Holy Saturday, 22 March 2008
Groceries and Cordoba
Groceries, at last! And I have finally been successful at locating the paneria (bakery) around the corner (admittedly, I was a bit obsessed with accomplishing this). This is critical because we have discovered that bread, cerveza and Fanta go a long way.
We drove about an hour to Cordoba to fulfill Annie’s overwhelming need to check the Mezquita off her list of things to see in her lifetime. And thank goodness we did because it is truly amazing. Here is a place with such a sordid (almost comical) history that I can certainly appreciate Annie’s fascination with it. The Mezqita’s beginnings were the product of the demolition of a Christian church in the late 700s in order for the Moors to make way for a mosque that was later reclaimed by the Christians in the 16th century, who, out of spite or simple practicality, constructed a cathedral right smack dab in the center of it. Ironically, the structure embodies the two religions that tried to eradicate one another; however, it is still used by the Catholic Church today. Our cool idea for a photo op. (having all the kids line up amongst the columns in the Mezquita and prostrate themselves toward Mecca) was quickly shot down by Caroline, who suggested we may be breaking the First Commandment by doing so. Yikes! Not wanting to create ill will with God, we finished our day in Cordoba touring the Jewish quarter, complete with 14th Century synagogue and the Alcazar, which included a harrowing climb up a spiral staircase and a gentle stroll through lovely gardens. The kids grabbed a few fallen oranges and we did contemplate snagging a few lemons from the lemon trees to enjoy with our cocktails. Since we had procured groceries earlier in the day, we managed a light, inexpensive dinner of bread, cheese and an assortment of meats with strawberries for dessert. Oh, I mustn’t forget to mention the cheap, but incredibly delicious, red wine!
Groceries and Cordoba
Groceries, at last! And I have finally been successful at locating the paneria (bakery) around the corner (admittedly, I was a bit obsessed with accomplishing this). This is critical because we have discovered that bread, cerveza and Fanta go a long way.
We drove about an hour to Cordoba to fulfill Annie’s overwhelming need to check the Mezquita off her list of things to see in her lifetime. And thank goodness we did because it is truly amazing. Here is a place with such a sordid (almost comical) history that I can certainly appreciate Annie’s fascination with it. The Mezqita’s beginnings were the product of the demolition of a Christian church in the late 700s in order for the Moors to make way for a mosque that was later reclaimed by the Christians in the 16th century, who, out of spite or simple practicality, constructed a cathedral right smack dab in the center of it. Ironically, the structure embodies the two religions that tried to eradicate one another; however, it is still used by the Catholic Church today. Our cool idea for a photo op. (having all the kids line up amongst the columns in the Mezquita and prostrate themselves toward Mecca) was quickly shot down by Caroline, who suggested we may be breaking the First Commandment by doing so. Yikes! Not wanting to create ill will with God, we finished our day in Cordoba touring the Jewish quarter, complete with 14th Century synagogue and the Alcazar, which included a harrowing climb up a spiral staircase and a gentle stroll through lovely gardens. The kids grabbed a few fallen oranges and we did contemplate snagging a few lemons from the lemon trees to enjoy with our cocktails. Since we had procured groceries earlier in the day, we managed a light, inexpensive dinner of bread, cheese and an assortment of meats with strawberries for dessert. Oh, I mustn’t forget to mention the cheap, but incredibly delicious, red wine!
No comments:
Post a Comment