Peace Train (Córdoba)

Despite our room overlooking one of the narrow limestones streets that cause car tyres to screech unmercifully, our sleep was undisturbed, dear reader. The reason? Two sets of double glazed french doors and wooden shutters. That said, it is taking some adjusting to the sun rise being around 8:30am. 

Today breakfast would have to wait because we are joining a 4 hour walking tour. Our scheduled meeting point was changed at the last minute which was curious because the reason for the change was renovation work on the Alcázar de los Reyos Cristianos and that had been underway for years. Well, maybe not years, but it is Spain, so it is possible.

The outside of the Alcázar.

The walls of the Alcázar are out of bounds but the gardens are open for inspection. Despite summer being long gone the gardens still looked magnificent and there were men working, shaping the pencil pines. There were still some flowers in bloom and the whole area is neat and orderly.

WHS anyone?

The fountains, like many we have seen across Spain, were dormant, perhaps due to the dry conditions. Water plays a significant part in the functioning of the garden as would be expected because it is of Moorish design. Back in the day there was a functioning water wheel on the nearby river that supplied the Alcázar. Water is used to cool the area, water the plants and create a pleasant soundscape.

One of the ponds looking toward the fortress.

There were two large ponds that contained carp swimming around aimlessly. They were European carp so were fairly colourless in comparison to Koi. Except for the golden carp who miraculously appeared as we were leaving.  A sign of good luck said our tour guide.

We left the formal gardens and walked around the back of the Alcázar walls. We stopped to examine a 20 million year old fossil of a shell. Actually, from my perspective, it turned out to be a shell in some of the conglomerate rock. It may be old, but it is no fossil.

At the end of the wall the space now houses some Spanish horsey thing. Yep, I paid a lot of attention to the guide at this point. Around the corner we walked along another remnant wall, this one was originally built of mud and then reinforced. It is now protected by fences and reinforced by concrete in some areas. Still, it provides an insight into how they could quickly erect a barrier to keep the hordes out.

The mud wall.

Next stop were the Arabian baths. Sadly they are not in operation. The system looks similar to how the Romans constructed their bathhouses. This one had separate change rooms and toilet facilities for men and women. The process is akin to the current western craze of ice baths. Basically you strip and wash then hit the cold water then get oiled and scrubbed and washed again before you get to relax in warm baths. Seems like too much hard work for me although it was attached to religious practices.

Rather ornate for a bath house.

Floor mosaic.

From the baths, we picked up another group of people. Up until this time I was OK with our group. We had commenced with 12, which expanded to 16 when one family couldn't find the new meeting point. Still manageable, we weren't blocking the street or walking aimlessly into other pedestrians, nor were there any tour guide chasers, you know, the ones who have to be out front. We now numbered 30 with the additions and some of them, well, they thought the rest of us were invisible and this was their private tour.

The Mosque-Cathedral tower.

The main event in Córdoba is the Cathedral-Mosque or Mosque-Cathedral depending on your religious bias. To be fair it is a Cathedral and it is built on a partially deconstructed Mosque. Short story, the Emperor said no to the demolition of the Mosque and the architects had to incorporate the existing columns and arches. If you want to read more click here. Now I've see a few Cathedrals in my time, dear reader, and I've never come across anything quite like this. And not just because of the Mosque factor.

Columns and arches everywhere.

It is huge and cavernous inside and there are arches everywhere you look. It's like a forest of pillars. Then in the centre the roof soars into the typical domed structure of a Cathedral of that period with a main altar, choir area and organ. 

More typical of a Cathedral.

The altar.

Leading to this space are a series of scenes from the bible, perhaps approximating the stations of the cross. They are massive processional statues and their interpretation of the bible must leave fundamentalists even more disturbed than they already are. Many are decorated with fresh flowers, fields of fresh flowers.

Red carnations.

There is a garden attached to the Cathedral grounds with the usual running water as originally designed by the Islamic Moors. It is a fascinating crossroads and battleground of religion. And with that Cat Stevens, or Yusuf as he is now known, an Islamic convert from Christianity provides today's title Peace Train.

From there we moved through the Jewish quarter where it was suggested that the earliest Jewish history of Córdoba was fabricated because there is no evidence to substantiate the claims. Care factor? The Synagogue was actually built by Muslims tradies so some of its identifying features are definitely Islamic. It has actually survived since superstition has grown around any attempt to demolish it coinciding with various plagues - rabies, bubonic etc.

A courtyard in the Jewish Quarter.

We also passed through the university grounds to see how some of the historic buildings have been repurposed, from schools to plague hospitals to leprosariums and back to educational institutions.

A statue at the University.

We walked back to the main square to have a beer and some food before going back to the hotel to rest our weary feet.

Until tomorrow.