Monday, February 12, 2007

Córdoba

This past weekend, a group of us traveled to the quaint city of Córdoba. The city itself was very beautiful and the weather couldn´t have been better. I didn´t think streets could get any narrower until we got to this city. We traveled there by a scenic bus ride and once we arrived we headed toward our hostal. We stopped off at a very pretty park where we ate our lunched and goofed around on the fun gym equiptment. I shall always remember this city for it´s crazy birds. One of the girls I was with, Amanda, took out her sandwich and all of a sudden a rush of white feathers swarmed around her. About three or four birds flew on to her arm and started pecking at her bread. It was utterly hilarious. At our hostal, which was supposedly an old mental institution, we found painted walls and doors which were creaky beyond all believe. I guess a kind of built in alarm system. We ate some tapas that were very tasty and then three of us girls decided to go to some Arab baths. I must say it was worth every euro. It consisted of an hour and a half of three different baths. First you went into a moderately warm bath, about the size of a pool. You could stay in there as long as you wanted and then you move to the very hot water in pools that were about the size of jacuzzis. Those you could only stay in for a short amount of time because it was sooo hot. Then you would take a milisecond dip in the freezing ice cold tub and head back to the moderately warm bath. We would just rotate until the time was up. The smell was very relaxing and there was little talk as the people that were doing massages, which you could buy for seven euro more, kept shouting: Silencio por favor! After the baths, we went out for paella. The next day we headed to La Mesquita, the Cathedral of Cordoba. Here´s what part of the pamphlet says:

Beneath every cathedral is alway a bed of hidden cathedrals. In the case of Córdoba, tradition traces back to its Visigoth origins. This fact is confirmed by archeological excavations whose remains can be found at the Museum of San Vicente and in the pits where the remains of mosaics from the ancient Christian temple can be observed on site.

It is a historical fact that the basilica of San Vicente was expropriated and destroyed in order to build what would later be the Mosque, a reality that questions the theme of tolerance that was supposedly cultivated in the Córdoba of the moment. This was the main church of the city, a martyry basilica from the 6th century, that would be remembered and venerated by Christians, centuries after its destruction.

A Reflection
It is the Church, through its Cathedral Chapter, that has made it possible to keep the former mosque of the Western Caliphate, the oldest cathedral in Spain, and a World Heritage Site, from becoming a heap of ruins. In fact this has always been one of the missions of the Church; to safeguard and inspire culture and art.

The visit to the Cathedral of Córdoba may awaken the demand for a greater Beauty that will not wither with time. Because beauty, as truth and righteousness, are an antidote for pessimism, and an invitation to take pleasure in life, an impact that stirs the nostalgia of God.


That was kind of a long description, but these pamphelts describe these monumnets so much better than I ever could.

Well...thats all for now as I have run out of my time limit.

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