The Cordoba-Sevilla Shuffle

So the clock now reads 0:02, which is a sight not commonly seen in the states. Another sitenot commonly seem, Michelle waiting impatiently for two ladies to finish on the computer so that she can post to a blog and go to be. And Tim, yeah he is the guy happily snoring away down the hall. Such is life when in a hostal!

So a quick one to catch you up with the latest. This morning we boarded a 7 am train to Cordoba, which is a city about 1 hour and 45 minutes south of Madrid. The train we were on makes two stops, one to Cordoba and the next to Sevilla. We decided that since we had some time, we would get a train from Madrid to Cordoba, spend a few hours there, then catch a train from Cordoba to Seville. We also decided to pack light, so most of our luggage is in the train station lockers in Madrid, and we brought our day packs and the barest of necessities. On the 20th we will take the train back to Madrid, grab out gear and hop on a night train to Lisbon, Portugal. But I am getting a little ahead of myself.

Finding the train to Cordoba was easy, and it seems that it was a commuter train as many of our fellow passangers were in suits and ties. We had two isle seats and they were quite comfortable. The trains in Spain, we have found, are nicer and easier to use than the ones we experienced in Italy. Here, they tell you exactly what coach (compartment) to go to, and even the train platform is marked with what coach will line up where. It is a failsafe system. In Italy, it seemed like we were always second guessing which coach was ours, and which seats were ours. I remember one time where we kicked 4 people out of their chairs, only to have some one else come by later and say we were in their seats. Feeling that we were right, we checked tickets and found we were on the wrong train! Thankfully, it had not left the station yet.

Cordoba is a pretty city, and we spent some time exploring the old Jewish quarter, with very narrow streets filled with white washe houses, as well as the mezquita. We approached the Alcazar first, and though all of our guidebooks said it was closed on Monday, we found the gates to be open. We approached, and the people working the gates said to go on in. There is normally a charge to enter, but they did not ask for any money, so we zipped on in and began exploring. The alcazar was a military fortress that >King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella had built. They lived in it from time to time, and it was here that Christopher Columbus began speaking to them about exploring the new world. There were some amazing gardens (mom you would have loived it!) as well as a hike up into one of the spires. The view of the city was breathtaking, and it did a number on the muscles in our legs. We have been sore ever since.

We then made our way to the Romano Bridge, which was not all that impressive, especially since it is a reproduction since all of the bridges in Cordoba were destroyed and rebuilt at one time or another. At this point it was getting hot, so we decided to visit the mesquita.

The mesquita started out as a Jewish synagoge, was then taken over by the Moors who built a temple around it, and was then taken over by the Christians who carved out a large church in the center of the former mosque. It was the oddest, and most beautiful thing we saw today, but the building definetly had an identity crisis. You would see Christian artifacts right next to the moorish arches.

After the mesquita, we had a good lunch at a recommended restaurant, and then were off to the train station. We arrived in Sevilla around 5, with no hotel reservations (living on the wild side). We were able to find a place in the heart of town, close to some of the things we want to go see tomorrow. Once settled, we decided to follow a wapling map that we had found online, which took us through the town and some of the major sites. Since our feet hurt and we could not stand it anymore, we sat to eat dinner at a little courtyard restaurant. After some wonderful andalusian paella and sangria, we went to take some pictures on the river and headed home. And here we are!

Well, the clock now reads 0:22 so it is off to bed for me. Until tomorrow!