Today was our last full day of our trip; we have an early flight out of Seville tomorrow. So we did a speed tour of Cordoba. Really, it amounted to seeing one site -- the Mezquita. It started out as a mosque in the 9th Century. Over the next century or so, peiodic expansions were made to make it a huge mosque. The highlight of this period was the forest of pillars and double arches that filled the interior. Also, there was an impressive mihrab, the center of worship where the imam sits. The decoration was exquisite there.
But what was most surprising was that the Mezquita was also a church / cathedral. Catholics took over Cordoba in the 13th Century and converted it. But for the most part the Moorish roots have been retained. A central Cathedral was added, but the building really looks like a blending of the two cultures. It is also a living edifice, with changes being made as recently as the early 20th Century. Outside was a patio filled with orange trees (replete with inedible oranges!) and a bell tower that was once a minaret.
We also walked across a Roman bridge, built by Emperor Hadrian (I think, he of the wall). Then, we saw a small synagogue. Cordoba really has seen its share of cultures.
Right now, we're at the train station for our train. We're forced to take the slow train unless we wanted to pay 10€ each for a reservation on a high-speed AVE train. Since we'd only get in 1h 30m earlier, we didn't think it worth it (it's only an hour ride).
We'll try to see a flamenco show in Seville tonight. We may not get much sleep since we'll likely want to get to the airport super early what with the high threat level.
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