We took a day trip to Cordoba, which houses the famous Mesquita, which is a huge Moorish mosque that was turned into a cathedral during the Reconquista, but the structure of the cathedral was not changed at all. It is huge, with huge double red-and-white striped arches throughout the entire building. It has been interesting to see how the fight between the Muslim Moors and the Spanish Catholics has shaped the history and culture of Spain. We also rambled around and Old Jewish Quarter in Cordoba, which provided sufficient old-world abience with narrow, twisty lanes and flower-ladened window boxes. We were there during the siesta, so the only people we saw were in tour groups, because people in Cordoba take their siesta very seriously.
For our last day in Sevilla we decided to tour the cathedral, which is the largest in the world. It is undergoing renovations and constructions because the large supporting pillars have a bad habit of cracking, so we did not get to see it in pristine condition, but it was a beautiful old church with lots of ornamentation, and the tomb of Columbus. We also got to climb the Giralda Bell Tower, which gave us a wonderful view of the city. We enjoyed our last paseo, or evening walk, around Sevilla. It is so fun to watch all of the young families and old couples out for their evening walk. I really like that spending time with family is so central to every day life here. To top off our evening, we went to a flamenco show in a private patio of an old house in the Sevillan Jewish Quarter. The show was amazing, and was definitely the best way to finish off our stint in Sevilla.
Yesterday, we spend most of the day getting to Granada, but we explored the Albaycin, or old Moorish Quarter in the evening. We had a lovely dinner overlooking the Alhambra from across the ravine.
Today we toured the Alhambra in all of its glory. We almost did not make it, because we were supposed to be leaving at 8 AM, and we did not wake up until 820... Luckily our hostel is literally 3 minutes from the entrance, and we are good at getting ready very quickly. The palace was amazing- intricate plaster and wood work, fountains everywhere, and gorgeous views of the city. The Alhambra was the sight of the final surrender of the Moors to the Spaniards, as well as where Columbus was commissioned for his journey to the New World. There were also lovely gardens, which I thoroughly enjoyed. We spent the afternoon wandering around the Alcaceria, or old silk market, and the rest of the city. It was very enjoyable. Granada is a larger city than Sevilla, so it definitely has a more metropolitan, edgy feel. There is also a large hippie population, which gives the city a less traditional atmosphere than Sevilla had. It is a wonderful city to wander around, and the Alhambra was gorgeous. It has been fun, and tomorrow we are off to Madrid!Hope you all are well, and hopefully we will have more soon!
