Córdoba and Cádiz

Córdoba

It's amazing how almost every weekend I go on a trip either with my class or with friends. Last week we went to Madrid and just this Friday we had a day trip to Cordoba. I'm just gonna say that Córdoba was so much of an old town that it only impressed me when I saw La Mezquita and the cathedral. I don't know why I did not appreciate it as much as I did the other cities that we've been to such as Ronda. Ronda was gorgeous while Córdoba was just more of a historical day-trip city. However, I was amazed at how the mosque there had a church inside; Islam and Christianity in one place is something we don't see often. In addition, the mosque was well preserved although some of the pillars caved in a little because of the weight of the building. It was also cold and solemn inside the mosque; I felt very attached to the place at that moment. I wondered at how living at that point in time would have been for me... Anyway, I don't have too much to say about Córdoba so I'll just post some pictures here. A picture paints a thousand words, right?

This is Madinat Al-Zahra and it literally translates as the City of White. In Arabic, madinat or medina means city, al is the article "of," and zahra means pure or white. This city is a gift from Abd Al-Hakam to Jafar. Mind you, there's some interesting story behind these two "friends."

This is a typical pillar design. Some carved pillars had jewels and precious stones embedded inside the holes or gaps but before this site was excavated, many people have already robbed the places. Some of the walls had been stripped as well.

One of the most prominent designs at this historical site is the horseshoe arch with the red and white stripes.

The three horseshoe arch is a tool for us to determine when this place was built because this particular design did not get popularized until the caliphates here in Spain started. The Umayyad caliphates started in the 8th century until the tenth.

I believe this place used to be the army quarters...

This is the tower above the entrance to the cathedral in Córdoba. Inside this tower is a minaret. They placed the minaret inside so that when there's a calamity such as earthquakes, the people will be safe from falling objects.

You've probably read enough about horseshoe arches. Well, this is another example. Horseshoe arches are prominent architectural designs during the 10th century. These designs originated during the reign of the Umayyads.

Here is another picture with arches and pillars.

It's amazing that there's a church inside the mosque. Muslims and Christians did not always fight back in the 10th centuray and onwards. Sometimes they form alliances to conquer other Muslim or Christian groups.

This is the dome inside the quibla. You might not be able to see the amazing intricate design but believe me, it was more than beautiful.

My class didn't have to spend a whole day in Córdoba because we just had to see the architecture there. We arrived back in Granada at 9:00 pm. The next day we left early for the carnival in Cádiz.



Carnaval de Cádiz

I don't know what's wrong with me but I did not buy a costume for this carnaval. I just had an animal print hat and extremely oversized glasses, which made me look like a confused lone ranger. Anyway, I still had a blast with my friends that day/night. The ride to Cádiz took 4 hours each back and forth. We stopped once for 25 minutes and then continued our journey. My friend decided not to go, so for the whole time I sat with a German girl and made friends with her. She was cool and friendly so it's all good. Once we got to Cádiz my friends and I looked for a spot near the beach to eat our bocadillos (sandwiches). We found a really nice spot and stayed there for an hour. It was very relaxing because the sun was out, it was not too hot, and the sea breeze felt good to the skin. After eating, we bumped into our other friends by the church and decided to explore a little bit. We ended up going to the beach again and decided to stay for a couple of hours till sunset. I don't have any pictures of Cádiz because I did not bring my camera but once my friends upload their pictures, I will post some here. The carnaval started before 10 pm and we all had our bottles of tinto de verano and other kinds of drinks at hand. I wish I could tell you what transpired after but I seriously do not remember. All I know is that my roommate and I found our way to the bus station and waited there until they opened the buses. I did not know that while waiting for the buses to open, I butt dialed almost every contact on my phone. Lo siento amigos and amigas! Anyway, the carnaval at Cádiz was, of course, a fun experience but I don't think I will be doing it again. Getting back to Granada never felt so good.

Like I said, pictures will be posted as soon as my friends upload them. I'll be updating this blog next week when I come back from London. Yup! I am gonna be in London for the weekend!


THAT WAS FAST! ALEX UPLOADED PICTURES! SO, AS PROMISED, HERE THEY ARE:

Alex dressed as a lamp, Dani was a hamper duck, and I was a confused lone ranger with a sunflower. BTW, we chilled at this beach and it was really pretty there! Awesome beach town!

"La Caballera"

Erika was dressed as a lamp too! Beside her is Alex, then me, Dani the duck, Margaret the Pirate, and Dianne was Snow White.

VALE! Hasta luego chicos y chicas! ♥