Monday: Cordoba Cathedral/Mosque

Woke up this morning like any other morning, coffee and an organic breakfast of banana and raspberry yogurt.

Got dressed to go to Cordoba and headed out the door with Annette and saying bye to Iker and Jose for the day.

Annette told me that the way we were able to get out fast and easy was because Annette told Iker we were going to go see a church (in which Iker does not like and finds boring).

We were kind of going to a church, but it was also a mosque, it was a interesting and unique structure officially called the Cathedral of Cordoba.


On the way there we picked up one of Annette's friends Margaret who also needed a little get-a-way from her daughter Luna.


The drive to Cordoba was about 2 hours and on that two hour drive we talked about funny job stories. Annette and Margaret told tour stories and I tour stories and waitressing stories.

They told me about a woman who was so hippy that one day she hiked topless, and a woman that had diarrhea so bad she couldn't stop shitting her pants, and a hellish woman that gave a tiny gold bull pendent as a tip. The stories they told were both hilarious and entertaining on our drive.

Once getting to Cordoba we were all hungry so naturally stopped for tapas and a drink. We had these two amazing dips that all of us had no idea what they consisted of and deep fried eggplant that was just heavenly. The egg plant was covered in almost a light pancake batter and was just sooooo good.

After lunch we headed to the cathedral. I really didn't know what to expect and Annette told me to expect to see "something you've never seen before, nor will ever see anything like it again".

So we walked across a bridge to a pretty plain tan building that looked pretty large in size with a tower jutting from the center. Upon entry to the cathedral, it was breathtaking.  

Inside were hundreds of red and white striped arches from what was originally a mosque. 

It was crazy. Just arched as far as you could see. Annette and Margaret both being guides explained to me how the what is now the Cordoba Cathedral was originally a mosque where mores would come to pray and that 5 times a day the entire place would be covered by a sea of people praying. It was a very unique mosque for its time and is still today. 


As you kept walking you literally ran into a cathedral. It was a cathedral that looked like it was just plopped in the middle of this amazing mosque. The Christians that conquered Cordoba and took over the mosque obviously saw that this mosque was something to save so instead of tearing the mosque down and building a cathedral, that simply built their cathedral in the smack dab middle of this mosque. It looks completely out of place and ridiculous, but at least they didn't get rid of the entire mosque. 

After passing through the small church, you go back into the rows or red and white striped arches.


We got to a side of the mosque that was covered in shiny mosaic material. Annette and Margaret explained again that this side was the direction in which the mores would pray. As i was raising my camera to get a good shot of the art with my camera, i felt what i thought was Annette shoving me... My eyes were peering through the lenses of my camera so intensely that i didn't bother looking away and before i knew it i was being shoved again. I had no idea why Annette was shoving me so i looked up and to my surprise and slight horror i was surrounded by a 30+ Asian tourist who were also trying to get a picture of the mosaic. I frantically looked across the sea of Asian tourist (thank goodness i wore my high boots) to see Annette and Margaret laughing on the outskirts. I pushed my way through to them and joined them in the laughter.


We walked to the next room still laughing silently, and interrupted again a few minutes later by the swarm of Asian tourist. Again we fled and continued our own tour.


We left the building and headed for dinner.


We stopped at a random bar along the way and shared a bottle of red wine and a few tapas. The food was again great but the stories from Annette and Margret were even better. As I let them reminisce about old tours, and guides, and stories and laughed till red in the face and wine came from their noses (literally) I saw so much similarity between them and me and Catherine. It was great hearing and joining into their comedy show that overtook dinner and aided by good red wine. 


After dinner we took a leisurely stroll around Cordoba and as it was getting colder we headed back to the car.


It was a great day, full of history, education, laughter, and wine.

Margret, Annette, and I

Tomorrow me and Annette are heading to the Alhambra. 


Adios.