Erin Goes to Spain: Córdoba

Although I didn’t travel outside of Spain this past weekend, I did go to Córdoba with my group. The bus ride from Granada to Córdoba is about 3 hours, so we didn’t arrive until about 11:30 on Saturday morning. We had 2 hours or so to explore the city on our own until we met back up with our group for organized activities. I spent most of the time exploring the historic district of the city which, like most old Spanish cities, is labyrinth-like. The streets were definitely put in before the concept of city planning came to be. I really enjoyed walking around this part of the city and felt like there wasn’t nearly enough time to see everything (so I’m glad I’m going back with my mom and sister!).

Around 2 o’clock I met back up with my group to go to the Arab baths. This was definitely something I’m glad I got to do! The baths are divided into 3 rooms: sala fría, sala temperada, and the sala caliente (cold, temperate, and hot rooms). The sala fría had two pools (a little bigger than bath-tub size) filled with absolutely freezing water. The pool in the sala temperada was much bigger (it could comfortably fit 20 people) and, as you can probably imagine, filled with warm water. Like the sala fría, the sala caliente also had two smaller pools that were super hot. The idea is that you start in the cold room, make your way through the warm room and finish in the hot room. I was actually pretty proud of myself because I dunked in the cold pool and it was actually really refreshing! On top of all that awesomeness, there was a steam room (I couldn’t stay in there for too long, but it felt really good!) and we got massages! It was definitely one of the most relaxed I’ve felt since I’ve been in Spain. Note to mom and Emily: we must do the baths!

A pretty Spanish house

After we our time was up in the baths, we reluctantly left and re-entered realty. We then headed to the catedral/mezquita, which is Córdoba’s claim to fame. The mezquita (mosque) is absolutely gigantic, and is filled with hundreds of pillars and red and white arches. True to form, when the Catholics expelled the Muslims from Spain they converted the mosque into a cathedral. It’s very interesting to see so many Christian images in a space that was clearly constructed for another religion.