52. Cordoba, Espana

Cordoba has not been quite as hot as Granada and Seville because there has been a rumour of a cool change. I know this because I caught a glimpse of CNN cable TV World weather somewhere, but it is still very hot. 

The daily temperature pattern in Spain seems to be that if the top temperature for the day is to be, say 37, it is 35 by 10.30 am and 36 by 11.00 am and 37 by 1.00 pm and then it drops to 36 at about 8.00 pm and when the sun finally goes down at about 9.30 pm, the temperature drops to a very bearable 32 degrees with a bit of a breeze.  This is when the cities come to life.  No restaurant opens until 8.45 or 9.00 pm and people are still eating at midnight.  Young children are still walking with their family or playing around until 11.00 pm when it is cool enough to get them to bed.  But every town shuts down in the heat of the day between 3.00 pm (which is the end of lunch) and 6.00 pm when the shops re-open again as it cools.  Siesta.

Cordoba is still in Andalucia, in southern Spain, but it is in the most northern part.  It was the largest city of Roman Spain.  These days, it is a vibrant modern city with a small historic centre which incorporates a grand califate mosque or mezquita.  The mosque is an UNESCO World Heritage site.  It is huge!  As with all of these old, old religious buildings, it began life as one thing and became something else.

This is the oldest part of the mezquita with its beautiful arches and columns and subtle light, built mainly in the 10th century but begun as early as 785 AD.

Originally the whole mosque would have been lit by these beautiful wooden window panels.

The areas of brighter light that you can see towards the rear, are the areas where the mosque was renovated in the 13th C to meet the requirements of a Christian church.

Even the mosque was not the first church on this site.  This is the capital of a Visigoth column from the church that stood on this site prior to the 6th century. And below is a small part of the original floor of that original building.

I don't know much about the Visigoths other than that they were Christian.  So, the original site was a Christian church up to the 6th C, then it became a mosque from the 6th C to the 13th C, then it was reclaimed by the Christians again with the main alterations we see today begun in 1523.  Those renovations were always controversial, with King Ferdinand 111, who commissioned them, saying that the new section had spoilt the old. Ferdie was obviously unhappy with his architect.

I had never seen anything like this before.  The marble and stone and the vastness of the space were breathtaking, and yet very gentle and embracing .

And then it became a catholic church with this type of decoration. 

The christian altar above was created in the middle of the old mosque and the roof altered to accommodate windows.  

A new section was also built to house "the treasure of St Teresa" - below.  Paul explains to me that such treasure is paid for by the faithful of the parish, not by the church.

I think I much preferred the old mosque.  

Cordoba also has a Roman bridge which is also on the UNESCO World Heritage register.  This is the gate to the bridge.  A lot of restoration has been undertaken and it is hard to see how much of the original gate and bridge remain, but as I understand it, the old stone has been reset into a faithful reproduction of the original.

 

Once you get to the foundations of the bridge, near the water, you can see the original Roman stones and structures ...

... and the remains of the far gate, which have also been incorporated into a new building - a museum.  

After a hot drudge back up the hill to the centre of town it was time for cool drinks, then back to the hotel for some air conditioning before dinner at 10.00pm, which was excellent.  They cooked the steak, finely sliced scotch fillet, at the table.  It was delicious.

If you are ever travelling in Spain and need to choose between places to visit - Cordoba is a must-see.

Heading north now we are off to Toledo, just south of Madrid, next.