Mis Experiencias en el Extranjero: Córdoba

Ok, I am VERY far behind with updating this blog, considering I went on this trip about a month ago, but now I will tell you all about my trip to Córdoba, a city in central Andalucía. The city itself is a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its historical and cultural importance (Spain is home to 42 World Heritage Sites, which is more than any other country in the world except Italy). My friends and I took the train there, which only took about 1.5 hours. The trains in Spain are actually really nice - the regular trains are just about as fancy as the high speed ICE in Germany, so I can kind of understand why Spain's high speed AVE is so expensive! The main thing on our list to see was La Mezquita, which was built as an Arab mosque over 1000 years ago and was converted to a cathedral during the Reconquista of Spain. The interior was just massive. It was filled with geometric Arab designs, the famous red and white striped arches that seem to continue forever, chapels with Christian altars along the edges, and outside was a beautiful courtyard with orange trees. It was quite a good representation of the juxtaposition of Arab and Catholic culture that is quite prevalent throughout Andalucía. After a walk across the Puente Romano (Roman Bridge) and a stop for lunch, we explored the Judería (Jewish Quarter), which was quite charming with its narrow, maze-like streets. We eventually wound up at the synagogue, which is one of the only synagogues in Spain to survive the expulsion of Jews during the Spanish Inquisition in 1492. It was really beautiful, but incredibly small - probably about the size of my bedroom here! Afterwards, we headed to the Alcázar of the Christian Kings, a palace and garden complex! The towers at the palace afforded wonderful views of the city and gardens below, which were filled with lush trees, fountains, pools, manicured shrubbery, flowers and statues! It was a really great way to end the day in Córdoba!