We´ve left Madrid for the beauty of Andalusia. Traveling by bus to Cordoba was a beautiful way to see the countryside. The area around Madrid is flat, but as you get further south, the land starts to roll and olive trees and vineyards abound. It´s hot here, at least 80 every day.
Cordoba is full of wonders to explore. It´s a melting pot for Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths. In fact, the primary attraction is the Mezquita-Catedral, which is a Mosque with a Cathedral smacked down in the center.
We found a beautiful guesthouse right by the Mezquita, which is run by a lovely fellow Sagittarian and his family. Our room is tiny, but private, a nice change from the hostel in Madrid. The bathroom is miniscule with a shower the size of a postage stamp. The whole room floods each time you shower. Sleep was impossible last night as our window opens onto the main square. We were entertained until the wee hours with passersby singing and dancing their way home. But, it is homey enough for a few days and the price was right!
There´s a festival going on whose name escapes me for the moment. It really doesn´t matter as the concept is simple. There are numerous red flowered crosses scattered around the city. After dark, the site of each becomes the location for a huge street party. It´s sort of like ¨church youth group gone bad¨as every 15 year old in Cordoba is dancing in the streets with cocktails. We found three crosses last night and began learning flamenco, which we are determined to master by our return. There are beautiful little girls (about 5 years old) who were dancing in their flamenco dresses until 2 in the morning. !
Yesterday was also the day of the wedding in Cordoba. We saw 3 and inadvertently crashed two. My traveling companion went as far as to enter the church during the ceremony and exited just behind the bride and groom. Scandalous!
The rat tail is alive and well in Cordoba. They are a status symbol, I think, though not sure exactly what status. There are long ones, short ones, dyed ones, ponytailed ones, fat ones, skinny ones. I´ve never seen that many...even as an 80s school girl!
Sandra and I have separated for the morning. She´s going to explore piles of old rocks (I´m told they are valuable architectural sites). I´m headed off to view the artwork of Cordoba´s most famous artist Julio Romero de Torres. His artwork was highly respected in his time, but has lost luster since his death. Cordoban´s still idolize him and I must see.
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