6/5

On Wednesday, we began our day by walking to downtown Cordoba and catching a bus to the ruins just outside the city. (Catching this particular bus was something of a miracle, so we saw it as a sign that God is with us.) The 200-acre archaeological site is one of the largest in Europe, and was home to a palace and mosque during the 11th century.  (You can see a picture below).  After investigating the ruins, we went back into town for lunch, and Susan and some of the others from our group went to the Turkish baths. (Sorry, no picture included!) In the evening, we went to the Andalusian horse show where we got to see an amazing display of dressage talent, including seeing a young woman dance the Flamenco with a horse!  It made us wish our daughter Alicia was with us.  Our evening ended with a stroll on the Roman bridge.  It was beautifully lit up, and there were various musicians along the walkway to serenade us, including a saxophonist, a guitarist and violinist.  The picture below may give you an idea of just how lovely a night it was.

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6/4

This morning we left Granada and traveled by bus to Cordoba. We drove through 130 miles of olive groves and stopped off at a 7th-generation family-run organic olive oil manufacturer for a tour and tasting. Yum!  The scenery was just gorgeous.  None of us had ever seen so many olive trees.  But we were awestruck as well by the city of Cordoba. You'll have to look at the pictures to see why.  As we entered the city, we stopped on the Roman Bridge to get an overview. (Check out the panoramic photo from the bridge.) Like Granada, there are turrets and stone walkways, bridges and rivers.   But the most impressive edifice is the 300,000 square-foot Cathedral/Mosque in the center of the city.  Originally constructed as a mosque (to hold 30,000 people) when the Moors conquered Spain, it was later taken over by the Spaniards.  Believe it or not, there is literally an elaborate and functioning Catholic cathedral built inside the mosque!  (Again, take a look at the pictures to get an idea of the expansiveness and uniqueness of this place. In this case, a picture truly is worth 1,000 words.) We also visited the historical "Jewish Quarters."  While there are few, if any, Jews living in the city today, this is an area inhabited by Jewish families and a Synagogue for over 1,000 years.  (Sadly, they were driven out in the 5th century by the Visigoths.  But our tour guide pointed out that a recent study revealed that 35% of Spaniards today have Jewish DNA.). We ended the day with a fun group dinner of tapas followed by some singing around the table...even by those who had not had vino.  Several of us also sat up late and talked on the patio of our quaint Spanish hotel.  Our diverse group is getting to know one another and having some interesting conversations.  But more on that later.  We are glad to have you traveling vicariously with us.  Feel free to post a hello or a question, if you have one.

Monday, June 3rd.  Today we had a full day in Granada.  We started with a walking tour of Granada, toured the historic Alhambra, and ended with a tapas tour.  Our tour of Granada began with a visit to an impressive baroque era church.  It's hard to explain how ornate it was, so we've included a picture of the alter.  We visited the crypt of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand.  It was a very interesting tribute to two of the most important leaders in the history of Spain.  Speaking of history, we spent the afternoon at the Alhambra, a historic citadel that was built during the time the Moors ruled Spain (711-1492).  We've included a picture showing the Muslim architecture of the Alhambra, and a picture looking at the outside of the citadel.  We ended the day with an evening tapas tour.  We bounced between 3 tapas bars sampling tapas.  The tapas were good, but we're definitely having a salad for lunch tomorrow.  It's warmer down here in Andalusia, compared to Madrid, but in 4 days we will be heading to cooler climate in Portugal and Galicia, where we will walk the Camino de Santiago.
Gib

Today was an awesome day spent primarily in Toledo, a stunningly beautiful city full of Castles, bridges and turrets, as well as synagogues, mosques and cathedrals. The picture shows us on the hillside overlooking the city.  Toledo is known as a place where the three Abrahamic religions - Christianity, Judaism and Islam- have (mostly) peacefully coexisted for centuries. Our tour guide tells us that is where the expression "Holy Toledo" comes from. :) I (Susan) particularly enjoyed touring the beautiful synagogue, but was also in awe of the cathedral where El Greco's masterpiece "The Burial of the Count of Orgaz" hangs in the foyer. When I looked up at the ornate ceiling above the altar, I was surprised to see a Star of David woven into the traditional Christian/Catholic decor.  At the end of the afternoon, we got to Granada just in time to witness a religious procession celebrating Corpus Christi. What an ornate and somber ritual mixing Catholic religion and culture! Turns out our first few days touring the cities of Spain may be the perfect preparation for walking the Camino.

We spent our first full day exploring the sights, sounds and tastes of Madrid.  Highlights were the Plaza Mayor, delicious tapas and the famous Prado Museo (museum).  It was fun to see works by Goya, Valazquez, Rafael, and Rembrandt, etc.  We had a local tour guide who shared fun tidbits and historical facts as we walked around Madrid. These pictures give you an idea of some of the sights of the city.  The weather is temperate and the people are gracious. Susan & Gib