I’m up early to meet the day, and to my sadness I realise that the sun doesn’t rise until 8am these days. A quick google search tells me that the best place to see the sun rise in Cordoba is at the Roman Bridge, so I head over there and make it with a few minutes to spare.
The river runs under the bridge creating a soothing soundtrack and only a handful of people are out and about at this time. As the sun rises, it bathes the river and the bridge in golden light and it feels like the world is holding its breath as we wait to start the day. I take the opportunity in this in between moment to do a short meditation, syncing my breathing to the sounds of the Guadalquivir river below me.
With the sun safely in the sky I decide to wander the town and find some breakfast before my timed entry to the Cathedral at 10am. Everywhere looks so different before the shops are open and the alleyways fill with tourists. I delight at the stunning flowers and plants that are essentially art installations on each building, as well as marvel at the architecture, that pulls from the Arabic and Roman influences of centuries past.
I find a cafe outside of the cathedral and have a croissant and some water before entering. The courtyard is enormous and I’m quite surprised at the number of people already queuing to go in. I cross the threshold into a dimly lit space and am immediately taken aback by the columns and archways that define the enormous room.
It’s my first ever time inside a Mosque and I am fascinated at how sensual the experience is. The warm colours in the dim light evoke calm and peace. There is a lingering smell of spices that transports me back to an unknown time, and the sound is dampened and absorbs into the architecture, giving the space an intimacy that is out of character with its size.
As I venture further around the edges it’s evident how this has been appropriated from a Mosque to a Cathedral. Christian iconography is everywhere and there are small chapels that populate the edges of the space. Probably the most impressive and surprising area is the centre of the room where a nave has been constructed with an ornate altar and domed ceiling with stained glass windows. The brightness of the centre of the cathedral is at odds with the outer areas of the mosque that surround it.
I’m not sure how I feel about this building. Conflicted. It is unique and beautiful, and in parts of it I feel deeply spiritual. However, I also feel anger and sadness for the people who originally built this sacred space and were exiled. The transposition of one religion directly on top of another in such an obvious manner is jarring and almost feels disrespectful.
I exit the building and once back under the blue skies and in the open courtyard I feel the oppression lift. There is no doubt that this is a magnificent building, and I hope that the reaction I have to it and the questions it asks me to consider are a sign of its continued importance and purpose in telling its story, and reminding us to be aware of the layers of culture that we shouldn’t want to lose or erase.
I leave the Mezquita-Cathedral and spend some time people watching in a park sitting under some shady trees. I decide to embrace the European culture of a long lunch and happily ensconce myself on a terrace with a Sangria, a salad and a book. I spend a very satisfying couple of hours in this manner.
After a trip back to the hotel to cool off (it’s been 35 degrees most of the day) and change for the evening I make my way to the Royal Stables for a nighttime show. I’ve been looking forward to this since I booked my trip.
As a lifelong equestrian I’ve always been awed by the beauty of the Andalusian horses and fascinated by the Spanish riders who are trained to such a high level. The Royal Stables is home to Cordoba Ecuestre, the International Equestrian Riding School and they run demonstrations a few evenings a week. I was delighted to see the queues to enter for the evening were wrapping around the building and indeed it was a sold out show. I had treated myself to a front row ticket (for an astonishingly cheap 17€!) and sat in awe for the next 75min as the history of the Andalusian horse was played out in front of me. The power and grace of these stunning animals, the music and flamenco dancing which accompanied them, performed in an open air manège under the stars was truly magical. Aside from the amazing performance I was happy to be able to see the high level of care that each horse received after its performance and the beautiful stables that surrounded the outside of the manège. After the show visitors were able to tour the stable area and chat to the riders and meet some of the horses.
Thoroughly on cloud nine I stopped for a quick bite to eat after the show and indulged in some Iberian ham and local cheeses. Before I knew it, it was midnight and I happily headed back to my guesthouse to fall into bed.
Live Wild and Free 