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31 March 1872 — San Sebastian | |
Sunday. 31st [March 1872]. We wrote all the morning & then got our luncheon early & drove off a little after 2 in an open carriage with Giovanni on the box to Fuenterrabia about 2 hours drive along a pretty road leading thro’ Pasajes & Renteria. We got there abt 4 & found it a very interesting old place– The fortifications remain in the same state as they were probably left after the last seige there blown up & decayed. One enters the town through a dilapidated arch way & left our carriage at the entrance, we found the whole population in the streets & we could not at first tell what was going on till we saw a great rope lying in the streets & the boys called out “cuidado al toro” & then we discovered that they were bull baiting & that the animal had taken refuge in an empty house & refused to be drawn thence. We walked up the street wh is on a hill at the top of which is the church; inside it is very ugly but has outside some very pretty bits. When we came out of the church we found that they had succeeded in getting the bull out of the house & the poor animal, who in reality was but a calf, was being bullied, goaded & tormented by men & boys. The poor animal now & then made a run at one of them but on getting to the [end] of its tether, wh was fastened to a stone pillar, he was brought up short & came down on its side—amidst shouts of delight. One quite longed to see some of the boys get a good poke to make up for their cruelty. They soon got tired of the sport & the animal was led away. There seemed to be several very good old houses but most of them were abandoned & falling into decay. We saw one house wh had the finely carved arms covered with a piece of black stuff, wh is the sign of mourning—but the house was roofless & wide open to the air. We rejoined our carriage & drove back to San Sebastian. The view from the Bidassoa of Hendaya on one side & Fuenterrabia on the other—divided by the sea is very pretty. We got back to the hotel abt 7 quite ready for dinner & we went to bed early. | |
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