Córdoba.
Yesterday we travelled to Córdoba on the fast train know as the Renfe. My friend advised me to buy a “seniores railcardos” for 6 euros which resulted in a fare reduction to 40 euros for the return ticket too. We sat in standard with comfy seats with plenty of legroom and there was a free film and trolley service. The comparison with Southern Railway in terms of price, comfort and amenity was staggering. One reason I voted to stay was I found the ‘we are better than them’ ethos of the Brexiteers hard to take. Another was my dislike of referenda, the dislocative consequences are there for all to see yesterday in Barcelona.
Cordoba is the second biggest city in Andalusia and most famous for its Mezquita cathedral which started life as a Visigoth church consecrated to St Vincent on the remains of a Roman temple of Janus. The Moor rulers Al-Hakam 1 amd Abd ar Rahman 111 converted it to a Muslim mosque in the 10th century with some Christian worship. The Habsburg emperor Charles V in 1525 oversaw its transformation to the cathedral it is today. This use and ownership by two faiths, Islam and Christianity were apparent in the Alhambra. I am not religious but I still reflected how tolerant to each other these religions once were and the criticism made nowadays of Islam as an aggressively intolerant religion.
It’s a huge place, 587 feet wide, 439 feet long with massive courtyard of orange trees. Yet for all its considerable beauty, I felt it lacked spirituality. It was more a tourist destination with visitors snapping away on their mobiles. I expected more respect, a sort of hushed awe with a Mass in the background.
It says much for the religious tolerance prior to the expulsion of the Jews and a Muslim that the area in which the Mesquita is situated was the Jewish area and is called the Juderia.
We walked around its small winding streets, most of the whitewashed homes had exquisite patios, and found a synagogue and statue of Moses Maimonides. I expected the synagogue to be in prayer as it was Yom Kippur but it appeared to be closed.
Dinner was taken at the Cavallo Rojo (red horse). It was quite a formal restaurant with not many diners. Perhaps this was because it was a Sunday or still early. I had the creamy gazpacho San Morejo that I have eaten at virtually every meal and lamb kidneys. I’m not the biggest fan of offal so it was not a wise choice. The absence of atmosphere and my selection made this one of the less memorable meals. The cost for two was 70 euros with 2 glasses of fine Rioja and complimentary sherry. You would pay double in the U.K.
Back at our hotel right next to the walls of the Mezquita I enjoyed a final brandy in the inevitable but picturesque patio with fountains in the middle of Sevilla which offers more but Córdoba is worth the visit.