After a pretty decent hotel breakfast, we took an excessively long bus trip to Cordoba. (However, the extra sleep was much appreciated, no matter how uncomfortable.) We went on a tour of the main attraction of Cordoba: a mosque that was turned into a cathedral. It was actually really interesting because the architecture and building materials were very Muslim, but then there were paintings and statues of icons all over the walls and parts were built and created in a very traditional Catholic cathedral style. Strange, but there seemed to be something very significant and symbolic about it all...
I ended up leaving the tour early because it was beautiful outside in the courtyard. There are orange trees everywhere in Southern Spain - they should tape a Tropicana commercial there. The weather was really nice, about 70 degrees, although other than the middle of the day in direct sunlight, it's pretty cold there. I like Barcelona a lot better because even though it doesn't get quite as warm during the day, it's more mild throughout. The South has more extremes, if that makes sense.
Later I joined up with my friends who actually stayed on the tour, who said it wasn't worth staying, and we went down the side streets led by a very friendly Spanish woman who directed us to some good restaurants. The people there were so much nicer than some of the (excuse me) assholes in Barcelona. We went to a tiny restaurant and I asked the waiter what he suggested (I do that a lot here - you get the best food). I got a kind of gazpacho-type "salsa" that is very Cordoban called Salmorejo. It was delicious but I couldn't tell if I was supposed to put it on bread or eat it with a spoon... it was a bit awkward. I also got patatas bravas as a side, which is more or less flat french fries with a sauce on them. They're good but you can feel them in your stomach for about 16 hours. It was a heavy meal.
After that we went to their big Plaza to have a coffee and sit in the sun. It was really warm and a pretty place to sit and relax. After that we walked back to the bus and took another long journey home to the hotel. There wasn't really time for much of a nap before dinner. We ended up going to a local flamenco bar. It was a good show to get a feel for the local people. The woman was a tad manly, but the place was packed and the locals were all clapping and singing along and dancing. It was a really good way to experience the city. We hung around for a while after the show (had a few too many beers) and then went back to the hotel.
I ended up leaving the tour early because it was beautiful outside in the courtyard. There are orange trees everywhere in Southern Spain - they should tape a Tropicana commercial there. The weather was really nice, about 70 degrees, although other than the middle of the day in direct sunlight, it's pretty cold there. I like Barcelona a lot better because even though it doesn't get quite as warm during the day, it's more mild throughout. The South has more extremes, if that makes sense.
Later I joined up with my friends who actually stayed on the tour, who said it wasn't worth staying, and we went down the side streets led by a very friendly Spanish woman who directed us to some good restaurants. The people there were so much nicer than some of the (excuse me) assholes in Barcelona. We went to a tiny restaurant and I asked the waiter what he suggested (I do that a lot here - you get the best food). I got a kind of gazpacho-type "salsa" that is very Cordoban called Salmorejo. It was delicious but I couldn't tell if I was supposed to put it on bread or eat it with a spoon... it was a bit awkward. I also got patatas bravas as a side, which is more or less flat french fries with a sauce on them. They're good but you can feel them in your stomach for about 16 hours. It was a heavy meal.
After that we went to their big Plaza to have a coffee and sit in the sun. It was really warm and a pretty place to sit and relax. After that we walked back to the bus and took another long journey home to the hotel. There wasn't really time for much of a nap before dinner. We ended up going to a local flamenco bar. It was a good show to get a feel for the local people. The woman was a tad manly, but the place was packed and the locals were all clapping and singing along and dancing. It was a really good way to experience the city. We hung around for a while after the show (had a few too many beers) and then went back to the hotel.
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