We bid a wistful farewell to Granada, and to our great apartment there, this morning and headed northwest a couple of hours to Cordoba. Almost our entire route was paved with olive orchards; the 360-degree views of vast expanses of rolling hills literally lined with rows of trees were just phenomenal. Occasionally, we'd spot vineyards, or plots of other crops, but the olive groves ruled the landscape! As we neared Cordoba, all the cultivated crops gave way to grass-covered hills.
Our chief reason for stopping in Cordoba was to see the Mezquita, the church-turned-mosque-turned-cathedral that dominates the town center. Rising on the site of the 6th century Visigoth church of Saint Vincent, the construction of the mosque began in 785. After the Christians conquered the Moors of Cordoba in 1263 (more than 200 years before the fall of Granada), the mosque began to undergo the changes that, 300 years later, would result in the construction of a Gothic cathedral in its very center.
Though the Mezquita is at ground level, entering it is like walking through an underground forest of columns and arches. Under low ceilings and dim lighting, 850 red and blue marble columns are topped by double arches of alternating white stone and red brick; they seem to go on forever. The perimeter of the vast space is lined with side altars from the Christian eras, but they were barely noticeable! The highlight of the mosque, and of the current structure, is the magnificent mihrab, or niche, from which an imam once lead 20,000 worshipers in prayer.
Glowing mosaics, calligraphy, filigreed
stucco, arches, and tiles decorate this glorious construction. Whatever
else the Christians might have done here, they were wise to preserve the mihrab
as a work of art when they began to modify the building to suit their own
purposes.
About those modifications... Right in the center of the mosque is a Gothic
cathedral, built upon the command of Charles V. Its soaring ceiling,
massive mahogany Baroque choir, and enormous dome seem to fly in the face of
their surroundings. Statement architecture, indeed!
We wandered around Cordoba's historic center for a while, stopping first at the restored Roman bridge over the Guadalquivir River, just outside the Mezquita, and to see one of the crosses of flowers that will be part of the city's annual Crosses of May Festival, set to begin this weekend.
Flowers are everywhere in Cordoba, and the city prides itself on them, and the patios, courtyards, and balconies they decorate. Each year, there's a competition for the most beautiful courtyard, and even on this "non-race" day, we were able to see many lovely displays -- whitewashed walls, tiles, blue flowerpots, and red geraniums -- all touched by the bright sun, as we walked through the old Jewish quarter's narrow lanes.
Then, it was on to today's destination, Seville. We've once again lucked out with a wonderful apartment -- three bedrooms, two baths, and an underground parking spot on the premises! Having heard that Seville's historic center is notoriously unfriendly to cars, we opted for a spot outside of the old town; there's a bus stop at our front door, one more perk.
Tomorrow, we set out to explore Seville!
