10-19/21-07 Córdoba and Granada

For our second round of organized entire program trips, we headed to the two former Spanish Muslim capitals and former Caliphate capitals of the world – Córdoba and Granada. Leaving early Friday morning we spent the day in Córdoba. The old area of the city, named the Judería is full of tiny streets and white buildings like the majority of Medieval Spanish towns and was a pleasure to walk through. Our first stop was one of the 3 or 4 synagogues left in Spain. At the very end of the 15th century, the Spanish inquisition took full force and did it’s best to purge the Spanish kingdom of non-Catholics. The synagogue was tiny and through a no conspicuous door. We then saw an ancient door to the city, the disgustingly dirty Guadalquivir river which runs through, and then headed back to town to get some beers and tapas while we waited until our tour of the Mesquita/Cathedral of Córdoba to begin. Córdoba is the home to a traditional Spanish dish called Salmorejo. It is very similar to Gazpacho but with more bread (to make it thicker) and garlic and many little chucks of ham added at the end. It is creamier and is eaten like soup. The Salmorejo we had was godly. The region around Córdoba has a special type of vinegar that they use in it, and man was it amazing.

The Mesquita/Cathedral of Córdoba is the main attraction of the city. It is by far the most impressive and well known historical site. That was our last stop and, though I had seen it before, it was different because we had a guide taking us around. By seeing something so historical and gorgeous before, I could listen and learn as well as appreciate since I wasn’t as awestruck. The building was built in the 7th century as a Mesquita (Mosque) by the Caliphate (religious leader of the Islamic world) when he was exiled from Syria and forced to make southern Spain the new capital of the Muslim empire. The following Caliphates added to the Mesquita making it one of the biggest in the world. There are four parts, each created by a different man. After the Spanish Inquisition in 1492, the Mesquita was converted into a Cathedral by the Christian victors. The center of the Mesquita was more of less rooted out for the Cathedral to exist. Many columns were removed and it remains an odd mix of Christianity and Islam.

After our Córdoba excursion we headed to Granada. There we were put up in a hotel that was a nice change after many hostels. We all headed out after a little bit of relaxing and getting ready. We went out to a bar to celebrate a birthday and in the process drank and ate a ton! Dinner was all of the tapas that came with the drinks we ordered. In Granada, each drink comes with a free tapa (a little sandwich or some small but tasty snack). The night was relaxing but not too eventful.

The next day we headed to possibly the most historic site in Spain, the Alhambra. Gorgeous, hard to really explain. There is a palace, a fort, and gardens. The section called the Generalife is the gardens where the king used to stroll and escape the palace life. In the actual palace you see rooms where justice was served and many important decisions were made, including the spot directly upon which Queen Isabel granted Columbus the funding for his westward quest.

The day was filled with more cerveza, more free tapas, and a short siesta. I got my first hair cut at the nearby superstore since for some reason on Saturday afternoons no small hair place, none, are open. We therefore, sadly, paid too much and paid it to the big businessman.

That night, though, was one of the most interesting I’ve had since getting to Spain. John and I peeled of the big group and together went to a club. There we found a huge group of Erasmus students (a European study abroad program) from the nearby town of Murcia. I met Italians, Checks, Irish, British, Dutch, Belgian, French, and more. Great diversity! Early on I met a medical student who gave me a non-hangover drink mix to take before I started drinking. I’m still too skeptical to try it. And later, a group of Jack Daniels cowboy hat wearing, bush loving, Spaniards. It was insane! They were an anomaly and I had a ridiculously interesting talk with them. Their main support of our president was that he is a strong leader who makes strong decisions…hmmm…I was not quite in agreement. Regardless, interesting encounter. Then, after a falafel and a half hour lost wandering around the area looking for another bar, John and I ran into the exact opposite. Walking down a street we heard “Putas Americanas” yelled at us. That means, more or less, American Bitches. I, a little bit influenced by the drink, turned to go talk to these guys. There were three of them. I asked them why they said that about us even though they know nothing about who I am. A long conversation ensued and we listened and tried to correct their ignorant stereotypes. We received an apology, hearing that we weren’t like the others, that we were good Americans. I don’t think we made an impact on their stereotypic mindset. The night ended soon after but was certainly not a disappointment.

The next day Josh, Robert, and I left the group at the hotel and went to see the Capilla Real where the tombs of Ferdinand and Isabel reside. Really cool to see and think about the magnitude of importance they had in Spanish and world history (for those of us not up to date on European history, they led the Spanish Inquisition of 1492). Next we weaved our way on a cool back path up to the Mirador de San Nicolas that has a gorgeous view of Granada and met the group that had driven up there a little earlier. We all then had lunch together. It was amazing; the food we had was almost all vegetarian but consisted of some crazy vegetable combinations, falafel, humus, babaganoush, cinnamon rice, and an incredible rich dessert to finish it off.

After a long bus ride home (4 hours) and teaching Jeni how to roll her R’s I settled in the plaza where I steal internet to check up on everyone back home. While sitting there, I heard someone shouting. I looked up, and a window full of Spanish girls were calling for my attention.

All in all the trip was fantastic. I don’t know what it exactly was, but everything went great, ambience was always good, and that Sunday night I felt fantastic.