Blogs from Córdoba, Andalusia, Spain, Europe - page 3

I take a torch into the shower with me just in case, but today the lights stay on, and when I get out of the shower Issy is still asleep. This is yet another great example of Murphy's Law in action. First cab off the rank this morning are the remains of the Arab Baths, which are right next to the hotel. They were built by the Moors in the eleventh century, and the remains are all underground. We watch a short information video and learn that the baths were used by the men for hygiene, and for ritual washing before prayers, and were also important as a social venue. The ruler, or caliph, had an entourage of men wash and shave him there every day. There were separate times set aside for women to use ... read more

Issy sleeps in while I get into the shower. The light in the shower keeps going on and off, and I shout at Issy that this was only funny the first time. She's not happy; she says that she's just trying to turn a (expletive deleted) light on in the room. The room, including the bathroom, has 13 light switches, but only seven lights. This is very confusing. I think that the owners have tried to set it up so that you can turn on one of the lights in the bathroom before you get out of bed, and without waking anyone else up, but I think that there are now just a few too many options to chose from, particularly if you're half asleep. First stop this morning is the Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos, ... read more

Cordoba is just a short four hours drive from Madrid. This is the best way to discover the reality of the ride outside the huge city of Madrid. There are serious size cities, but very few villages on the way, and even less isolated hamlets around. The next few days are all about a trip back in time for me. Sorry to sound slightly old, but back in time mean back as much as 30 years for me. I may be already 42 years old, I still have some of these images deep in my mind. I was 12, and it was my first trip on a plane from Luxembourg to Malaga. I did if I remember well, two trips to Andalusia at the age of 12 and the next one around 14 years old. My ... read more

Córdoba was my first real venture into Andalucia. With little more than my purse and favorite scarf (which I would later replace in Córdoba) I set out an hour train ride north of Málaga. And the door to the magic of this region opened. Cordoba served as an important part of the Islamic Empire beginning in the 8th century. The Muslims established an impressive and rich provincial capital subordinate to the Caliphate in Damascus. It was there that that I encountered the remnants of previous civilizations (Roman, Islamic, and finally Spanish) that chose to make this temperate beautiful land their cultural center. At moments, when wandering through the narrow maze of the center of the city by the Mezquita- Catedral, I felt like a living relic of the history that they were trying to preserve; like ... read more

The City started in 60-80 B.C. but had it's high tides between 8th and 11 centuries. The Mosque started in 786 but in later times things were added in 1238 by various Kings. When entering the Mosque or now church you arrive in amaze of pillars. You can see where things were altered. It certainly is an amazing church. There are lots of chapels on the side but in the middle is the catholic part what we know as a Christian church. Around this is the Mosque idea with the many pillars and round arches. We nearly spend a day there so much is there to see. We had an English explanation otherwise you have no idea what you are looking at. At the beginning there was a wooden church all the others were build on ... read more