Portu
guese Riviera, Lisbon is well worth I
few days. delay. Except that the bed
are a trifle hard and that the heating
owing to the coal shortage, leaves
something to be desired-but this doe
not matter much, for the sun shines
nearly every day-there are SOM
quite good hotels. They are well run
and even the visitor who Is merel,
passing through is treated as friend
| First, there is the modern town
which lies In the plain at the foot o
the seven hills. It begins on the edg
Of the country with the superb Avenu
de Ia Liberdad, with it's eight rows o
plane trees and palms. This thorough
fare extends majestically for half
mile. between villas and fine ney
houses, right into the heart Of the city
the RociO, q wide square overlooked b
| the hill upon which the rusty red cita
del stands.
4 4 dense crowd. differing from nortf
ern crowds in that It is composed a
most entirely OF men, passes up an
down the footpaths and on the streets
there are few carriages or mOtOrcar
but plenty of tramcars, which are NOR
numerous and better run than IL an
other European capital. Men forl
! groups in the streets and carry on liv'
lly DISCUSSIONS politics mainly.