To be young is to have spirit

"To be young is to have spirit, that is to say, not only memories and a destiny, but a true future that does not resemble the past nor the present, that represents a true creation, a taking part in the invention of the future." - Roger Garaudy


This quote was found on the wall of a tea house in Cordoba. I loved the message and thought it was an appropriate way to begin my first blog about Semana Santa (Holy Week). Our first stop was Cordoba, once one of the largest cities in the Roman empire and later the capital of the Moorish empire. Both cultures had a huge influence on the architecture of this beautiful, quaint city in southern Spain.

Here's a picture Nina took of me on the street leading up to our hostel in the old Jewish quarter of Cordoba. On the left side of the picture, you can see a line of pretty trees. If only this were a scratch-and-sniff blog, because those trees are orange blossoms! And they made the entire street (and city, for that matter) smell yummy.

This biggest draw for tourists in Cordoba is La Mezquita, a 10th century mosque. This architectural wonder is an amazing mix of both the Muslim and Christian religions. Here are a few shots to give you an idea of what it looks like. No flashes allowed inside, so pictures were hard to take!
That's ME in the foreground! Those arches are so cool and I was hoping this picture would come out better, but you get the idea, right?

This is a picture of Calleja de Las Flores (Little Street of the Flowers), which is famous for its beautiful view of the Mosque and typically European patio with colorful flowers.

Another popular place to visit in Cordoba is the Alcazar, or Royal Palace. This palace and its gardens are parricularly famous for being home to Kind Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. In fact, Columbus came to these very gardens to ask the King and Queen for money to sail to the Americas. Check out the gorgeous landscaping.




These are statues built in the Royal gardens to commemorate Columbus petitioning the Spanish king and queen for some cash.


This next pic is one I am quite proud of. These are my traveling companions for 13 days - Steve, Caitlin, Cordae and Nina!

And now of course, for the main attraction. On Palm Sunday, before we left for Granada, we got a chance to watch the first of MANY processions held during Semana Santa. These processions mark the important events of Jesus' death and resurrection, beginning here with Jesus' journey into Jerusalem. The music was provided by local bands and was incredibly moving. People of all ages participated in the processions, from carrying candles to carrying floats.

WARNING: the penitents' costumes are original and have NO connection with the KKK. In fact, we Americans are the only ones who find these costumes creepy.


On our last night we also managed to find a bar with a terrace and a beautiful view of the Roman bridge. Four of us hit the town and had some copas to celebrate the first city on our tour of southern Spain. Here's a cute pic of us:
NEXT STOP: GRANADA!