Panjumbie

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I arrived in Cordoba in the late afternoon of September 17. My hotel was in the old Jewish Quarter of the town, within easy walking distance of the Cordoba Mosque/Cathedral and other attractions.

That evening I wandered around the medieval streets and got a bite to eat. The next morning I had breakfast in the Cafe Trinidad at the Trinidad Plaza.

The next several hours were occupied by touring the Mosque-Cathedral. This building began as a Moorish Mosque started in AD 784 apparently on the site of an even older Visigoth church. Additions were made to the mosque until Cordoba was captured by the Catholic King Ferdinand III in 1236 and part of the mosque became a Catholic Cathedral. Later additions included building a large Renaissance cathedral nave in the middle of the structure.

The building now is a fascinating mix of Moorish and later Catholic architecture.

In another bit of serendipity, the week I was visiting, there was a special exhibit of some 43 processional floats used in religious celebrations set up in the mosque-cathedral. The exhibit rather cluttered up the open floorplan of the old mosque, but was a fascinating example of Catholic art.

In the evening, following dinner, I walked across the "Roman Bridge" behind the Mosque-Cathedral. Like probably all "roman bridges" little of the Roman construction remains. And there are historians who say there was a bridge before the Romans conquered. Supposedly, only two of the 16 arches still date from the Roman era. The bridge was significantly "restored" about 15 years ago, if you consider the addition of electric lighting restoration. But it is a pleasant place to enjoy the river views and watch the sunset from.

The next morning, I again wandered around the old town. One observation, compared to Grenada, it was spotlessly clean. You would think you could eat off the pavement. In my wandering, I found the site of the one remaining Medieval synagogue in Cordoba. Unfortunately there was a long line and I was already late in starting mu long drive to Valencia, so I had to skip the tour.