Cordoba

This coin operated internet connection stops without notice, so I will keep this short. It is pouring rain outside and instead of hurrying back to my room, I saw this internet cafe and ducked in. It took a long time to read through all my mail, especially all the posts from the new friends I made at Pueblo Ingles.

Plans changed. From Toledo I went to the small town of Almagro. It was definitely off-season there. The old convent, where I planned to stay, won´t open until February. I figured it might my life´s only chance to sleep in a convent. I found another lodgings which was comfortable but not quite as remarkable.

Instead of two nights, I decided to move on to Granada the next day. But the train schedule didn´t work well, so I came to Cordoba instead. I´ll be here a couple nights, then Sevilla, and then back to Granada. Except for the rain, I have enjoyed wandering the old part of Cordoba. Nice lunch today. The place I am staying is typical of this city....nice inner courtyard, tile walls, fountain.

I did have tea today with a couple folks from Canada. First time I have conversed in English since Saturday in Toledo when I ran into Tana and Graham from Pueblo Ingles. That basically means it is the first conversation I have had in days since my Spanish is almost nil.

Still, having good adventures. Sometimes miss having a traveling companion, but part of this trip was to try traveling solo and seeing how well I did.

One of the treasures of Cordoba is the cathedral\mosque. If this sounds like a contradiction or confusion of religions, it is simply that the later Catholics took over the huge mosque from the Moors. They left the huge open spaces where Muslims prayed, the arches, many of the windows, doors, plaster work, and the intricate wood mosaic ceiling panels. But they added statues, gold inlay work, lighting fixures, some stained glass and some decorated domes. Still, for all the Christian influences, much of the Islamic feel of this enormous building remains.

Hasta La Vista.