October 15 - Málaga and Córdoba

Our port today was Málaga which afforded the opportunity to take a tour to Córdoba.  Córdoba was  the capital of al-Andalus during the Moorish occupation of most of the Iberian Peninsula.  We left before dawn for our nearly two-hour bus ride.  As we rode along we passed through vast groves of olive trees.  It’s not an exaggeration to say that we saw a bazillion (I know that’s not really a word, but you get the idea) olive trees.  Andalusia produces 85% of Spain’s olive oil and Spain is the largest producer in the world.  The fields were literally as far as the eye could see in all directions. 

We arrived in Córdoba which straddles the Guadalquivir River with a beautiful blue sky and temperature in the low 70’s.  Once again our luck held out. Our guide told us that yesterday they had heavy rain.  We met our guide Loli and set out first for the old Jewish Quarter. The streets in this old part of town are little more than alleys and there are twists and turns with no straight streets.  I wouldn’t want to get separated from the group because I could quickly become hopelessly lost.  Along the way the street would open into a little plaza or courtyard with whitewashed houses, wrought iron balconies with lots of flowerpots, and occasionally a little fountain.  It was quite charming.  We stopped in the oldest synagogue in the quarter.  It’s no longer in use because there isn’t a large enough Jewish community anymore.  Now it’s a museum. 

Córdoba from the bank of the Guadalquivir

 

Stucco walls in the Synagogue.  This is in the Moorish style also seen in the Alhambra in Granada and the Alcazar in Sevilla

As we continued our walk we encountered a bronze statue of Maimonides, the  Jewish philosopher and astronomer. He was born in Córdoba in the 12^th century and lived there until the Moors passed edicts requiring Jews and Christians to convert to Islam or leave.  He eventually went to Egypt where he died but his body was taken to Tiberias in what is now Israel.  He was responsible for doing some translations of Aristotle’s works, which had not previously been translated, from Greek.

Maimonides - they say rubbing his feet brings good luck so we both did it

Our next stop was the Cathedral of Córdoba.  This is a truly incredible structure.  On the site there was originally a Christian church dedicated to St. Vincent, the patron saint of the city.  The Visigoths built that structure in the 8^th century.  There was probably a Roman temple on the site before that.  When the Moors conquered Iberia, they razed the church and over several centuries built a magnificent mosque, once one of the largest in the world.  The mosque had 1013 columns built of marble, jasper, granite and other stones and each had a different capitol and design.  The structure encompasses 22,500 sq. meters (that’s more than 200,000 sq. feet!).  After the reconquest of Córdoba and Spain, the Christians converted the mosque to a cathedral.  In the center a magnificent chapel and main altar were built.  Along the perimeter are some fifty small chapels.  Mass is said there daily and three times on Sunday.  I found it interesting that Muslims in Spain have been lobbying to be allowed to conduct Muslim prayers in the building but have been barred from doing so since it is a consecrated Roman Catholic church.  Also interesting was the fact that the Cathedral’s bell-tower was built around the mosque’s minaret which is still intact within.

Some of the beautiful and plentiful arches in the Cathedral

Some of the beautiful Moorish mosaics in the Cathedral

Main Chapel

 

The older of the two organs in the Cathedral.  This one dates from the 17th century and has been completely refurbished so it can now be played via a smartphone

One of the treasures of the Cathedral, a huge gold monstrance to carry the consecrated Hosts during a mass

If you look you can see the red brick of the original minaret behind the bells.

After our too brief visit to the Cathedral, we went to a small restaurant nearby where we had an excellent paella and some poached fish.  We were serenaded by a guitarist as we ate.  Then it was time to make the long ride back to Málaga and our ship. 

Being serenaded at lunch

We didn’t leave Málaga until 10:30 PM so that we could have a flamenco show up at the pool deck after dinner. A little group with a very good guitarist, a singer, drummer and a male and female dancer performed.  The dancers were dressed in more contemporary clothing than I had seen before.  Usually male flamenco dancers wear form-fitting suits with bolero style jackets and the women wear dresses with lots of flounces and ruffles in the skirt.  I really think I prefer the more traditional dress.  Nevertheless it was a nice touch and we enjoyed the evening.