After breakfast and check out in Ronda, we once again followed the back roads, gazing at fields and modern windmills before arriving for our sizzling hot day in Córdoba.
When anyone asks me what is my favorite place in Spain, I always say Córdoba, and with good reason. The Old Town is a mixture of Jewish, Christian and Arab cultures with magnificent architecture. There is tourism here, but the charm of the white-washed narrow winding streets beguile me above all else. I was here six years ago in October and was happy to return. It was more crowded and hot here than our earlier trip. I didn’t expect a heat wave in early June! I still recommend fall and spring as ideal travel times to this part of the world. Our local guide told us that this year TripAdvisor ranked it as the #1 most popular destination. It’s well worth a visit.
We walked over the Roman bridge to enter the Old Town. We spent the first hour in horse-drawn carriages, going through the narrow streets, then stopped for lunch in air conditioned comfort with other friends from the group. Everyone in the group had favorites and we tasted others’ food choices. We two ordered two tapas: one was fried eggplant smothered with honey and the other was fried shrimp, all chased down with water and a cold beer. Delicious!
Our destination was the Mezquite of Córdoba, a mesmerizing eighth century mosque and one of the world’s greatest Islamic buildings. The English translation on the pamphlet calls it the “mosque-cathedral of Córdoba.”
Córdoba has been a cosmopolitan, international city since its founding and was the largest city in Western Europe in the tenth century. What makes this site unusual and unique is that in the center of the mosque is a Catholic cathedral, where two of the world’s faiths intermingled in one building. The church was built in the sixteenth century after the Christians took over the city from the Arab world. Instead of tearing down the mosque, King Carlos V decided to keep it as is and have the cathedral in the center of the existing building. The result is the juxtaposition of two faiths, two points of view and two cultures in one space. If only we could all so peacefully co-exist today! We are grateful to King Carlos for his decision to blend instead of destroy a work of art and architecture. The visit brings home an important message for us all.
Our local guide Antonio then gave us a tour of the Jewish Quarter, which has been thriving for centuries.
At the end of our visit, we boarded the bus for Ubeda, where we are now located, once again, in a parador.
After a rigorous day, settling into the cool reception area was like being in a sea of tranquility.
The city of Ubeda is a UNESCO World Heritage site because of the perfectly preserved Renaissance buildings. We’re in the main square, in the center of it all. Tomorrow we meet a family and take a tour of their olive trees and mill in a nearby town. The name of their olive oil? San Francisco!
San Francisco! Hope the olives are wonderful!
Thank you. The architecture is remarkable! Jan xo