A day in Córdoba!

Yesterday, a friend and I took an early morning bus to Córdoba, a lovely little town to the northwest of Granada. Córdoba is very Andalucían in that it demonstrates an interesting mix of the three cultures that shared (or fought over) the region over the past millennium: Christians, Jews, and Muslims. My friend, Katie, and I decided to walk from the bus station to the famous Mezquita, and I’m glad we did, because we ran smack into the Judería, the old Jewish neighborhood, which is surprisingly well-preserved compared to, for example, the Jewish neighborhood in Granada, and incredibly charming. I don’t think I actually took any pictures, so I’ll try to describe it so you can create your own mental images. The streets are tiny—some too small for even the tiny European cars to fit down—labyrinth-like, and speckled with sundrenched little plazas. The peaceful monotony of whitewashed walls is broken only by flowerboxes protruding from small windows, many with star-of-David patterned wooden screens or shutters, and wrought-iron doorways in the wall that tempt passerby with glimpses of lush, intimate little gardens or courtyards. The buildings are generally about two or three stories high, and from some streets, you can catch a peek at the tower of the Mezquita, which, at only half of its original height, is still impressive.

So, when did I turn into a guidebook?!

Anyways, we walked through the Judería to the Mezquita, which is now Catholic Cathedral, previously a Muslim Mosque (Mezquita), previously a Christian Church. Confused yet? Ok, so, the original Church was bought by a Muslim ruler to provide a place for the burgeoning Islamic community to worship, and he built the original Mosque on top of the former church’s foundations. The Mosque was enlarged over time, and at the height of its beauty, must have been absolutely breathtaking, with its forest of columns (with material from all over the region—Roman, Visigothic, Syrian?!), domed skylights, and desert-like colors of white and terracotta. A few centuries after the Catholic Reconquista, however, somebody had the brilliant idea to tear out the center of the Mosque and build a Cathedral in its place, and I bet you everybody who saw it before and after the addition was pretty heartbroken. Although the Cathedral is lovely, with gorgeous carved mahogany choir stalls, it seems completely out of place and absolutely ruins the mesmerizing design of the Mosque. It’s depressing to think that this unnecessary display of religious dominance by the Catholic Church destroyed such a unique and beautiful historical site.

After the Mezquita, we walked over to the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos, which at different times in history has housed kings, the Spanish Inquisition, and a prison before being opened up to the public as a historical monument. The building itself didn’t seem that impressive to me (after the Alhambra and the Palacio Real, it’s hard for anything to call itself a palace and measure up), but the gardens were EXQUISITE. If I ever have the space and energy to create my own sort of decorative gardens, I would definitely try to do a miniature version of the gardens at the Alcázar. One of my favorite flowers, the Calla Lilly, was everywhere, and there was a fish pond, and numerous fountains, and long pools with arcing spouts of water and lillypads, and geometric cropped bush gardens, and even a little ducky pond! I was in heaven here. It was so peaceful and ordered and yet natural and colorful and lovely.

The rest of the day was spent wandering in search of lunch, then ice cream, and hanging out in the local park, which was very relaxing. On the bus ride home, they played the movie Wall-E, which made me happy but also homesick—I love that movie. :)

It has been wonderfully sunny in Granada lately, and Katie and I have started meeting up in the park—Parque García Lorca) to lie on the grass in the sun (don’t worry, I wear sunscreen—not interested in skin cancer or nasty leather skin in thirty years) and do homework or just hang out. It’s so wonderful to finally get to wear my skirts and dresses and not have to worry about coats and that sort of thing. We’re talking about going to beaches the last few weekends we’re here after our trip to Barcelona—apparently there are even some black sand beaches nearby that Katie wants to check out, and I am down for anything that includes me floating in the Mediterranean, let’s be honest. ;) I’ll be sure to keep you updated.

I send my love, and many hugs,
Pura vida,
Kelsey