Outside the train station was a map, which perfectly gave me my bearings. Then, just as I approach Judería (not quite realizing what it is, but knowing I must be close) a man standing in the entryway I hadn't noticed asks (in English), "can I help you?" It was truly like meeting an angel on the road (maybe he was). I said, "I hope so," and he said, "Youth hostel?"
It was beyond perfect. I fell into step beside him and he led me the whole way to the hostel, then said, "here you are" and went on his way, further down the road.
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 | The former minaret of the Mezquita (Mosque). It's now the cathedral's bell tower. A minaret (in case you don't know) is the tower that Muslims build with a mosque to use for calling the faithful to prayer (and a mosque is the Muslim house of prayer and worship, much as a church or cathedral is to Christians or a Synogogue to Jews). |
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I crossed the bridge to the Torre de la Calahorra, which had a great audiotour of Córdoba's history, focusing on the Muslim influence. Very interesting, and in the last room I hit (#2, incidentally, out of 8) they played tracks of people from the peak of Córdoba's history (~8th to 13th c.), including Ibn Al-Arabi! |
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Then I went to Alcáza de los Reyes Cristianos. It's a really nice castle with some amazing (and large) gardens. There were ponds and all sorts of flowers, and a lot of orange trees (and a few lemon trees, too, I think). It looks like they go through regularly to pluck all the oranges within arm's length, leaving what's fallen to the ground. I managed to snag one anyway, though it's not the happiest looking. I hope it tastes okay. It smells good and I plucked it straight from the tree (one in the back corner). |
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I went through the Mezquita. Not the "usual church". :) There was a men's choir of some sort (looked part clergy, part laymen) singing. I only caught the end of it. I got lots of good pictures of the place.