This past weekend´s excursion was to Córdoba and Granada. In Córdoba, we toured a cathedral that is actually 80% mosque and 20% cathedral. In most cities, when the Christians conquered Spain, they destroyed the mosques. However, in Córdoba, they built the cathedral inside of the preexisting mosque. What I found especially interesting, was the way the tour guide would say things like, ¨And then, in year 711..¨ The way recorded history goes back so far is very different from the United States.
In Granda, we saw a flamenco show. The dancing was very precise, and I tried to pick out words I knew in the lyrics. That night, we stumbled upon a procession. I would add a picture but for some reason it only shows up sideways. Granada is known for tapas gratis – FREE TAPAS! For every drink you order, you get a tapa. You don´t get to pick which tapa you get, it´s a surprise.
The fruit doesn´t come until the fall, but in June, you can smell the pomegranate flowers all across Granada (Granada means pomegranate and the fruit is the symbol of the city.
In the morning, we visited the palaces and gardens. The Arabic word for paradise and garden are one word, because they are seen as one in the same.
You can´t really tell, but this is a picture of a ceiling.