From the Woodshed: The Rain in Spain Falls........

The rain in Spain falls mainly on the ..... tourists! Yep, mid June and we got soaked on our day trip to the historic city of Cordoba. It was still an awesome day, and the rain was actually a nice break from the heat.

We were a party of six as we headed out from La Roda to Cordoba. Teeny and Christoph were in their "Tiny" rented Hyundai that would only do 85 km/hr maximum, and Kim, Viola, Angelinas and I were snuggled into "Cherry" (Cereza in Espanol) their cute little Peugeot. In about an hour and a half, we were almost there.

Our first stop was an ancient city built by the Umayyad Caliphate which ruled the Iberian peninsula ( along with a huge chunk of the world, 5.8 million square miles!) from around 750 to 1031. The Caliph built this new capital city a few kilometers outside of the city of Cordoba (Qurtuba in Arabic). It was called "Madinat Al-Zahra" or "Brilliant City". Several hundred thousand people lived there at its height. After the "re-conquest" the city was abandoned and "looted"for building supplies. However, today it is a huge archaeological dig that is also open to the public with a very nice museum. It was a full service city with running water and an extensive sanitation system.

We arrived at the museum, took a quick swing through, then boarded a bus for the city ruins. It was raining pretty hard when we began our tour with Viola in the lead. It was truly an incredible experience to see the remnants of such an advanced and ancient city. Giant stone arches, and narrow ramped streets led us around through residential areas, courtrooms, military barracks, kitchens, latrines, and fountains. I think the Caliph had it pretty good, as did those living and working in the city. We could see the ancient holes where the hinges of huge iron gates once protected the cities inhabitants. The columns were red, black and white marble, many still in place.

This was the title slide of the museum movie.

Our tour guide: Charles in Charge, gives directions as
we enter the old city

I guess I am Samson, and Viola is Delilah. Doesn't look like
I am making much progress on those pillars. These are
four originals.

Here we are at the massive north gates. The building extended for
a couple stories above what you see here. The Caliph reviewed
his troops and made other public appearances from a balcony
that would have been right above us.

We got everyone on this staircase except the expedition
photographer (you know who!)

The latrines are two doors down and on the left!

After our tour, we hustled back down to the museum to see a movie that explained the city's construction and history. It was a bout a half hour long, and very well done. They used animation to literally bring the city to life. Unfortunately, Viola left her backpack there when we left but did not discover it until the museum had closed. In spite of leaving several messages and emails, and returning early the next morning at opening, all of the money (Euro 100) had been removed from the back pack. Luckily the employee thieves left Viola's credit card, ID, and cell phone alone. This mysterious crime (they must have good video of the thief on their security cameras, and they must be employed there) was reported, but amazingly has not been solved! Incredible Police work!!

After Madinar Al-Zahra, we went into Cordoba proper to see "La Mesquita". This is a huge mosque built by the Moors, and then converted into a Catholic Cathedral after the re-conquest. Very interesting how the Moorish architecture and design mesh with Catholic icons and architecture. The "Mesquita' is well preserved since the cathedral it contains is still very much functioning. Makes you wonder why we can't set aside our religious beliefs and all get along better today.

These glass floor pieces expose a recently discovered floor
for a Visigoth church that predated the mosque.

These double arches are distinctive to the Mesquita.
These are some of the newest that were added as the
population of Cordoba grew. The colors in the arches are
painted, not different colored stones.

A stone cutter's signature, carved into this marble column
before delivery to the mosque.

The exterior of the Mesquita is pretty much intact. The
tower for the cathedral was added in the middle
of the massive building.

A crucifix hangs beneath arches built to
worship Allah over a thousand years ago.

This is the Mithrab. Where the imams led the faithful in
prayer 5 times daily. It is well preserved. I am looking
at the ceiling which is gilded like the walls you see.

Another mixture of Muslim and Catholic symbolism.

Outside the Cathedral bell tower dominates
the buildings silhouette. It really does give
the appearance of being added onto the building.

After visiting the Cathedral, we walked the city for a bit, exploring the beautiful narrow streets, and having a coffee before heading back to La Roda.