Córdoba at last - In which I settle in a bit and fulfill some high school missions

I arrived in Córdoba a little bit over a week ago and have been spending my time wandering the streets, trying to figure out where I am, testing local bars, wondering at the old architecture, and most of all talking to the people of Córdoba.

I held off on writing this blog entry until I had some pictures of the top sites in Córdoba. Although these sights are not where I will be spending most of my time, I thought it would be a nice way to introduce everyone to the public view of Córdoba. And what better way to do that then to start with the Mezquita. Below you can see one of the beautiful ceilings in this building.

 The Mezquita was built as a mosque first and foremost, which is why the architecture is so Arabic in nature. Grand arches fill this large, open space, only broken up by what is not a Cathedral sitting in the middle of the mosque. Today, this sight is referred to as the Cathedral of Córdoba, but walking inside it was hard for me to experience it as anything other than what it was initially built for.

 Although it is a large space, the layout sometimes makes this holy sight seem infinite, in a way that makes you imagine that you can get lost in the worship that has been performed here as well as the history. I've wanted to visit the Mezquita ever since my first year in Spanish in high school, but I had never really been able to picture myself here. Being here, I still find that it feels a little bit like a dream. I only have the pictures as proof that I haven't imagined the whole thing.

 Below is the cathedral within the mosque. You can see that, although beautiful itself, it has a completely different feel than the surrounding architecture. Within it this building alone you can see the mixture of cultures within this old city.

 Within the Jewish quarter, there are many patios filled with flowers and fountains and side streets that lead you to small little nooks within the old city. This is Calle de las flores. You can only imagine how beautiful this city will be when Spring actually comes.

 We visited the Álcazar, the castle which was home to Ferdinand and Isabella. Though I found the actually castle underwhelming, the gardens are still a delight to walk around.

 From almost everywhere within the older part of the city, you can see the beautiful tower of the Cathedral. I have used this is a landmark to help me navigate, but as I walk through the streets more and more, I'm beginning to feel very at home here. I can't imagine what it will be like after 13 weeks.