Cordoba

After a two hour train ride from Granada, I reached my next destination: Cordoba. I decided to stay in this city because it had an underdog feel (not as popular as Seville or Granada) and I love me some second cities. After several days here, I came away really happy with my decision. I really liked this place. 

Just like Toledo and Granada, the old town streets were windy, cobble-stoned, and white. These streets had a little extra pizazz though, and lots of people have hung up flowers on their balconies. It was really pretty and the color popped against the white buildings. Every year they have a festival where people show off their patios (little courtyards inside their property). This was a couple weeks ago and from what I can tell it is quite popular and busy. I’m glad I missed it. 

Mezquita Cathedral

After dropping my gear at the hotel Don Paula, I hoofed it to the Mosque Cathedral of Cordoba. I had a fantastic tour guide who explained a ton about the town’s history and how this weird, awesome building came to be. This cathedral is the 3rd most visited building in Spain, behind the Cathedral of Santiago ✅ and Alhambra ✅. I’ve been busy on this trip!

History

The person who started building this mosque made a nice little space for the number of Muslims in the area. However, the number of Muslims grew dramatically and they needed to expand. Several times. The builders were also very resourceful and reused the columns from the buildings the Romans had left behind. To make sure they were all the same height and could support the arches, they put the columns on platforms of different heights. Super smart. 

The second expansion was pretty normal, except that they punched out some windows inside because the only natural light came from the doors which were now pretty far away. They moved the khabir (wall that orients to Mecca) and interestingly, didn’t adjust this because the original architects were just a little off. The guide said it was one of only three mosques that doesn’t face the correct direction. The columns in this expansion were fancy and alternated between pink and gray marble.

The third expansion was a rush job and not nearly as classy. To match the red and white arches they used paint instead of real stone. The floor is only brick instead of marble. All in all a real slipshod of a building (just kidding). 

After all these expansions, the Christians rolled into town. However, it would take a fortune to raze the mosque because it is so large, so instead they just carved out a piece of the middle and built a standard Christian church. Right inside the mosque. At this point, the whole building became a cathedral instead of a mosque and it remains that way today. 

Other Cordoba Ramblings

After the Cathedral I tried to go get some food. I say tried because it is a real challenge to eat around here at what I consider to be dinnertime (5-7 PM). I finally found one open stall in a market and tried a local dish of eggplant on potatoes drizzled with honey. It was good! Even better, were the chocolate strawberries I bought. 

On my final day in Cordoba I wandered around the streets. I crossed the Roman bridge again and this time went into the museum that lives in the tower on one end of the bridge. This museum was a weird one, but I liked it. In one section they highlighted four men. One guy, Mr. Averroes, was a Cordoban native and scholar from the 1100s. The exhibit shared one of his quotes that basically said according to the Koran men and women should have the same rights and privileges. 🤜

I found my way to a working class neighborhood that I fell in love with. The tourists were all gone and the houses had their flowers up and you could tell it is because they are pretty and not because they wanted to be seen by the tourists. 

Food Attempt Dos (2) and Tres (3)

After wandering I decided to go big and embrace the Cordoban cuisine some more, since the eggplant was a success. I ordered a chilled soup, salmorejo, and deep fried pork, flamenquines. I’m not gonna lie…they were both pretty rough. That soup was something of a nightmare, pudding consistency and bright orange. Shudder. Earlier that day I had a delish tostada (toast, olive oil, and pureed tomato), so I’m going to call my Cordoba cuisine a draw. 

Final Thoughts

I think out of all the southern cities I visited, Cordoba was my favorite. It was definitely touristy, but did not have the same tourist vibe that that happens when a place is super well known. I hope to be back, only not during summer.