Cordoba

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Arrived in Cordoba this morning. Is a journey of less than an hour, but had to go through rigourous security checks at the train station, having my bag x- rayed etc. Cordoba fro Seville is on the line to Madrid, which is where the bombings happened a few years back, so imagine that´s had an impact.

Cordoba is really lovely, and I much prefer it to Seville. The little back streets have been designated a World Heritage Site (or similar), and you can see why, especialy in the Juderia. The lanes are narrow and cobbled, with white, islamic influenced buildings and, apart from the rather discreet signs advertising restaurants, and the odd (and very annoying) car trying to manoever its way through a landscape that wasn´t designed with it in mind, you could almost be back in the 17th C.

This morning I went to the Mezquita. Originally an islamic mosque, at some point in its history the building has been commandeered by the Roman Catholics, and consequently little chapels adorned with gilt framed paintings of the Virgin Mary sit under ancient islamic arches.

Although smaller than the Cathedral in Seville, it´s still bloomin´ massive. It´s a lot emptier than the Cathedral in Seville - less chapels, less religious statutary, less tourists- and you can almost imagine it, full of people, kneeling to mecca, praying...it was really atmospheric, and not too hard to imagine briefly what it must have been like, back in the day, full of people using it for the purpose if was built for.

I was brought slightly back to earth by the smell of disinfectant, and the sight of a cleaner pushing a trolley around, which made me think that cleanliness might well be next to godliness, but it doesn´t do itself!!

Wandered around the lanes for a while, then came back to the hotel, to sit on the patio and write postcards (can I just say at this point, how sorry I am for people at home stuck in the snow. I really feel for you...if it makes you feel any better, it´s actually a bit nippy here this afternoon, and I might have to put my fleece on).

Am staying here tonight. Might stay on tomorrow or alternatively move on to ronda. Haven´t decided yet.

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Comments

[Wendy Street]

Winter in Spain !
' Sit on the patio !' - 'a bit nippy !' - We've just had to shovel our way through the snow to get into the house. Squeaky just put his paw in the stuff then ran indoors shaking his paw frantically - I don't expect he's seen snow before. Anyway , don't let our discomfort spoil your holiday - will you ?