Correspondence
A LETTER FROM BARCELONA. [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.]
SIR,—The great day has come and gone and the International Exhibition of 1929 is open to the public. Never before have the streets presented such an animated appearance. Visitors have been pouring into the city during the past week, and every day new trainloads arrive, while the port is gay with the pennants of many nations. H.M.S. ' Ramillies ' and H.M.S. ' London ' were the first of our naval visitors, followed by a section of the Italian Fleet commanded by the Prince of Udine ; then in quick succession came French, Danish, Portuguese and Spanish cruisers.
The excitement culminated at half-past twelve on Sunday, May 19th, when King Alfonso XIII. in the presence of the Royal Family, the Prince of Udine, Prince Knud of Denmark, General Primo de Rivera, several ambassadors and those of the public who had been fortunate enough to secure invita- tions, declared the Exhibition to be open. Simultaneously, cannons boomed from the fort above and the port below ; fountains began to play, and 50,000 carrier pigeons came fluttering over our heads. A dirigible and scores of aeroplanes describing circles in the sky added still further to the hn- pressiveness of the ceremony. After the inauguration there was a banquet, at which the royal. party was present, in one of the Exhibition buildings, the Palacio de ,Bellas Arks, a veritable treasure-house to Spanish art which has been insured, for the sum of eighty million pesetas. This collection of masterpieces will un- doubtedly prove one of the chief attractions of the Exhibition.
Another outstanding success is the Pueblo Espanol, the streets and buildings of which reproduce characteristic features of.a number of different Spanish towns. The site of the Exhibition is well chosen, for Mont Juich, as the hill is called, dominates Barcelona town and port, and the graceful main avenue winding its way to the summit pre- sents a series of smiling facets to the visitor, from the charming cascades and fountains of the Palace of the Nations near the entrance to the vast and well-built Stadium, just below the Fort of Mont Juich.
Needless to say—since this is Spain—much still remains to be done, but enough work has been finished to make a visit well worth while—at any rate for those of us on the spot, although foreign visitors would be well advised to wait if they wish to see the Exhibition more or less complete.
Little steam trains toot their way gaily along, carrying visitors who wish to have a general idea of Mont Juich. There is an amusement park too for those who are tired of looking at exhibits, and a large, luxuriously appointed restaurant which is the property of a well-known French caterer. At the opening of the Stadium the King and Queen and some 65,000 people were present to see the match (habot) between a selection from Barcelona clubs and the Bolton Wanderers team, fresh from home. The British visitors—the crowd included a goodly sprinkling of our sailors—were in for a disappointment, the English professional team being well beaten by four goals to one. The victory was an unexpected one for Barcelona, but quite early in the match it became clear that the youth, enthusiasm and speed of the Catalans was too much for our more staid and apparently middle-aged players, even with their superior technique. Bolton were particularly unfortunate in their goal-keeper, who should have saved at least two of the four goals. Zamora, the Barcelona goal-keeper, performed brilliantly, as usual. No Spanish festivities being complete without a corrida, the other principal item on the week-end programme was a Fiesta Nacional, or bull fight. This particular fiesta was what is known as a " Corrida Goyesca, i.e. a bull-fight in which all the actors wear costumes of the Goya period. The amphitheatre was richly decorated with flowers, flags, bro- cades, and Spanish shawls, while a large portrait of Goya hung opposite the royal box, from which Prince Jaime, the Prince of Udine and Prince Knud of Denmark watched the proceed- ings. Many of the women wore high combs and mantillas. Just before the performance a specially woven carpet was laid down in the ring for the procession round the arena. The coup d'oeil was truly magnificent, as queens of beauty in white mantillas and gilded carriages, matadors, picadors, peons and chulos, or attendants, all in the old Spanish dress, marched—or better, sauntered—along. In the evening huge crowds paraded the streets to see the illuminations. From almost every window in the prin- cipal avenues there hung a flag or a piece of red or yellow silk, and the brilliant lights, flowers and moving masses of people combined to give an effect of intense and colourful animation. At the port the scene was still more brilliant. Every boat was decorated with pennants and lights of varied tints ; every- where was life and gaiety among the dense throngs on the quays. With sailors in all directions, plenty of good-natured laughter and energetic gesticulation indicated an attempt by two groups of different nationality to fraternize. All the world seemed to be out and about. From the entrance-gates to the Palace of Nations illuminated pillars line both sides of the avenue, while the Palace itself stands out magnificently, rays of light encircling its dome, and its cascades ever changing into alternate liquid carpets of ruby red and Srellow. For months past great activity has been going on in the City as well as on Mont Juich, and it became more and more feverish as the opening date approached. On the preceding Saturday one of the main streets was thrown open to traffic after having been closed for the purpose of taking up the rails of the electric railway (Barcelona to Sarria) which previously ran its dangerous way down the middle of the thoroughfare and was known as El Tren de la Muerte. With miraculous speed the rails were torn up, new pavements laid, the road re- made, and the railway transferred underground. On the Saturday night this achievement was duly celebrated by open-air dancing of the old Catalan Sardanas to the strains of many bands. The second operatic season has begun with a performance of Aida, given by an Italian company which scored a great success. An interesting programme is announced. Summer restaurants have opened their doors to the public, and every where preparations have been and are being made to provide entertainment for as many visitors as can be persuaded to come. Cataluna is tremendously proud of the fact that while the construction of the Seville Exhibition, has been helped by grants from the Government, the cost of the Barcelona Exhi- bition has been entirely borne by the city. itself. It is claimed that over 300 million pesetas have already been spent for thia purpose. May the great efforts that have been made meet with the success which. they undoubtedly deserve!-1, am,
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