Southern Spain 2

Third stop: CORDOBA

Well, you may think that by now I am done with Moorish architecture. I have seen the Giralda and Alcazaba in Seville. I just took in the Alhambra. I have even been to Morocco. What more could I want? Well, surprisingly, I was ready for the Mezquita in Cordoba.

The ride from Granada to Cordoba was beautiful. We passed rolling hills covered in almond trees blossoming with tiny white flowers and rows and rows of olive trees as far as the eye could see. Spain still does not cease to amaze me. The country is so diverse.

Well, we arrived in Cordoba, and like most cities in Spain, its roads went every which way. Somehow we find our hostel without a map. Eager to take in the sites, we head straight for the Mezquita. We find out it costs 8 euro or something around there. Reasonable for such a historic site. But then we discover that it is free on Sundays. Tomorrow is Sunday. I think we know when we are visiting the Mezquita.

Instead, we wander around a bit. We cross the bridge to some castle like hold. We locate Cordoba’s alcazar and see the gardens… under construction. I understand that travelling during the low season will have some drawbacks. In exchange for smaller crowds and less tourists I understand the weather will be worse and the hours will be shorter. That doesn’t mean that everything has to be under construction, too. Seriously, does everything go under construction in the winter every year, or is it just our luck that this winter everything happens to need restoration?

Despite the construction, the gardens and the fortress are pretty astounding. These Moors and their perfect geometry. They might have been short (even I didn’t fit in some of their doorways), but they made up for it with recessed lighting shaped like stars and gardens that put many others to shame.

Hungry, yet kitchenless, we raided a OpenCor grocery store and feast in one of the countless quaint plazas dotted throughout Cordoba. Yet again, we found ourselves wondering what to do with our time. We were putting off the Mezquita until tomorrow and had already seen the Alcazar. We tried to get into the royal horse barn but to no avail. Noticing that Cordoba pretty much had a church for every resident, we began wandering the streets, stopping at cathedrals we found along the way. Then we spotted some posters advertising a free concert at the Metropolis. Not knowing where the Metropolis was nor having a means of finding out where it was, we decided to walk along the streets until we found it. We had a few hours and Cordoba is only so big.

Well, that plan didn’t work out too well. We found Roman ruins and more churches, but were no closer to finding the Metropolis than an hour ago. We went back to the hostel and asked the receptionist. She took our map and drew an arrow at the very edge. She told us that it wasn’t on the map, but if we walked in the direction and took some lefts and some rights and asked around we would be able to find it in an industrial area of town. Rock music in an industrial area of town? Count me in.

Hillary and I started off in that direction, stopping by the old town’s wall for a bit to pass the time. Eventually we find ourselves in an industrial part of town, hoping to Dios that we find the Metropolis and that the 75 minute walk out of town was worth it. After passing discount furniture stores and warehouses, Hillary shouts out, “AH! We found it!”

Our receptionist was not lying. The Metropolis was definitely a long walk out of town. Well, we stand in line with maybe 10 Spanish people waiting to enter the free concert. A while after entering the place the first band starts to play. They were pretty good and it was great to finally be at a concert again, but exhaustion took hold and we knew we had to wake early to get to the Mezquita. After the first set we headed back to the hostel.

Again, the Moors were a great civilization. The old mosque was so great that when the Christians took over the city they could not bear to tear it down. Instead, they built a cathedral right inside the old mosque. That’s right, the Mezquita is this series of beautiful Moorish arches and architecture surrounding a cathedral that was plopped right in the center. The contrast is stark. The dark aspects of the mosque juxtaposed with a brightly lit church. Even the ornaments of each style are so different.

Well, we finish with the Mezquita and drop by the synagogue before leaving for Seville. What a religious day.

Last Stop: SEVILLA

We had already been in Sevilla before. This time it was more of a stopping point before flying to Venice. That didn’t mean we didn’t want to site see some more. And unlike last time we were in Sevilla, the weather was perfect. We revisited the Plaza de Espana, and this time could actually bask in the center instead of huddling underneath the arches of the building to avoid the rain. We walked along the river and just enjoyed the weather.

Back at the hostel we try to simulate a little bit of America with a dinner of cheese burgers and fries that left us wholly unsatisfied. The burgers didn’t brown, but instead turned pink, making us fear for our health as we bit in. The fries didn’t crisp. The cheese we bought said it was cheddar. It was actually a terrible version of American cheese. I hate American cheese. That does not count as cheese when you hail from Wisconsin. Oh well, at least the kilo of clementines that we split was delicious.