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Published: June 13th 2017
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Geo: 37.8864, -4.77683
Candy Canes
DAY TWELVE
Friday, October 7, 2016
Today we traveled from Granada to Cordoba. We got to sleep in a little because the trip wasn't as lengthy but we had two events that made an otherwise uneventful transfer a little more exciting. As we pulled out of Granada, one of the participants remembered their passports were still in the hotel safe. So back we went. Perhaps the stress of that, perhaps the rocky road, perhaps the virus that has been making its way through the crowd, but he went down for the count.
Then as we pulled into Cordoba, the Tauck bus had an encounter with a small red car that ran into the bus as it made its wide turn into a narrow street. The guy's bumper was dragging, so that was another thrill.
On the way through the countryside, we stopped at a shop that sells all things olives. I got to go into the olive grove and get pictures of the crop -- while my cohorts purchased items from the store … almond and fig candies, olive oils, spices (e.g., saffron) and olive oil hand cream. Small items, many purchases.
Cordoba is a thousand-year-old city which has the World Heritage designation. One building alone is enough to put Córdoba on the map: the Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba, symbol of the Islamic culture that flourished here more than a millennium ago when Córdoba was the capital of Islamic Spain, and Western Europe's BIGGEST and most cultured city.
We took a walking tour through the narrow streets of the old Judería (Jewish quarter) and the Muslim quarter. We wandered up and down alleyways to houses, a synagogue, past shopping stalls and sidewalk cafes.
The Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba, also known as the Great Mosque of Córdoba or the Mezquita, is now the Catholic cathedral. The site was originally a small temple of Christian Visigoth origin; then Muslims conquered Spain in 711 and divided the church into Muslim and Christian halves. In 784, the Christian half was demolished by the Emir and the grand mosque of Córdoba was built on the site. Córdoba returned to Christian rule in 1236 during the Reconquista, and the building was converted to a Roman Catholic Church. With each "takeover", the building grew in size to the
massive 5 acres it is today.
The mosque/church is incredible. Full of hundreds of red and white arches that resemble candy canes. The series of arches makes the facility appear even bigger than it is. There are lots of styles of architecture (from Mudejar to Baroque) but they all seem to fit together.
After the tour, several of us stayed in town to shop. I had told Patrick I would shop just 10 minutes but I saw some things I liked, so decided to stay. I asked Anne to tell him I was staying and he should go back. Anne delivered the message but it was his understanding I would come back to where he was so he would wait. I went directly back – across the Roman Bridge, dating back to 200 BC. He arrived much later, because he waited for me. Guess this one was my bad. “What we have here is a failure to communicate.”
Dinner was just down the street from the hotel at El Mirador, serving authentic Spanish cuisine. Joe encouraged each of us to order 2-3 things we had never tried before and to share with our friends. Our table of 8 tried 20+ items, some of which were very good, others were at least interesting. The fried anchovies (smelts) were not among our favorite.
Patrick and I stopped across the street from
the hotel to photograph the Old Quarter and the Roman Bridge illuminated at night. Magnificent. We returned to our hotel, the Hesperia Cordoba, a rather unassuming spot with a good location by a riverfront park. It's definitely a big step down from the 5-star spots that have been our home this past week, but it will do.
PS--Bed at the hotel was miserable. "It will do" isn't true. I am underwhelmed.
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Benner, Grace
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Loving all your photos. Brings back memories of our trip to Spain.