It is has been over a week and I have been in Monda the whole time. I am ready to move on.
It has been a mixture of things but I have enjoyed trips to the beach in Marbella and Porto  Jose Banus. We are near the Costa del sol which is a British camping ground. Many Anglos have moved here to live or retire and others just come to drink beer, eat burgers, make themselves known and enjoy the sun and sights. There are some beautiful spots but the number of English somehow lets the culture down. I think it might have something to do with the fact that many of them bring England and their adored habits to the south of Spain which leaves one little kiwi feeling somewhat disoriented. Jose Banus is a clieche tourist coastal town, on one hand beautiful and on the other hand quite hideous. I love the beach and enjoyed walking around the waterfront admiring the boats, the Lamborginis, the ladies in the bum hugging skirts and the Italian restaurants full of people. Where am I again? Seemed like quite a fun place to hang out in though, I must admit.

Yesterday we went to Mijas. We were going to go to Ronda but we left too late to make it worthwhile as it is 100 km from here. We are going tomorrow. Mijas was gorgeous though. It is amazing how, according to guidebooks, that don't have the space to speak of such places Mijas doesn't exist. But then you visit these little towns and they have more to offer that the Sky tower, Te Papa and Christchurch Cathedral put together. This small town is famous for burros taxis, or donkey taxis. This is because in the past Spanish men rode donkeys to and from work and tourists used to stop them to express their curiousity and fascination and asked for rides. The tips these men received often added up to more than what they earned in the campos and hence the donkey taxi service began.

Jose's house is on a hill and Jose works whenever he is called to work so I have spent a lot of time at his place walking the dog, sleeping and fluffing around really. I have recently felt very sick and haven't been able to eat much in the intense heat.

I am looking forward to going to Ronda tomorrow and Barcelona on Saturday!!!

Monday, July 9

I am writing much later as I haven't had much access to the internet.
My last day in Cordoba was pretty relaxed. I woke up in my 3 star hotel (I am finding myself wanting to live like a wealthy person, on a backpacker's budget) and went to the Mosque - La Mezquita - because it is free on weekday mornings between 8.30am and 10am. I think that's probably because that's when they do the cleaning. It is a good time of day to go as the heat doesn't wipe you out like it does later in the day.

The hotel was directly opposite the mosque so I didn't have far to go.
To be honest, after seeing the museum, I wasn't as overwhlemed and inspired as I thought I might be. But still the courtyard in the middle inhabited with orange trees and a beautiful fountain and the bell tower, Torre del Alminar were a beautiful entrance to the mosque. The bell tower is 93m and is built on the site of the original minaret. You can climb stesp to the top for a view but I didn't do this that morning. I had seen views from the tower I had been to the day before.

The Mosque itself didn't bring me to me knees, however the arches were pretty impressive and the rich history. It dates back 12 centuries and originally embodied the power of Islam on the Iberian Peninsula. (copied from a guidebook, you can probably tell). The building has evolved over the centuries blending many architectural forms. The most interesting part though is that in the 16th century a cathedral was built in the heart of the mosque and part of the mosque was destroyed. Because of this Islam and Renaissance architecture exist side by side, and so their respective cultures and religions.
There are interesting 'coming togethers' of ISlam religion and the Catholic religion, such as this statue of Jesus on the cross built amidst the Islam tradition. The arches and pillars are the most outstanding features of the Mosque - more than 850 columns of granite, jasper and marble creating a dazzling visual effect. MAny of them were taken from Roman and Visigothic buildings.

I had my train at 3pm so the rest of my time in Cordoba involved walking around and eating breakfast - a bad coffee and a stale pastry I have to say - but great conversation withe waitress about life, motherhood and personal lives. We made a lovely connection. She asked me to call her but I haven't and not sure if I will.

My train took me back to Malaga and then I caught another one to Coin where Jose picked me and we drove back to his home in Monda.

Buenas Dias Espana!

 

This morning I got up at a bit later, 10ish and went across the bridge for breakfast. I was keen to try something different, churros or a pastry, but I was seduced by a jamon serrano, tomato and olive oil toasted bocadillo, sparkling water and a coffee. I am becoming a Spanish creature of habit.

I went to the most amazing museum on the history and culture of Cordoba and the area when Cristians, Jews and Arabs lived in harmony together. I will write more about this later as I plan to write a good summary of it.

As I made my way back across the bridge I noticed this woman was wearing a t-shit that says in Italian 'Even the best of people make mistakes'. I went up to her and said. 'I hope your t-shirt isn't referring to your husband.' I don't think I have ever heard someone laugh so much. It felt good. Thanks for passing on a fraction of your sense of humour pops!

I visited the Alcazar, castle of the Cristian monarchs. The castles gardens are among the most beautiful in Andalucia! Will update more later. Nature always calls my bosy and soul. It's the most inspiring art of all.

In the evening I went for a stroll through Cordoba..

La plaza de corroderos - it used to be a Bull fighting stadium in the 14th century.

The bulls came out of this entrance

El menu del dia: Menu of the day (10 euro): Glass of wine, paella, a fried pork tenderloin wrapped in prosciutto with fries and pineapple with cream. I was all hideous, apart from maybe the paella.

Menu del dia have to be offered in all restaurants to allow workers to eat a full meal on a budget.