Cordoba

                                 Cordoba

Here in the Cathedral is the history of Spain from the Iberians in 500 BC,  Roman followed by the Moors,then the Christians. The wonderful Cathedral of Cordoba is a Christian cathedral wrapped in a Moorish mosque.  It is an amazing example of the marriage of various histories and styles.  Wandering through the pillars of the huge mosque it is easy to lose oneself with thoughts of chanting calls to prayer and silk slippers on marble floors. Turning a corner and there erupting from the center is an exquisite cathedral that brings us back to Spanish times and not nearly as lovely a heritage. Unlike anything we have seen and yet like so much here it is filled with light and shadow. Magical and moving. We do the night tour and that is really food for the imagination.The moors loved gardens plus this was a paradise of learning and art under Muslim rule so glimpses of life in Moorish Spain are fascinating. Not all traces were destroyed thankfully. Unlike the fabulous Roman city that was here  before and was used as building materials.

          This the Moorish part of the cathedral and there are thousands of square ft that look like this.

Magic Light

           The Christian cathedral in the center of the arcades of the old mosque.

The hotel

Our hotel is formed by little patios and gardens that wander up and down stairs with rooms here and there. In the middle of the Jewish quarter it is on a narrow street that barely fits one car.

 Walking the narrow winding streets in the old city every doorway offers a peek at a hidden garden where cooling breezes waft. Bougainvillea cascades down the old walls splashing brilliant color over the glaring white walls.

Picture perfect

                   Exquisite gardens with lots of water and fountains. In an arid land water is a blessing.

                                      Roman columns and ruins are mixed into modern scenes.

Fresh fish and meat 

  

Iberico ham is yummmmmmmy!

Evidence of Rome. The bridge is pedistrian but still functions. The temple is being excavated and whenever they dig they find evidence of Rome There are some spectacular mosaics in perfect condition.

Narrow streets mean we have to pay attention and hop into a door way everytime we hear a motor. About every 10th cab is a Prius and that makes it tricky to hear them as electric cars make no noise..

ROMAN GATE

I always poke fun gently at wrong translations because I can barely get by in another language however number 14 is a favorite mis-translation.  We ordered it because we could read the Spanish side of the menu and knew it would be fried cod. It was totally delicious too. It is hot in Spain so we siesta and then about 8 PM we go out. Tonight was incredibly lovely and we found a wonderful patio down the street to enjoy tapas una copa de vino or two. Funniest little thing happened to entertain us. Four people came in and sat down and one of the men rudely gestured to the waiter as if to say "we are here and come right away".  Actually I think they were German so yeah for once they were not Americans being rude. Then we watched For 15 minutes as the waiters ignored them. Finally the rude man led the charge as they all huffed off and when the waiter glanced over he at us he grinned. As you can see we are easily amused when drinking wine on a GORGEOUS night under the stars.  We enjoyed that so much.

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