Day trip to Cordoba
Thanks to all for your good wishes. There's something to be said about positive vibes. I woke up feeling 90% better today. Last night, I even felt good enough to try my first Sangria in Spain (I know, it's shameful that I'm a week in and just getting to this). It was so very yummylicious. I hopped on a train this afternoon to Cordoba and began writing this post in the courtyard of the Mezquita.
The courtyard here is filled with orange trees. For that matter, most of Seville is too. They look and smell beautiful but the oranges are really bitter. It must have something to do with the climate here.
The other thing I noticed in both Seville and Cordoba is the number of people trying to give you sprigs (supposedly rosemary) and then asking for a donation in return. I noticed them outside the Cathedral of Seville and here outside the Mezquita. They just pick up whatever they find on the street and claim it's holy rosemary. Some of them even lie that the donations go to children 😡. My antisocial attitude helps here. Don't make eye contact and shake your head no. Hopefully it continues to work.
Talking about the Mezquita, I'm so glad I came here. Nowhere have I seen a place like this. It's a cathedral built in the center of a mosque with the beauty of the mosque still preserved and the Cathedral bringing it's own unique beauty.
I usually use a self guided tour from a book and sometimes an audio guide. This time I intentionally went in without either. Self guided tours are good but you are more focused on what they are trying to tell you to see. Same thing with audioguides or tours. With some audio guides I spend more time trying to find the next number to run to than listening and looking 😂. Visiting the Mezquita this way was a good choice. It felt like I was completely surrounded by calm. At the end of the day, this is a mosque and a church and though it has a lot of history, it's purpose is prayer. Maybe that's why it felt like I could immerse myself in the calmness here without overthinking anything (I even forgot about the tax bill for a little bit 😒).
I roamed the streets of Cordoba some more and am now at the railway station waiting for my train back to Seville. Tomorrow I'll take the opportunity to enjoy Seville and what it has to offer.
The other thing I noticed in both Seville and Cordoba is the number of people trying to give you sprigs (supposedly rosemary) and then asking for a donation in return. I noticed them outside the Cathedral of Seville and here outside the Mezquita. They just pick up whatever they find on the street and claim it's holy rosemary. Some of them even lie that the donations go to children 😡. My antisocial attitude helps here. Don't make eye contact and shake your head no. Hopefully it continues to work.
Talking about the Mezquita, I'm so glad I came here. Nowhere have I seen a place like this. It's a cathedral built in the center of a mosque with the beauty of the mosque still preserved and the Cathedral bringing it's own unique beauty.
I usually use a self guided tour from a book and sometimes an audio guide. This time I intentionally went in without either. Self guided tours are good but you are more focused on what they are trying to tell you to see. Same thing with audioguides or tours. With some audio guides I spend more time trying to find the next number to run to than listening and looking 😂. Visiting the Mezquita this way was a good choice. It felt like I was completely surrounded by calm. At the end of the day, this is a mosque and a church and though it has a lot of history, it's purpose is prayer. Maybe that's why it felt like I could immerse myself in the calmness here without overthinking anything (I even forgot about the tax bill for a little bit 😒).
I roamed the streets of Cordoba some more and am now at the railway station waiting for my train back to Seville. Tomorrow I'll take the opportunity to enjoy Seville and what it has to offer.
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