Wednesday, March 18: Where Has the Time Gone?

Yep, you read the title correctly. This coming March a year ago, I traveled to Spain for a wonderful spring holiday. In a couple of weeks, I will be leaving for France. I have not finished posting about my Spain trip, so I am going to try to pick up where I left off and finish the posts (if my feeble brain can remember everything I put in my journal in  short hand fashion. My plans are to put my trips into separate books so I will be able to enjoy them in my senile years!!!). Then I can have a fresh start on the France trip when I get back. I hope you will indulge me and enjoy reading about the rest of my trip.

Well, we get to sleep in a bit this morning so why waste the time getting up to go eat breakfast. I love my extra zzzzzzs. Paula and iI have our own brand of room service, nabs. Sad isn't it?! Anyway, we meet downstairs with our travel compainions and load the bus for a two hour ride that takes us to Cordoba. We settle in, and as we ride Violeta gives us bits and pieces of Spanish history along the way and answers our questions of which Drew has several. We arrive in Cordoba mid morning or a bit early. The entrance into town is via a 4-lane highway that that would make you think we were in the the American West. However, as we go father into the town the buildings become older and older, and then we see the old roman bridge that leads into the old part of town. I feel as if we are going back in time.

This bridge has had some reinforcement in previous centuries, but it is hard to believe this bridge goes back to the Romans. No cars are allowed on it.

Gate to the old town of Cordoba at the foot of the Roman Bridge.

Inside the gate of the old town

The day has turned to be a warm one, and we begin to look for something cool to drink and restrooms before we meet our guide Juan and tour the Cathedral of Cordoba.  After our break, Juan arrives and gives us a tour to one of the most instresting churches we have seen.  It is said to be a live witness to the Cordoban religious history.  That is an understatement.  FYI: A church is called a cathedral if it is the seat of a bishop of the church.  The cathderal started out as a Christian church, became a mosque, and then a Christian church again.  The original church San Viciente was destroyed by the Muslims and they began building the mosque on top of the ruins. Some of the mosaics can be seen from the original church.  It is believed that the church site also was the site of  early Celtic worship, of a Jewish temple built by Solomon, and for Romans to worship their pagan gods.  So to say the place has witnessed history is true.

Our guide Juan along with Violeta

One of the old Muslim entrances to the cathedral

The Tower or minaret.

The last renovation made on the tower was in 1793.  On the very top is a statue of Saint Rafael, the guardian angel of Cordoba.

Patio de los Naranjos ( Patio of the Oranges) 
Some of the trees are recorded to have existed since the 15th century.

The praying room of the mosque

The Mihrab-A niche in the wall of a mosque or a room in the mosque that indicates the direction of Mecca.

The beginnings of the Christian architect

The High Altar of the Cathedral

After our visit to the cathedral, we take a walking tour of the old town of Cordoba.  Juan take us to the Jewish Quarter of the old town. 

 

Narrow street of the Juderia (Jewish Quarter)

 

Statue of Maimonides

Maimonides was the preeminent medieval Jewish philosopher and one of the greatest Torah scholars of the Middle Ages.

We gather on the bus again to head to our hotel in the newer part of town.  We get checked in and decide to find a place to eat lunch.  We have a hard time finding a place to eat and end up at the Restuarant Nebraska, a place that Drew is unhappy about but the meal turns out okay.  Since we are on our own for the rest of the afternoon and evening, Debbie, Natalie, Paula, Betty and I decide to go back to the old town and end up hanging out for a while in the Jewish quarters.  We visit the shops and find a perfect outside cafe that serves the most wonderful sangaria, along with a variety of olives that we can't get enough of.

Enjoying the beautiful weather while waiting for our sangarias.

The view from our table

In the Jewish Quaters the streets are very narrow and open up to whitewashed courtyards and windows and balconies that hold red geraniums and ferns.  There is usually a fountain and small outdoor cafes.

We finally have dinner at Patio de la Juderia and then return to our hotel.  I do the internet/e-mail thing and then go to bed.  No one has to rock me to sleep!

"Get Out of My Room, Train!"

Allison, Sara Ann, DK, Cindy, Lanny

Lately, Wes has statred being scared of the train that passes close to Laura and Chase's house late at night.  Laura has taught him to tell Elmo, with whom he sleeps, to say, "Elmo says, 'Get out of my room, train!'" and the train leaves, I guess.  Whatever works.

So, a few of us put Wes' practice into play last Saturday when we went to Memphis to see Jersey Boys. The performance on Friday evening had been canceled due to snow and ice, and the probability of the Saturday performance looked doubtful.  We got up Staurday morning calling the Highway Patrol, MDOT, the concierge at the Peabody, relatives in the Memphis area, and anyone else we could think of who could and would give us info on the condition of the roads.  Finally, we decided, "Get out of our way, snow and ice!" and headed to Memphis.  What a happy group of girls!  We made the journey safe and sound and had a wonderful time.  Jersey Boys was great, and we left Memphis, singing and toe tapping all the way home.

Good Vibrations

Here is a shout out to my New Year buddies!
Only the 6 people in this pic understand the title, and that is the way it will stay.