Cordoba

.

On Friday we did a day trip to Cordoba, the city that served as the capital for the Moorish rulers during the Middle Ages when most of the Iberian Peninsula was under Islamic control. Before departing Granada, however, we stopped for “breakfast” at a spot that Emilie found in the guidebook. As can be seen from the picture, Emilie was quite content with the signature dish – churros with chocolate. I’ll admit that it was very good.

Upon arriving in Cordoba we searched for parking for a bit before finding a section of spots being managed by a guy who is part of what I would describe as Spain’s “informal” economy. We gave him five Euros, didn’t ask any questions and hoped for the best. I calculated the following odds: 100% chance that he wouldn’t be there when we returned; 50% chance that the rental car wouldn’t be there when we returned; and 25% chance that we’d be welcomed by a parking ticket upon our return.

Our first visit was the Great Mosque / Cathedral (Mezquita-Catedral), which began as a Christian church (~600 AD), was converted to mosque during Moorish rule (~784 AD) and finally converted back to a church following the Reconquista (~1236 AD). It reminded me a bit of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, in which the current structure reflects the strong influence of both Christian and Islamic heritage.

Here’s a picture of the bell tower, which previously was a minaret.

When you first enter the complex, it has the distinct feel of a mosque and without knowing otherwise you would never think that it is currently a church.

When you get to the center, however, it’s like you’ve stepped into a completely different building. Everything opens up and you're bathed in light.

Next we visited the Alcazar (Palace) of the Christian Monarchs, which, like many of Cordoba’s other sites, has a lengthy history influenced by the various Christian and Muslim groups in power over the years. During Moorish times it served as a fortified palace, while during the final stage of the Reconquista it served as the headquarters of Christian army as they fought to defeat the last remaining area of Moorish rule in Iberia – the Kingdom of Granada.

The complex consisted of a number of fortified buildings as well as gardens and Arabic baths. The weather was perfect, which made it an enjoyable place to simply walk around.

I really liked the following view. The palm trees, clouds and cathedral's belltower seemed to go well together.

We then walked to the Jewish Quarter, which consists of a maze of irregular, narrow streets and passageways among the densely constructed buildings. Given Cordoba’s history of religious conflict, it’s interesting to note that the city has also flourished at times with a very diverse populace of Christians, Muslims and Jews.

By this point it was well after lunch, so we found a restaurant in the area and got some tapas. I went with the Spanish Tortilla (potato / egg concoction) and some Manchego cheese. Usually they’re very good, but this time…not so much. Emilie’s gazpacho, on the other hand, was excellent.

For the balance of the afternoon we simply walked around the city and took in the sights in the various neighborhoods.

Cordoba is famous for its Festival de Patios, where residents of the ancient districts of the city open their courtyards to the public, so we decided to see what we could see on that front as well. And though we were a couple of weeks too late for the festival, we got lucky and found some residents who were proud to invite us in for some photos.

We then headed back to the car and were relieved to find it where we had left it. Perhaps not surprisingly, the “attendant” was no longer around. It unfortunately wasn’t smooth sailing from there, however, as we couldn’t get the car into reverse and I ended up having to push the car out in neutral (not fun in the afternoon sun when its +85F).

Before leaving for Sevilla we stopped briefly on the outskirts of Cordoba at the Medina Azahara – a Moorish palace / city built in the 10th century. It’s more or less an archaeological site / outdoor museum where you can walk around the ancient city.