Sevilla to Cordoba

Last night we had a very fun dinner at the home of an elegant Marquesa, a woman of royalty like a Dutchess.  She apparently hosts tourists as a little side business, although we never really understood her motivation!  She has a fabulous apartment with a big deck overlooking the cathedral, which is spectacularly lit at night.  She was a lively and entertaining hostess, with lots of stories.  She used to work for the mayor in Sevilla as a protocol or PR expert. She was totally charming to listen to, whether telling stories of the portraits hanging in the apartment, her trips to Kansas City as Sevilla's sister city, or her 30 year old son's possible girlfriend in New York. (He doesn't tell her anything, but he goes to NY a lot. Who  knows what the real story is?  We tried to look him up on Facebook without success.)  She served us a marvelous meal and it made for a delightful evening.

We left Sevilla early this morning.  For some reason, our room rate included a $100 credit at the hotel that could only be used for food or drink.  Since our breakfast was included, and we had two dinners out, using it proved to be difficult.  But, have no fear, Ann found a way to make sure to use that coupon.  (Keith's solution was tequila in the bar, as I understand it).  With the help of a friendly concierge, Ann managed to calculate exactly how many bottles of wine and Cava (like champagne) she could get from the bar to exactly use her $100 coupon.  I had confidence in her ability to achieve this goal!

After about two hours in a minibus we arrived in Cordoba.  Our guide, Carmen, met our bus and took us on a city tour..  Carmen was great; she has been a guide for 20 years.  No dilly-dallying with Carmen .... Hup hup hup right to the sites, rapid fire information, and a real speciality in knowing exactly where to take group photos to best effect. My kind of gal!

We started our tour with the synagogue.  After the Jews were expelled in 1492, this small synagogue was taken over as a church and the walls were covered with Christian painted panels.  Fortunately, the way they did it left the decoration underneath protected, and was it discovered several centuries later. It is now restored as a tourist site, and it is the first synagogue we have seen.  The wall carvings were very Moorish looking, like everything we have seen, but also included many Hebrew inscriptions that were translated by labels on the walls.  You could see the ark where the Torah would have been kept.  We were  moved to be in a space where the Jews had prayed 600 years ago, then suffered a terrible persecution.

Then we went to the mosque-church.  This place is absolutely stupendous and is the main reason tourists come to Cordoba.  It started as a giant mosque, and. I cannot even convey the size of this thing. Apparently 20,000 people could pray there at once.  It is covered with double arches done in two colors of stone, creating a vibrant red and white pattern.

Then, right in the middle, is a cathedral.  When the Christians arrived, they took out the center Islamic arches, and literally built a classic Renaissance Cathedral in the center, with high ceilings, domes, transept/apse, Christian iconography, beautiful alters, etc.  It is quite startling to see the juxtaposition of the mosque with the church inside, kind of like a Faberge egg on a giant scale.

We also visited the Alcazar (palace) in Cordoba, and particularly enjoyed the lovely gardens.  Carmen efficiently ended our tour at a cafe where we grabbed lunch before a little shopping.  

Lenny and I managed to squeeze in two more museums.  (I decided our minimum quota is one per day.)  One was of contemporary art with a small photo exhibit, and one was of the history of Sephardic Jews. 

I now sit on a very comfortable high speed train on our way to Madrid, for our last stop on our trip.

Donna