Córdoba

Sorry for the long delay.  We have been so busy going, doing, and seeing that I have not had the time to sit down and share what we have been up to.  I will do my best to catch up as we have been all over the place and have some neat things to show you.

On last Saturday (April 27)  we drove to Córdoba, one of the premier cities of Andalucia. Córdoba was founded by the Romans and due to its strategic importance as the highest navigable point of the Guadalquivir River, it became a port city of great importance, used for shipping Spanish olive oil, wine, and wheat back to Ancient Rome.

Córdoba's hour of greatest glory, beginning in the mid eighth century, was when it became the capital of the Moorish kingdom of El-Andalus.  This was when work began on the Great Mosque, or "Mezquita", which, after several centuries of additions and enlargements became one of the largest of all Islam.  In fact, Córdoba was the cultural and financial center of Europe in those times.

When the city was reconquered by the Christians in 1236, the new rulers were so awed by the beauty of the mosque that they left it standing, building their cathedral in the midst of its rows of arches and columns, creating the extraordinary church/mosque we see today.

Our reason for going to Córdoba was to meet with our dear friends, Marcy and John Baucom, who, after a transatlantic cruise from Tampa to Barcelona, were taking a train to Cordoba.  We met at the AC Hotel Córdoba Palacio, a five star member of the Marriott group.  After a joyful reunion we set out to discover the town.  Much of our time was spent walking the narrow streets, peering into shops (yeah, right...more like following Marcy and Bonnie into shops) and finding delightful places to eat.  We were there two nights so had a chance to get a feel for the town.  The photos will give an idea of our time there.

Lunch on the square

Best buds

We had coffee in a restaurant and they took a photo of us examining
their new electronic, multi-lingual menu, the table at the end of the table.  We were
told the photo would be used on their website but we haven't seen it yet.

Partial view of Mesquita, the mosque in Córdoba

Courtyard in restaurant Bodegas Campos where we had
an outstanding meal

Barrel signed by Tony Blair in Bodegas Campos

Our hotel, AC Hotel Córdoba Palacio, a five star
Marriott property

Lobby of hotel, very "Euro" style

A stop at a pharmacy for a decongestant.  The pharmacist
entertained us with several audible examples of coughs
and throat clearings as he determined what we wanted. 

Choosing a fresh pastry for breakfast

John...Marcy and Bonnie are under the umbrellas

How do you know you're not in Knoxville?

Outside wall of mosque.  The outside dimensions are
400 feet by 600 feet...huge

Unbelievable detail

A cathedral was built inside the mosque. It is fascinating to
see catholic chapels with Moorish architecture

High altar in cathedral

Double arches allowed for higher ceilings than otherwise possible

There are 856 columns of jasper, onyx, marble
and granite, made from pieces of the Roman temple
which had occupied the site previously.

Along the highways are seen these bull "signs", the logo
of Osborne Bodegas, one of the premier sherry
producers in Spain