New Britain herald., 1928-08-03
MADRID IS CITY
 0F MUCH INTEREST
New World Place Among Medic
 val Surroundings

from the traditional type Of Span ish city which the Moors be- aueathed," says a bulletin from the Washington, D, C.. headquarters of the National Geographic Society
 Toledo, Granada and Seville and other Spanish cities, with their mar row. tor,uous streets. hemmei in by blank walls of residences facing en closed gardens. appear as If they were in another world when com- pared with the modern capital with it's wide tree-l lined boulevards, and spacious parks and public squares.
 Youngest of Great Cities
 "Madrid's oldest pages of history are newer than those of it's Span- ish neighbors," continues the bulle- tin. Philip II chose it as the Span ish capital in 1860. The king was faced with the problem of picking site that would satisfy the various races of Spain. Saragossa was Ara gonese, Burgos was Castilian. To- ledo was Nisgothic and CordoVa | and Seville were Moorish. He chose , Madrid, which is situated like a
 
 and from d city of about 3o,0o0 ln- habitants it has steadily grown un- s til it now is larger than Cleveland. Ohio. "rravelers 10 Madrid question Philips choice oi a site. however. The surrounding country is all but nicturcsoue. Bleak. windswep' 1 treeless hills surround it. Only now and then one sees a patch Of gram attempting to withstand a severe climate. In midsummer the popu- lace sinners under the heat of the sun which sometimes causes the thermometer to soar to no degrees, while in midwinter it is one Of the coldest cities in Europe. Often dur ing the summer months travellers are forced by the peculiar climate 10 change their clothing from lleht linens to heavy woolens when chlil winds suddenly change tropical neat to frjsid cold. Tourists from the warm climate of souther nSpain are ! surprised to learn that ice skating Is one of the fayorite Madrid sports. Nevertheless the carital's eli l perhaps to the fact that the m- habi,ants have learned to adjust themselves to it's peculiarties, It is the uninformed traveler who suffers most.
 Hodge -Potisc Of Races
 "Madrid's center of everything IS the Puerta del Sol, a large public square in the center of the city. It is d sort of hub for q dozen streets which, like spokes Of a wheel, lead in all directions through the city. Here it is that seller meets buyer. beau meets belle. the loafers loaf, the street vendors ply their trade, and the beggars beg. Mingllnd with the city folk are stocky Basques from the Pyrenees country, ruddy- skinned gypsies from the south and olive complexioned individuals from other portions of Spain as well as Frenchmen Englishmen, Italians. and a few representatives Of all other European countries. Now and then one also recognizes & group of Americans making their way through the slow moving mass Of humanity.
 "One of the Puerta del Sol 'spokes' leads to the s15.ooo.0 royal palace. one of the principal show places of the Spanish capital It is an irn- posing structure of granite. The spacious yards surrounding it are usually thronged with men and women sauntering on the walks, leaning against the palace wall or sitting on the royal steps. As ln the Puerta del Sol the vendors and newsboys are heard above the din of chatter, and the ever-present beg gar makes life miserable for the stranger Boys and girls playing games remind one of the south lawn of the White House on Easter Mon day when the gates of the presi- dents back yard are thrown open for youthful egg rollers.
 American Automobiles
 Tn the public squares and along the boulevards American automo- piles vie with foreign makes ana even the Spanish made cars Of whlch the Spaniards are extremely proud One can hail anything from an an- cient flivver to Americas largest automobile in which to make tour of the city. Such tour includes he Royal Academy of Fine Arts where paintings of Murilla, among hose of other famous artists are oi exhibition, the Royal Picture Gal ery. which contains some 2,oo' paintings by celebrated artists: the Palace: Botanical Gardens. and tht rtillery Museum in which are pre- erved trophies of Spanish wars.
 Since the eighteenth century Ma hrid has made tremendous strides n growth It has no water trans ,ortation but the city fathers nav developed a splendid railroad trans ,ortation system which handles tn growing industrial output. Wher but a century or two ago dust. ttreets and ugly buildings were eye Eores 10 the populace. fine boule
 ards now are lined with moderl buildings. The Plaza Mayor. one Nadrid's many public squares. has
 plendid equestrian statue of Phili
 II surrounded by an arcade wher Ine can sip syrupy drinks and watc
 he beau stare the mantilla- -bedeck
 d Spanish fiapper out of counte Iance.
 "From the appearance of tn
 hronged squares and thoroughfare he would be led to believe that n
 me works in Madrid Only whe
 he bull fight is on or the churche
 re holding special religious service
 the throng thinned."
 Paris Introduces