Tarde a Córdoba!

I realize this is a little late, but better late than never, right?

On the 5^th, my program had arranged a required trip to Córdoba and the Mezquita.  We left Sevilla at about 9 am and after only an hour and a half bus ride, we arrived. 

Outside Walls

It was interesting to see the ruins inside, but my favorite part was easily the gardens. 

The gardens stretched forever and it was so fragrant. Depending on the season and the year, the flowers planted are different colors. I loved the contrast between the orange flowers and the blue green water.

We took the tiny streets of Córdoba to the Mezquita. The Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba, also called the Great Mosque of Córdoba, is a medieval Islamic mosque that was converted into a Catholic Christian cathedral after the Reconquista of Córdoba. 

The Mosque was and still is regarded as one of the most accomplished monuments of Moorish architecture. Spanish Muslims have lobbied to be allowed to pray inside the Mosque, but because the Spain is a Catholic country, the Church and Vatican hold the power in present day, Muslims have been denied the right multiple times.

Lil Jesus peaking through

Most pictures of the Mezquita are of the red and white arches that go for yards inside the building. But what those pictures don’t show you is equally important to present day. After the Spanish Royals took control of Córdoba, instead of tearing down the mosque, they built their cathedral right inside it, in the middle… I mean don’t get me wrong, this is a gorgeous cathedral. But leave it to the Spanish Catholics to do something like this.

You can walk through the outer parts of the mosque and stay within the Islamic design. But head anywhere towards the center, and Catholicism rears its head loud and clear. The contrast between the two is striking and slightly unappealing. Visually, you go from red and white arches with very little natural lights/ windows to white and gold ceilings, two stories high with windows pouring in all the natural light your eyes can handle.

After the tours, we split up for a couple hours to eat and see a little more of the city. Naturally Emily and I found a place near by with good beer and tapas for only a euro each. 

I enjoyed Córdoba, we had good weather and it was nice to get out of Seville for a little bit. But I wish we hadn’t rushed the day so much, I felt like we could have stayed everywhere for at least half hour more and still arrived home at a decent hour.

 

Not this coming weekend, but the next we have another required trip, but it is overnight to Méridia, Cáceres and Trujillo. I have no idea where they are or what we are seeing there, but it should be interesting. And then the Thursday after that we head to PARIS! It is nice to have something in the near future that I’m so excited about. It helps when I’m feeling a little homesick or whiney. But I’m getting super excited!! All my love to everyone, xoxox