Statue of Hans Cristian Andersen, Plaza de la Marina, Malaga ©Andrew Edwards |
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Hans Cristian Andersen's travels in spain in 1862
By Chris Chaplow
On The 4th September 1862 Hans Christian Andersen crossed the French border into Spain at la Junquera. Barcelona was his first real encounter with Spanish culture as he attended a bullfight. From Barcelona, Andersen sailed by ship to Valencia. After three days in Valencia the writer and his companions left for Játiva and Almansa, where they took a train to Alicante, a city that he described as 'disappointing'. In the port of Alicante there were Danish ships moored and Andersen met compatriots in the streets. On leaving for Malaga the travelers had to decide if to go by land or ship.
The journey by ship would miss out Murcia, "which had been described as a most interesting city, where there are Arab ruins, and where you would see gypsies and as well some of the most picturesque scenes in Spain". They decided to make the journey by land, "although Andersen had heard the most terrible stories about muggings and robberies associated with this route."
In Murcia, at the end of the summer heat, Andersen was impressed by its magnificent cathedral and a large procession, which turned out to be a funeral. The travelers arrived the next day at Cartagena to take the ship to Malaga: "I never saw a landscape so desolate and rugged as that," he said as they boarded the 'Non plus ultra', "a real waste of a Spanish vessel"
In Malaga the writer stayed at the Fonda del Oriente and the city changed his mood. "In no other Spanish city I have come to feel as happy and as comfortable as in Malaga A lifestyle, nature, open sea, everything for me is vital and indispensable that I find here; and something even more important : kind people". More about Andersen in Malaga
In his diary he noted (he visited the English Cemetry) "Here I want to be buried when I die in Spain" but the Malaga consul aptly said, "write about this beautiful country, but I do not desire to be the one to bury you here." The ambiguous sexuality Andersen was forgotten in Malaga, "Well, the Inquisition has been abolished in Spain, much here has been abolished, and more will be, but not the eyes of the Andalucians that would be a mortal sin. It would be like turning off the stars that shine in the Spanish sky and among the delicate button like eyelids, not only through a black lace mantilla, but also in the beggar child and in the beautiful gypsy selling chestnuts. Who owns his own portrait! Owning it would be asking too much."
Málaga was the departure point in the itinerary of the two travelers for Granada, the city that was his typical image of exotic Spain. When the arrived the city was in preparation for a visit of Queen Isabel II, and this was the city that Hans Christian Andersen dedicated more pages in his book on the Spanish travel than any other. He wrote "Three weeks during our stay in Granada, twenty one days of the sun good life. I was hoping to enjoy, appreciating this present from God, however, my memories of Granada are wrapped in more bitterness than sweetness". Later in his book he explains "Granada, along with Rome, has been for me one of the cities most interesting in the world; a place where where I thought I could take root and yet, in both cities I fell into a morbid mood." We don't know the reason perhaps because he fell ill there, or perhaps because of differences with his companion Jonas Collin.
The journey continued to Gibraltar and to Tángier, whose exotism dazzled the Danish writer. Next to Cadiz he wrote: "I was surprised by its extraordinary cleanliness, its picturesque white buildings and its many flag poles but otherwise, nothing noteworthy the city offered the stranger."
In Sevilla we know he stayed at the Hotel Inglaterra on Plaza Nuevo, he wrote "Here you not miss the sea; but if it was present Sevilla would be perfect; the Queen of the cities." Apparently, Sevilla was his perfect image of Spain he recorded "black and beautiful eyes gave off sparks of poetry from the crowd; the girls were beautiful. In the north we say, 'Children should not play with fire', because the Andalusian girls, they play with it"
Cordoba, had lost its former glory, and it was for Andersen a "poor provincial town " and he only praised the mosque- cathedral. Anderson writes "The city itself seemed lifeless, abandoned. Only a lady, prayer book in hand , went through the narrow streets, a dilapidated road to cathedral, the only glory and wonder of Cordoba ".
Anderson then took twenty-three hours to go from Cordoba to Santa Cruz de Mudela in the province of Cuidad Real, where he reached the railway that was opened earlier that year thart took another four years to unite Madrid with Andalucia. When his train reached Madrid it was snowing. From Madrid he visited Toledo. Towards the end of December 1862 Andersen and his companion left Madrid via Burgos (to visit the cathedral), and San Sebastian of which he said "Nobody had mentioned this special city to us". On 23 of December they crossed the bridge at Behobia into France.
This account originates based on the book In Spain that Hans Cristian Andersens published in 1863 and in English in 1870. It is available on Amazon. click on the book in the right hand margin of this page.
