Wednesday 1 June 2011

Off to Cordoba!

We had a early (9am!) train to catch to Cordoba, and despite getting an early (12am) night, neither R. nor I slept well. My theory is that we've been travelling for almost three weeks, and our brains have been so bombarded with new sights, sounds, tastes and experiences that the result is that we have very strange dreams and don't sleep well. R.'s theory is that it's the garlic! As I've said before, Spanish garlic is not for sissies! It's a big f*&%ing taste and will give you a hiding if you don't treat it with respect. And there is garlic in everything! Either way, we made it to Cordoba, an hour's train trip from Seville. While Cordoba is now a relaxed and unhurried town of 323 000 people, it was once the largest city in Western Europe and was the capital of the Moorish Empire for almost three centuries.

We arrived in Cordoba before noon and the temperature was already in the thirties. We managed a short walk around the Mezquita, which was on the doorstep of our hotel, and then retreated to the airconditioned comfort of our room! We finally emerged in the late afternoon and braved another stroll through the medieval maze of the Juderia, and returning to our hotel for dinner.