The Bahblog

Saturday started bright and early (by Spanish standards) with a walk to the train station and a 9:20 train. Most of the streets were empty this early on a weekend. We made it to the train station on time, put our bags through the x-ray machine (though there was literally no one sitting at the computer watching what went through) and boarded the train for the quick 40 minute train ride to Cordoba.

We arrived in Cordoba around 10 and promptly got lost trying to walk to the central part of town.

We eventually came across the old Roman ruins and followed the ruins into town.

We stopped for cortados and croissants before going to the main attraction - the mezquita.

The mezquita was initially a church before being turned into a mosque. It was once the center of Western Islam before being turned back into a church in the 16th century. It's an absolutely fascinating space with an equally fascinating history. Our tour started in the courtyard, where Muslims once gathered to wash before prayer.

Stepping into the former mosque takes your breath away. You're greeted by more than 800 columns that have double arches. Although the site is now a church, over 70% of the mosque structure survives.

As I mentioned earlier, this space was the site of the Church of San Vicente before it was a mosque. The initial church was built during the sixth century. There is still a mosaic from that church that is on display as well as bits of stone from the original structure. You also see some casts of the stonemason marks left by the original builders.

On one side of the former mosque is the mihrab, essentially the Muslim version of a high altar. The prayer leader, imam, would stand here to read scripture and give sermons. It is made of over 3,000 pounds of shimmering multi-colored glass-and enamel-cubes forming mosaics. The imam would stand with his back to the crowd, allowing the structure of the mihrab niche to carry his voice to the crowd (which could number 20,000 people).

In 1236, the city was conquered by Saint-King Ferdinand III and he turned the mosque back into a church. It was a very unique experience to feel like you were touring a mosque and then turn around and take 20 steps in the other direction and stare at a Catholic high altar with all of its glory.

The choir was added later (1750) and is made of New World mahogany. Each stall features a scene from the Bible.

Since its a Catholic church, there's also a treasury with an enormous monstrance. The top is solid silver and gold plating courtesy of 16th-century conquistadors. There's also an ivory crucifix with a very detailed mouth.

After touring the mezquita we walked around the Jewish quarters and toured the synagogue. The synagogue was built between 1314 and 1315 and is quite the contrast to the massive cathedral. It's missing thousands of pounds of gold and silver acquired by conquistadors, but it still served its purpose. It is one of only three medieval synagogues that still stand in Spain.

All of this touring made us hungry so we stopped for lunch at a good-looking restaurant that didn't seem to be too overwhelmed by tourists. We had a wonderful meal, including the best ratatouille that I've ever had and a delicious beef tomato stew. We split a sherry for dessert.

We then took our time walking back to the train station. We ended up walking through the business district which was a wonderful contrast to the rest of Cordoba. Cordoba felt very touristy, probably the most touristy place we've been in Spain, and it was great to see people that actually live and work there.

We also came upon a park that is home to a colony of stray cats, so naturally we took many pictures.

The train ride home was a bit longer than the train ride there as we took the cheaper, regional train. We filled the time by reading (Claire) and sleeping (Nate). Once back in Sevilla, we started walking to our AirBnB and decided that riding bikes would be more fun so we rented Sevici bikes. We had a lovely ride back to our AirBnB, where we changed before heading out to dinner.

Dinner was another wonderful meal that included pork cooked in a whisky sauce (probably the best pork I've ever had) and pumpkin risotto with bacon. After dinner we went to a neighborhood bar, where we came across a child fast asleep in a stroller outside the bar at 11pm. Welcome to Spain!

Slightly tipsy, we wandered over to Triana, where Nate used to live. We went to a bar he used to frequent, T de Triana. The owner of the bar was working and we grabbed seats at the bar and ordered drinks. Nate started a conversation with Paco (owner) and he remembered Nate. They had a lovely conversation catching up on the last six years. Nate spent quite a bit of time hanging out at this bar and even performed a show there. I think Paco was very touched that he returned and he treated us to drinks, jamon iberico, and cheese. They took a picture together to remember the night.

Here's a similar photo from 6 years ago.

It was a day filled with a wonderful sight, delicious food and drinks, and a rekindling of an old relationship - a perfect day for us.