Seville and Cordoba- Emily Pardington

We just got back from an incredible weekend trip to Córdoba and Seville. Spain has so much extraordinary history; I absolutely loved exploring a different part of this country. 

 

Izabella, Niyati, Natalie, and myself at the Plaza de España

While the entire trip was breathtaking, four of my absolute favorite things we saw and learned about were the Mezquita and Calleja de las Flores in Córdoba, and the Plaza de España and the Cathedral in Seville.

Saturday, May 30^th: Our trip begins

All the students met at the Post Office at (an early) 8:00 am and headed to our first stop, Córdoba. We arrived around 11:00 am. Our first stop in Córdoba was the Mezquita. 

This is an incredible mosque-cathedral that takes up most of the city. This unique building symbolizes religious unity. In the center of the Mezquita, is a garden/patio that contains four different kinds of trees to represent three different religions living in unison, palm trees and orange trees to represent the Muslim religion, olive trees to represent the Jewish religion, and cypress trees to represent the Christian religion. From this patio you step through the incredibly tall horseshoe arch doorways into the Mezquita whose interior is a mix of Islamic and Christian architecture.

While my senses were initially overwhelmed by the incredible intricacy of the Muslim decoration and the rows and rows of tall pillars, a closer look revealed the depth of this buildings character. When initially building the Mezquita, “old” material was used, so every pillar supporting the building is different, some marble, some granite, each one propped up on different size cement blocks to ensure a uniform height. Furthermore, each pillar has a very small, but unique symbol or name carved into it adding to their uniqueness. 

We learned the workers (slaves) who built the Mezquita were paid based on how many pillars they handled, so they carved their name or if they did not know how to write, a symbol (a boat, a cross, etc.) unique to each man into the pillars they were responsible for. This was a way they could be paid correctly for their work! These pillars are supporting horseshoe archways, lined up in rows creating the mosque where Muslim men would come to pray. 

These rows of pillars make up the outer edge of the Mezquita, surrounding a huge, and seemingly infinitely tall Christian cathedral in the center. 

The contrast between these two parts of the building is incredible. While the mosque has a darker, almost romantic atmosphere, decorated with symbols and calligraphy, the cathedral is bright and lively, decorated with the faces of Angels, Mother Mary, and Jesus. This cathedral is extraordinary with every inch decorated.

Next, we were taken to Calleja de las Flores. This extremely tiny street was crowded with people from all over the world. We literally had to wait in line to see Calleja de las Flores, but the wait was worth it. Córdoba is known for their patios, where the most beautiful flowers decorate the walls.

 Waiting in line to see Calleja de las Flores

Natalie and myself, Calleja de las Flores 

Patio with beautiful flowers decorating the walls

After our guided tour, we were given free time in Córdoba to get lunch and explore the city ourselves before leaving for Seville. Iza, Niyati, Natalie, and myself went to a small cafe/restaurant and ordered some typical dishes of Córdoba we were told to try: salmorejo and rabo de toro.

 Lunch in Córdoba

 

Ice cream in Córdoba

Salmorejo is a cold tomato soup. Rabo de toro is tail of the bull! They both were extremely delicious, of course our lunch was followed by ice cream.

Sunday, May 31^st: Seville, Spain

After a two hour bus ride, we arrived in Seville, Spain. Here we had a quick dinner, then we all decided to go out to the local bars and explore the city. 

This bar was incredible. It was busy with locals, however around 11pm, three men pull out a guitar and begin playing and singing the most beautiful Spanish songs. It was an unforgettable night. 

The next morning, our guided tour began with the Plaza de España. This is a beautiful plaza where a scene in Star Wars was filmed! We waited here for our tour guide and were able to see how life in Seville is for the locals. There was a spin class fundraiser happening in the plaza and stores across the plaza selling locally made things.

Iza, Natalie, Niyati, and me in front of the Plaza de España

 Within the Plaza de España, there are tens of hundreds of benches representing all the cities in Spain. Each bench has a tile mural showing an important event that occurred within that city.

We spent time by Barcelona's bench, which showed Christopher Columbus and the Native Americans he brought back to Spain after he discovered America. We learned a lot about Christopher Columbus this trip, because Seville is where he sailed from to discover "the new world". I love how our history is tied to this country. It reminds me how connected every country in the world is. 

Christopher Columbus is the reason why our next and final stop in Seville was my favorite. 

Our final stop in Seville was the Cathedral de Seville, the third largest cathedral in world, the largest gothic church in the world, and the place where Christopher Columbus is buried. This cathedral is dripping with gold, history, and intricacy. 

 

Cathedral de Seville

In the cathedral, we saw a huge painting showing a monk and angels. We learned someone, about twenty years ago, cut the monk out of the painting. Later the monk was found in New York City! It was brought back to Seville and the painting was restored.

But as mentioned before, my favorite part of the trip was seeing Christopher Columbus's tomb. 

Knowing the remains of a man we all learn about in grade school was right in front of me was overwhelming. I took about 30 pictures of his tomb and just stood in awe of the incredible cathedral I was in and what was in front of me. 

I feel truly blessed to have experienced this weekend. I cannot wait to see what the last three weeks of my time in Granada has in store.