Second day in Córdoba, March 24

We had an excellent breakfast in the hotel dining room and headed for the Cathedral. Our tickets were for a nine-thirty entry. Daivd and Patrick were here back in the fall, so we did not have to get a guide. Daivd makes an excellent one.

The inside of the building is just as impressive, if not more, than the photographs I have seen for years. You enter through an enclosed garden with large orange and palm trees. The presence of the garden is historically accurate, but the oranges are not really good to eat. It seems that the original oranges brought from North Africia are bitter. That is the source of orange marmalade, bitter oranges with lots of sugar. The legend told around Spain is that a monk began cross breeding various varieties and developed the sweet orange. This web site has a slightly different story.

The bell tower encloses the original minaret. This is the open, enclosed garden and plaza. I am not sure what the tall trees are called but it makes a beautiful contrast, the tall trees with the smaller fruit trees.

This is the main entrance to tour the Mezquita-Catedral.

The colors of the stones change with the light.

When the city was taken over by the Christians in 1236, Ferdinand III insisted that no damage be done to the Mezquita. He was that impressed with the beauty of the building.

They said David had to remove his hat, so I took my hat off too. The beauty of this building is difficult to describe. It is incredible.

As we wandered around the building, it was apparent we would not be able to stay long. It was Holy Week and there were more processions and services to hold. It is an active parish church.

This is the main altar of the Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption. As you can see, many of the features of the Mezquita were preserved when the church was built inside the mosque.

We left the church and walked around the city. Knowing how fond I am of prehistory; David found the Archeological Museum of Córdoba for us to visit. The city has ruins that date back to the Romans and beyond. This passageway was paved with small river stones set on edge to form patterns. The stone patterns are all over the city.

The walkways are narrow and well kept.

We headed to meet some friends David and Partick had met in December when they visited. They were close friends of some Valencian residents and showed us around parts of the city we might not have seen. One of the sights was the house that is recognized in the Jewish Quarter as once belonging to the great scholar Moses ben Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides. There is a statue in the courtyard.

A guided tour visits the reputed home of Maimonides — Wikipedia.

David’s friends who introduced me to Spanish sardines. I ate one. This is in front of the ancient city wall. Much of it still stands. L to R, David, Issac, Me, Joaquin, and Pacote.

This image was one that caused me to laugh. A modern parking garage accessed through an ancient gate in the city wall. The contrast is amazing.

This is getting too long, so I am going to create another story for the rest of March 24. We visited a lovely neighborhood and had an exceptional dinner. To be continued…