The Hotel Don Paula www.hoteldonpaula.com is only 600m from the Renfe station so a brief walk got us here. (Our room on the centre and right windows – flags in the bathroom window). It is in the middle of the old town again, very narrow cobbled streets. Room is good, complimentary minibar for water and flavoured leche drinks and it also keeps the Heineken and gin nice and cold.
Again streets and courtyard are lined with citrus, so I was able to gather a holy orange from a tree in the Mezquita’s Patio De Los Naranjos. (One of the day’s regular tasks is to get the citrus for the evening’s G&T - this task gets allocated to the taller of the two of us. It adds to the local flavour, Ann tells me.)
We are even more now in the land of three cultures, hotel close to the old Jewish quarter, and the Mezquita, about 10 minutes’ walk away, is an absolute reflection of the historic interactions of Muslim and Christian faiths.
They’ve had a really hot summer, for a day or two it reached 50 degrees C, and at night it didn’t go below 35 for days on end. But there has been lots of rain just recently and the river is a real muddy brown, and the “freshes” if I can use such a word for such a river of mud, have brought down lots of debris tangled up in the islands downstream of the city’s feature (but very much renovated) “Roman” bridge.
The main highlight of Cordoba is the Mezquita.
Entry is free before 10 00 am, mainly to cater for those going to the 9.30 mass and no groups are allowed before 10 00am so we joined the mass-goers yesterday for our Rick Steve tour. This is a huge complex measuring about 180 m by 120 m, with 850 double arched columns supporting the roof. It was originally the mosque, built and added to over several centuries with room for about 20,000 prayer mats and prayers. The Moors arrived in about 711 and subjugated the Visigoth Christians who had a church on this site. They sold the Church to the conquering Moors who promptly knocked it down and started building the Mezquita from around 786. Saint King Ferdinand III, set up a six month siege and expelled the Moors from Cordoba in 1236, and then cleared them out of Sevilla 1248. (See painting of this on next page) That left the major Muslim settlement in Spain at Granada and they hung on there for another couple of hundred years. Ferdinand III promptly built a cathedral in the middle of the Mezquita, but left most of the huge Moorish areas intact. The Muslims asked recently to be allowed back to pray here but the bishops insist it will always remain a consecrated, practising Catholic facility. The spoils of war!
The vast mosque roof is supported by 850 double arched columns, the double arch is an engineering solution to holding up the vast weight of roof.
The mihrab has been left intact. This is the Muslim high altar where the imam led the Muslims in prayer. It is still in remarkably good shape for its great age and is very grand.
There are literally dozens of chapels in the alcoves around the perimeter walls and huge open (but columnated) interior spaces.
The gypsies work their trade outside, offering ‘flowers’ and reading the palms of unsuspecting tourists.
Today we visited the Sinagogia, one of only three remaining in Spain. The Jews, the third of the “three cultures” were thrown out of Spain in about 1400. This is a building about 8 metres square, with an upstairs area for the women who were not allowed to pray with the men.
The Jewish museum nearby, Casa de Sefared, was really interesting, just focussing on the religion from around 900 to 1400, so we now understand the derivation of Yom Kippur and some of the other celebrations, many of which relate to the flight of the Israelites from Egypt.
Lunch at Restaurant Millan was a local white wine and a plate of calamares (little ones cut into three very tender pieces and fried, just melt in the mouth. After not being able to tolerate calamari, Ann is now back on the calamares wagon after a successful test run at the same venue a couple of days ago. We also had boquerone - anchovies in vinegar and onion - unfortunately Ann appears also to be changing her view on these as well.
Yesterday we had three plates (half racions) for lunch: fried anchovies, fried pijotas and calamares (rings this time). Not sure yet what the pijotas are…perhaps large anchovies or sprats, but they are another “eat the whole fish” phenomenon.
Ann was preparing me all day yesterday for an expensive meal at Bodegas Campos, supposedly 3 star expensive. The meal was terrific, a big portion of grilled pork loin, preceded by a marinaded red pepper salad for me, and a Cordoban gazpacho for Ann. Rioja red again, and bugger me if the bill didn’t come to just 65 Euro. It is so cheap living here we will probably have to stay longer to come home with empty wallets. Have also sampled the famous Cordoban Rabo del Toro (bull’s tail roasted – delicious) at a tapa bar the other night.
Bought more postcards today, and then experienced Spain’s third world public service at the Correos. Anywhere that takes 30 minutes to sell you 10 stamps surely can’t be 'first' world. I did get a sympathetic pat on the shoulder from the guy, probably the supervisor, who emerged from behind the tellers just as we were about to be presented with our 10 stamps after our wait and then shuffle between tellers as the first one didn’t have enough stamps.
Weather has improved a bit. Last night we had a huge lightning storm and torrential rain, fortunately it had backed off substantially and we were able to walk to our dinner booking without getting drenched. I often wonder what a place looks like when it rains heavily, and the streets here were absolute rivers, they are only about three meters wide. And the water literally flowed ankle deep down them. Guess Ecco takes the credit for waterproof shoes as we arrived at the restaurant only slightly damp. But one of the famed aspects of Cordoba, the flowering patios, has taken a backseat to the rain! We have snatched glimpses, but not got to the centre of flowers!
Final night tonight, then onto a bus to Granada tomorrow. We are currently having a bit of rain and lightning, not as much as last night, so we are unlikely to starve at home.
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