Sports Nutrition and the Mediterranean Diet / May 30th: Cordoba day trip

We met at the train station at 9am to take our bus to Cordoba. I stopped in the McDonalds at the train station to get coffee and I met a nice man from South Africa! He was vacationing in Spain for a few weeks. I told him that a few of my friends have just finished studying in South Africa with a group from my school! This made him vary happy, he said travel is the best way to learn! He Also says he wants to visit the United States! I think he should! Especially since he spoke English! It was about a 1.5 hour drive. We met our tour guide at Cordoba who lead us through the giant mosque/cathedral. Our guide told us that in southern Spain, if you want tourism go to Seville, if you want romanticism go to Granada, if you want history go to Cordoba. Historic is the best way to describe Cordoba. I love history so Cordoba was especially thrilling. Christians ruled Cordoba until 786AD then it was overtook by Muslims who ruled it until 1236 when it was retook by Christians. I call it a mosque/cathedral because it is clear that the Christians who retook Cordoba made a great effort to preserve the Muslim art and architecture. I am so grateful that the later Christian era appreciated the Muslim art because the mosque was truly spectacular. The Christians did however, add to the building by constructing alters, murals and crucifixes. I personally think that both styles look good together because Muslim art doesn’t use any patterns. Islam was big with arithmetic and philosophy, their art is very geometric because it is prohibited for them to create images of Allah or realism in their art. Christianity on the other hand, values big elaborate paintings and sculptures of angels, Mary and Jesus. I was awestruck throughout our whole tour through the mosque/cathedral. I can hardly believe I have the opportunity to visit all of these amazing places where it seems like I can feel the history. I knew that the Sevilla cathedral was originally a mosque, but most of the original art has been replaced by more catholic art. I’m so glad I took a world religions class before coming on this trip, it really helped me appreciate all of the Islamic and Jewish influence in Spain. Afterwards, our tour guide took us through the Cordoba old Jewish quarters. We learned that although the Jews never had control over Cordoba, they were permitted to have religious freedom if they payed taxes, under the first Christian and Muslim rule. In 1013 the Jewish communities faced a decline. When the Christians reconquered Cordoba in 1236, the Christians were less tolerant and labeled the Jewish Quarters “ scandal against Christianity”. There is also a very old synagogue in Cordoba but we didn’t get the chance to visit it. After our tour we got lunch, I had some delicious salmorejo which is a lot like gazpacho just thicker. Stewart says that salmorejo is very traditional in Cordoba. While we were eating, we sat next to some older American people who were doing a senior group tour through Spain. They told us that one of the men on the tour has a granddaughter who is a junior at UW La Crosse! She took a semester off to study in Prague. So, her grandpa picked her up while on the trip and now, she was finishing the trip with the senior group. After the people we met finished lunch, they left and came back with the girl and her Grandpa! Her name is Madison. It’s crazy how we met someone with a connection to La Crosse all the way in Spain. Sometimes it baffles me just how small this world can seem! After lunch, we had some free time to wander around Cordoba. When we got home from Cordoba, it was about 5:30 and it was such a nice day out so I decided to go for a run by the river. I had been wanting to go running here in Sevilla but I hadn’t yet because of 4 reasons. 1) I have a terrible sense of direction and would probably get very lost in a new city. 2) most of the roads and sidewalks are rough cobble stone and I didn’t want to fall or twist an ankle. 3) Hanna and I only have one house key. 4) we had been very busy and already walking a lot every day! Nonetheless, I figured I knew the city pretty well by now and it was so nice out so I had a wonderful run! I saw that the city was busy setting up for their Corpus Christi holiday that will take place tomorrow. Many alters and garland was being wrapped around many pillars in the plazas. I am excited to experience the precession tomorrow! It starts with an 8am mass at the cathedral followed by a parade starting at 8 and many of marches through the city throughout the day. I ran through the city and I got to the river. I regret not going for a run sooner in the trip! It was so beautiful out and the Riverwalk has such a pretty view of Triana. I ran past many orange trees, people sitting outside enjoying the sunshine, and a few other runners!