Before I visited Spain I had the impression that it is a very backward country with a desperately low standard of living, and that the people live in a constant state of fear under the Franco dictatorship. After a three-week stay there, I formed a rather different impression. Only the rural parts of Spain are backward, the standard of living in the cities being much higher than that in the villages. And the Spanish people appear completely happy and contented without a care in the world.

Progressive Cities

The two principal cities, Madrid and Barcelona, appear very modern and progressive. Both are served by excellent underground railways. There are huge modern department stores and shops well stocked with a great variety of commodities of every description. The bulk of the people are well dressed, the men in smart suits and sports clothes, and the women in fine coats and elegant skirts and nylon stockings. Certainly there is no evidence of widespread poverty and unemployment.

Backward Villages

In order to get an accurate picture of the Spanish way of life, I also stayed for 10 days in the little fishing and market-gardening village of Campello, situated near the small Spanish city of Alicante. There the people are much poorer and shabbily dressed. However, there is no starvation there, most of the people eking out a tolerable sort of existence from fishing and tomato growing. Many of the houses are slummy, and none of the village streets or footpaths are tar-sealed. Electricity is laid on but the only water on tap is saltwater. There are several schools but many of the village children attend only spasmodically. Surprisingly a number of villages own motor bikes or scooters. Agricultural methods there and elsewhere are primitive. In the whole of my travels I saw only one tractor. Further inland I saw people living in a village of caves. So there are poorer areas than Campello.

Higher Education

In Madrid I visited the university. Despite its being in the very heart of the city, the university is a campus-style institution. Courses taught include Law, Politics and Economics, Philosophy, Literature, Science, Fine Arts, Architecture, Medicine, Pharmacy, Veterinary Surgery, Agriculture, and Naval Engineering. Most of the buildings are very modern. The three-storied philosophy and literature block was opened in 1943 and the three-storied law block in 1956. Both are dedicated to Generalissimo Franco.

In the philosophy and literature block I had a cup of coffee in the cafeteria. This is really excellent and appears to provide far better service than New Zealand student cafeterias. Not that that would be very difficult. I also had a peep at the library. This is very comfortable and spacious but appears to lack a wide selection of reading matter. No doubt this was partly due to the government prohibition of all works expressing a view contrary to the official attitudes. Another point of interest is the large number of clergy attending lectures. Obviously the Catholic Church is insisting on a high standard of education for its clergy.

Sex and Morality

The laws regarding dress and morality are severe. Kissing in public is forbidden and carries a substantial fine. The fact that it happens in a dark lonely place makes no difference. Brief shorts and swimming togs may not be worn anywhere except on beaches'. One cannot, for example, wander through the streets of a seaside village barefooted or in shorts without causing quite a stir. Bikinis and two-piece swimming togs are illegal and may not be worn even on the beaches. It is also regarded as indecent for a girl to wear slacks or matador pants. Films are horribly mutilated. Anything up to 500 feet of film is likely to be cut out in any one place.

Police State

It soon became evident to me that despite the carefree appearance of the people, Spain is nonetheless very much a police state. There is an astonishing variety and number of police and civil guards. They are everywhere—in the streets, on the beaches, and on the trains. But despite the fact that Spain is a dictatorship and opposition to Franco's regime is forbidden, the average Spaniard is quite unconcerned. The few that are concerned by this fact are securely tucked away behind the walls of some forbidding Spanish prison.