Finally Finishing February Part I

I can't believe February is already over! I know it's the shortest month anyway, but this year (despite the leap year's extra day) it seemed particularly short. As my mother would say; "Time's fun when you're having flies." I finally got done editing the remainder of the good (read:interesting) photos from my trip to Spain and here they are. After we finished with laid-back Granada we moved toward some larger cities to get a well-rounded feel for Andalusian life.
In Cordoba we arrived in the early evening and decided to ask for a good restaurant recommendation. We ended up at a traditional Spanish place with some overly friendly, and a bit intoxicated, German friends. They took quite a liking to Erika and after our table had enjoyed some good Spanish red wine we somehow found it necessary to take some photos with them in the middle of the restaurant.The next morning we got up early to go see the Mesquitza. It was originally a massive mosque, which is quite evident in the many columns and rounded arches throughout.
When the Christians took control of the region they used the existing building but added some "touches" of their own, which eventually grew to an entire cathedral located in the center of the old mosque. Unfortunately the cathedral area was closed off for restoration, but I was able to snap a shot of Jesus looking down into the mosque. I think the irony is quite interesting.
The Mesquitza's courtyard is still filled with orange trees, which had been harvested just before our arrival. The oranges were sitting in HUGE tubs around the edges of the courtyard. What is now the bell tower was once where the meuzzin went to give the Muslim call to prayer.
There's a varied religious history in Cordoba and this next building is unique evidence. There are less than a dozen synagogues left in all of Spain and this is the only one left in Andalusia. Others were destroyed during the Inquisiton. If the architecture looks familiar that's because it is very Arab in nature. Muslim, Christian AND Jewish craftsmen all worked on the building, making it a true gem. The inscriptions are in Hebrew and are from the Torah. This tiny synagogue is buried deep in Cordoba's Jewish quarter, which is a great place to walk around and get lost.
Back out in the main town, the Arab and Muslim influences are evident even today as locals maintain their houses in their original styles and brilliant colors.
We also went to see the Alcazar, and old palace used by Moorish and Christian kings. The gardens were beautiful, the ramparts looked like something out of a medieval fairy-tale and the tower offered a great view of the town. Actually, it reminded me of a miniature Alhambra, with much less Arab decoration.
One thing I did find interesting in all of Cordoba are the window dressings. I can only imagine how hot it must get in July and August because the vast majority of windows had big heavy screens like this one. They're made of a natural material and allow some light and air in without letting in the hot rays of the sun. Quite ingenious.
With our afternoon in Cordoba we went to the Hammam. This is an Arab bath that was recommended by another assistant who visited Spain in November. And after experiencing it myself I understand why she thought we should visit!! For more information check out the website, but I'll give a basic explanation: There are three pools (the largest is about the size of a regular in-ground pool, but the others are only big enough to fit a few people) one with warm water, one with HOT water, and the last with really cold water. There's also a steam room and a masseuse. You start with the warm and spend about five minutes in the water. There are beautiful skylights letting in just a bit of light, candles burning something that smells amazing, soft music playing and the sound of water as it flows into the pools. Relaxing doesn't even begin to describe it. After about 5 minutes you move to the hot bath. The heat is a bit abrasive at first, it makes a hot tub look lukewarm, but after a bit it feels great. After 5 minutes there you spend some time in the steam room. This is a steam room from the movies. You open the door and there is so much thick steam that you literally can't see anything. After the steam room you plunge into the cold water bath and let your body temperature come back down. It's quite a shock at first but after a while it feels really good (think icing your body after a race or a hard workout). Then you keep repeating the circuit. At one point the masseuse calls your number and you go and have the MOST amazing essential oil massage. It's incredible. Then you go back to the pools circuit. And yes you weirdos... everyone is wearing bathing suits. If I lived anywhere even close to Cordoba I'd be going there on a weekly basis. Incredible. Go there. Now. Look how relaxed I look after being there for an hour and a half...
And that was the trip to Cordoba! Up next we had our final, and warmest, city which was Sevilla. The economic and cultural capital of Andalusia.
We started with the cathedral. Like Cordoba's Mesquitza, there was once a mosque here. But instead of using the existing building, the conquering Christians tore it down and vowed to build something so large that it would make all who saw it think they were crazy. I have to agree with Rick Steves on this one... the building is pretty hideous. Granted, it's the 3rd largest cathedral in all of Europe, but it's really ugly. The best part is probably the tower. It's the only part leftover from the mosque. And there are only about 8 stairs in it, the rest of the way up is by ramps, which made it easier for the meuzzin's horse to run up 5 times a day so he could make the call to prayer. Today there are a lot of bells and camera-crazy tourists at the top.

The tomb of Christopher Columbus is in the cathedral as well. Again, see how everyone in Andalusia is trying to take credit for what happened in Granada? Is Columbus's body here? It's debatable... and I'll let Jared debate it.
There's also a treasury with a ridiculous display of the wealth and power of the Catholic Church.
The choir is pretty neat. The large object in the center is actually a music stand. Enormous music books would be placed there for the singers to read. It was far too time-consuming and expensive to have a book for each member to have their own.
After getting in touch with our peace-loving, God-fearing, religious sides we took a tour of Granada's bull fighting stadium and museum. I'm not a fan of the practice and even Michael decided that maybe he didn't want to see a fight after all at the end of our tour. It's just a very backwards and cruel form of entertainment.
The general decoration around the entire city is pretty cool. This wall was near the university and I loved the composition of the photo so you'll have to indulge me. It has no real significance.
That night at the hostel we decided to head to the hostel bar to hang out and for some reason, after a drink, I thought it would be a great idea to challenge Michael to chess. This was a big mistake. If you look hard enough you can actually smell his brain burning into overtime from this photo.
Graffiti is a popular artform in Spain and no one really seems to mind it. I saw this walking around on the 14th and thought it would be appropriate to take a photo since it was Valentine's Day afterall.
We found a really great park as we were randomly walking around... so of course Erika and I played on it! Michael read the nearby sign and thought it was funny that it noted the nearest hospitals. Playgrounds must be really dangerous in Sevilla!
That night we got some tapas action after dinner with a new friend from the hostel...
... and then ran into old friends at a free flamenco session! That's Sa'rah from Ohio Northern. Small world, eh?
On our final morning in Spain, Erika and I went to see the Basilica de la Macarena. We had planned on doing the titular dance outside, but it seemed inappropriate, so we just took photos. The amount of gold is ridiculous...
And on the way out Erika was given a little picture of Jesus. I was standing right behind her so either I look like I'm down with Jesus already or I'm past saving. Either way Erika thought she might take Jesus out for a drink later... get to know him better. lol I think they're a cute couple.
And on the way back from the basilica we literally stumbled on a small market and I was able to buy some jamon iberia for Jared. I'm no ham expert, but ham in Spain is a source of great pride and the time it took this butcher to cut some slices off the main whatever it's called proved just how seriously they take their ham!
Shortly thereafter I hopped on a plane and headed back to cold and dreary northern France. But it was an AMAZING trip that I will always remember. I plan on heading back to Spain at some point... but right now I've got lots of other places to check out first.
Stay tuned for some photos from Jared's recent trip to see me!