LYNN’S SPAIN/MOROCCO
JOURNAL
Day 3, Saturday, May 11
Cordoba, Medina Azahara
Breakfast is not included—I got coffee and a roll at the closest café-bar one block from the hotel. I also took some bread back to Philip. Day trip today was Cordoba. Took the N-IV back to Cordoba (we had passed through it on the way to Sevilla the day before).
Cordoba from across the River
Tried to park at the Mesquita but never found a garage so we parked across the river. That allowed us to approach the old city via the Puente Romano bridge—with Roman foundations but rebuilt by the Moors (reminded me of Regensburg in Germany). Main site to see was the Great Mosque, also called the Mesquita. 850 red-and-white arches paraded before our eyes—what a phantasmagoric mixture of Islam and Christianity! There was a Catholic cathedral right in the middle of the former mosque. After wandering through the Mesquita to our heart’s content, we took the recommended walk in the old city.
The Mequita/Cathedral
Before we tackled the last sight, we saw down to have a prix fixe lunch—that took the guesswork out of menu reading (important to us after the dinner last night). I picked the menu with gazpacho—similar flavors but mine is better! Best meal we have had but not spectacular. We wanted to see the palace fortress, the Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos, but it was closed until 5:30 so we left to take another route home: the A431, a wise choice.
Ruins of Medina Azahara
We were able to take in two spectacular but different sights: Medina Azahara and the castle above Almodovar del Rio (a village). The first was in ruins, basically an archeological dig. Built by Caliph Abd al Rahman III in the 10th century, it rivaled neighboring Cordoba. Only 1/10th of it has been excavated, but it only took a little imagination to see how beautiful it was. It was also beautifully located, high up on a hill overlooking the valley. It was impressive even in its ruins—some halls and arches had been reconstructed.
The second sight was almost complete although reconstructed. It, too, sat high upon a hill, but the difference was that it sat atop a rock silhouetted against the sky and was practically impregnable—the other was nestled in the hills. It was somewhat boxy looking, much like a Norman fortress, had lots of towers and ramparts, almost like a stereotypical castle. In fact, it was a Moorish castle from the 8th century, only recently restored. To get to it we had to negotiate a winding dirt road—I was driving. Along each edge were triangular stone caps—a motif we were to see again and again in both Spain and Morocco. It was fun walking the ramparts and scrambling up and down. I used the bathroom there—one of the most beautiful on the trip: new, limestone walls, clean. Below the castle was the white-washed town of Almodovar del Rio.
Views of the Town and Olive Orchards from the Castle
We entered Sevilla from the north, where we live, but went too far south. Dinner was late and very casual. We were too tired to negotiate another Spanish menu so we broke down and went to a Pizza Hut not far from our hotel. It was a truly wonderful day: big tourist attraction that I had long longed to see, city in ruins, old stone castle. Left at 10 a.m., came back at 10 p,m.—long day but well worth it. It was a pattern we mostly followed: up early, late dinner, late to bed.