Monday, May 12 (Cordoba) - I decided to take a one day trip to Cordoba during my stay in Sevilla so I could see the Mezquita, the famous patios and the city. I took the high-speed train which was more a bit more expensive than the bus, but less than half the time (40 minutes vs. two hours) and ideal for a single day trip. The train has a screen saying how fast we are going and the top speed I saw was 250 km/h (155 mph)!
I was joined by Victoria, a girl from Buenos Aires (my favorite city!) who I met in Sevilla, and we spent the day exploring Cordoba together. We walked over to the famous Mezquita in the old Jewish quarter to start, and it was truly beautiful. After my experience at the Alhambra where I was walking aimlessly without having a sign to read or a guide to listen to, I decided to pay the extra 3+ Euros for the audioguide. (Good idea, but kind of confusing to follow the map and know what the audio was talking about).
I was joined by Victoria, a girl from Buenos Aires (my favorite city!) who I met in Sevilla, and we spent the day exploring Cordoba together. We walked over to the famous Mezquita in the old Jewish quarter to start, and it was truly beautiful. After my experience at the Alhambra where I was walking aimlessly without having a sign to read or a guide to listen to, I decided to pay the extra 3+ Euros for the audioguide. (Good idea, but kind of confusing to follow the map and know what the audio was talking about).
Victoria and I at the Mezquita
In addition to the Mezquita, the other reason I wanted to visit Cordoba is that I happened to be there during their annual patio festival where families decorate the courtyards in their homes (and sometimes public, cultural spaces) with beautiful flowers on display. Officially, it is known as the Courtyards Festival of Cordoba, and it was actually named to UNESCO's World Heritage site on the "intangible heritage of humanity" list.
Enjoying the patio festival of Cordoba, 2014!
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Floral decorations at the patio festival
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As we were walking to see more of the patios (without realizing patios take a siesta like everyone else in Spain), we came across a painter's studio that happened to be open and walked inside. The artist - Javier Aparicio - had a variety of paintings that he had created ranging from small images of flamenco dancers (mainly for the tourists) to larger, semi-abstract depictions of people in different situations. I was immediately drawn in by his persona and his work, and I ended up buying myself a somewhat odd, but totally awesome painting of a colorful crazy-looking lady. For me, it is the perfect souvenir to remember the trip, the city and the people.
With the artist, Javier Aparicio
Javier's studio in Cordoba
The one other highlight of Cordoba was trying the gazpacho-like chilled tomato soup that the city is known for, called salmorejo. I like that it came with a plate of toppings so you could DIY however you like. It was tasty! However, I prefer my tomato soup warm... and with grilled cheese.
Salmorejo in Cordoba
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