| BARCELONA |
"Now we shall stroll along the celebrated Rambla. Is this not a handsome promenade, with its flowers and trees? Would you like to sit here at a little table and sip some chocolate?
"They say that Barcelona has more sidewalk cafés than any other city its size in Europe. You see, we know how to enjoy ourselves. Yet we are not lazy. No, indeed! We are most active. Why, Barcelona never sleeps.
"We are situated on the blue Mediterranean Sea. Not far from the city, there is a wonderful monastery called Montserrat (mŏnt´sĕ-răt´). It is perched high up amid a mystic forest of stony crags.
"Montserrat is the shrine of the Black Virgin, a sacred carving. The story goes when the Moors held Spain, this carving was hidden in a cave. Many years later, it was found by shepherds who heard weird music near by.
"They tried to move the Black Virgin, but could not, and so a church was built to hold it. Today great crowds swarm up the mountain to see the sacred carving.
"But now I shall have to leave you. I could show you much more, of course, but there might be an objection if I did. You ask why? Because a certain city I know would be afraid that you might agree with me that Barcelona is more important than she is!"
The Lazy Clock From El Escorial
"I am an old clock. I used to sit upon a shelf in one of the most curious castles in Spain—El Escorial (ĕl ĕs-kō´rĭ-ăl). It was built by King Philip II.
| TOMB OF THE CHILDREN, EL ESCORIAL |