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2 March 1870 — Madrid | |
Wednesday. 2nd [March 1870]. As we were so late last night we got up very late this morning & had no Spanish lesson. After luncheon we went & fetched La Clarita & took her for a drive; we went 1st down the Prado a little way out of the town to what is called the Canal. At present there is no Canal as it is all dry & filled up– There the common people hold their fête on the last day of the Carnival. They take their dinners & picnic there & then dance & sing & mountebanks & conjurors are there performing—but the ostensible reason for their going there is an old Spanish custom of “burying a herring or sardine” which ceremony is performed by each family. We got out & walked when we got [to] the canal & went to see the dancing. The Madritenians dance in a circle snapping their fingers to keep time & in the middle on the ground sit 3 women. One sings the tune—another plays an accompaniment on the guitare & the other scrapes 4 bones which are fastened on to pieces of leather. We also saw the Bask dance which they dance in couples going all the time round & round a circle to the sound of a kind of bagpipe & a drum. The people were very quiet & orderly & happy– As we went back to the Prado it came on to rain pretty hard a sharp shower—but it cleared up & we continued driving up & down. There were not very many masks & even these were driven into the carriages by the rain. Clarita said she had enjoyed her ball very much last night & had stayed till 4 o’cl: but unfortunately Mr Ffrench had not been there. I took her home with me & gave her some tea & afterwards she & Mr Hunt & I practised singing & they taught me a duett to sing with Clarita “Mira tu blanca luna”. We dined quietly alone & after dinner played Mandola & also some piano & flute & to bed early– | |
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