Getting to Granada

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Hands down, Andalusia is my favorite part of Spain. I might be biased, though. I love it because it makes me nostalgic for last summer, and all those mosques in Turkey and Egypt. The heat, too, adds to it - but honestly the heat just makes it more Spanish somehow. You somehow need to cook to truly experience it all. It's all part of the experience.

Today I first took a quick morning train to Cordova. This city is famous throughout history as being once, between like 700 and 1200, one of the truly great cities in the world, known for its dedication to learning and enlightenment, while the rest of Europe wallowed after the fall of Rome. And the driving force behind this Golden Age were the Moors. They were famously open-minded, and accepted other religions, rather than driving them from the country (as the Catholics later did to the Jews). To this day, the one absolutely wonderful surviving monument from this time is the Mezquita.

I honestly didn't want to leave. It's a massive mosque built into a church, if that makes sense. So you have this forest of dark columns, and then, in the very middle, this giant church rising up and up. A fascinating place. Christianity and Islam literally co-existing side by side. An inspiring place in that sense. After the Mezquita I saw a few more sights in town, but mainly just headed out in the afternoon on a couple hour bus to Granada.

What a drive. This is what people image when they think of Andalusia. Sweeping, arid hills and plains covered with olive groves. And then, in the distance, hill-top villages, usually white-washed, breaking the horizon. A great time - except the little girl over from me kept on throwing up in a bag (which got a bit gross, but she couldn't help it). In Granada later in the day, I mainly just relaxed, seeing the Cathedral, though, and the beautiful Royal Chapel, the resting place of Ferdinand and Isabel, the first king and queen of Spain, and financier of Columbus.

Tomorrow I focus on the Alhambra, before actually taking a night train up to Barcelona. These are fun. It leaves at 9:30, you climb into a bunk, bounce around all night, and then pull in at like 8 the next day. Always memorable, and sometimes painful - my last one, from Krakow to Vienna, the guy across from me flew off in the middle of the night. Have to almost strap yourself down.

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Photos

Patio of the Orange Trees
Entrance to Mezquita. Just like in Sevilla. Tower was once a minaret. And here the Islamic devout washed before prayer.

Forest of Columns
Truly a mosque setting.

Endless Almost
Columns just go on and on. Mosques are usually built like this to show the vastness of God's creation.

Mihrab
Mosque equivalent to the altar. I love these because, in Islam, the imam, or priest, doesn't face the devout. They talk into the mihrab, and the voice echoes throughout the place. Cool.

Mihrab Close-Up
Beautifully decorated.

Christians Literally Build In
What an odd pairing. Christian nave and arches right up against the mosque columns.

Truly Bizarre
Shows the appreciation between the two religions. Christ on such an Islamic wall. Wow! Where else do you see this?

Another Odd Pairing
Again, mosque columns, and then Christian, Gothic tracery.

The Church
Literally built in the middle of the mosque. Christian's seem to love height and making you feel small. The Moors preferred more intimate, smaller spaces, where God is less a fear, and more a comfort.

Guadalquivir River
Flows down to Sevilla and then out to sea.

Granada Cathedral
Not a great cathedral, but worth a visit. Nice blue dome over altar.

Nave in Granada Cathedral
Now compare this huge height to the small setting of the mosque. Interesting, right?

Now That's a Beheading!
In Royal Chapel. St. John the Baptist truly loses his head.