We arrived in Cordoba yesterday after a two stage trip from Granada. Stage one a bus trip from Granada to Antequera then onto a train for the remainder of the trip. Fast train. 124 km in 35 minutes. 295 kph a lot of the time.

A great hotel on the corner of the old city ini what was once the Jewish Quarter (ghetto?). A number of old building which have been joined together. Multiple courtyards with lots of ideas for garden redesign for when I’mback home!

On check in we booked to go to a performance by the Andalusian horses at the Royal Stable next to the Alcazar de los Reyes Christianos – ie the castle and government enclosure built by the Christian kings after the conquered the city in 1236. On the way to the performance we passed the start of a parade marking the start of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Large statue of the Virgin being carried on a platform with lots of candles, a band and other carrying religious items. This was just before 8:00 – we could still hear the band as it continued around the city at 11:00.

The horses were astounding. Not sure how the get them to move the way the do, standing on their hind legs and one which did the get all four hooves of the ground at the same time – forget what that’s called. But amazing.

Today we had a walking tour booked. For the first part it was just the two of us, a third joined us later. Because of the feast day we started earlier than planned and did the tour in reverse order. This meant we started at the Mezquita which is the Cathedral-Mosque. The mosque was commenced in 784 and reached its current size in 987 but developments continued until the Christian conquest. Initially the Christian rulers took over the mosque and used it as a church. Chapels were added and the minaret was enclosed and made into a bell tower.

In the 16th century a renaissance cathedral nave and quire was added. The height and light of this constraints amazingly with the remainder of the building which is beautiful but has lower light. Because today was the feast day we were under a bit of time pressure but the bonus was as we moved through the building towards the nave we heard the choir, organ and orchestra in full rehearsal. The music and the building combined to make one of the most amazing experiences. For those in the know, a definite Ely Cathedral moment.

I dont think the photos convey the beauty and feel of the building but I’ll put them in separately.

From the Mezquita we moved to another small chapel and the to what was the last Synagogie in Cordoba. Under the Muslim rule the three religions co-existed – albeit with Christians and Jews paying extra taxes.

Under Christian rule the taxes burden shifted and the over time there was less tolerance, forced conversions, pogroms and expulsions. So what was the Synagogue was converted for other use and it was only in the late 19th century that its purpose was rediscovered.

From there it was to the remains of the bath house of the Moorish Alzacar and then to the Alcazar built by the Christian kings – the stand out there was the gardens. Stunning.

That was the end of the tour so we did some more wandering and then a lunch (at 3:00 – we’re getting used to Spanish hours) in a small square. Ham – yum. We learned a number of interesting things from our guide. One reason why there is so much ham and pork served and added to other dishes is because in the period of forced conversions to Christianity seeing what people ate was a way of testing their commitment to the faith.

The back to the hotel as it was time for a bit of a siesta.

Glorios day.