Adio Cordoba

I have nothing major to recount today and no piccies due to the flat batteries. So the major reason for coming down here was to check on Anna. She appears to be well on the way and so a happy dad leaves Cordoba with fond memories of a couple of peaceful days spent with his daughter.

I actually managed to get another free look at the Mezquita, and though not religious, I stood facing the mihrab, next to a cross and said a silent prayer for Marjan and my parents. It might not be any good but it certainly cannot hurt.

Anna and I met up and we did a little shop for some flamenco villancicos (Christmas Carols). So a flamenco Slient Night will be playing in Melbourne this Christmas. Whilst there, we bought a couple of pieces of mazapan to get us through to lunch.

We did nothing in particular except enjoy another sunny day in Cordoba. We wandered the Juderia looking at the patios in every open doorway. One of them was the local Nurses School. We did find the Casa Arabe, which is a restored moorish era cluster of houses and patios. They have turned them into an Islamic studies centre and a little museum of the life of that era. It was really pleasant, low stress, zero cost and we both enjoyed strolling through the small collection and the three patios.

We also checked out some of the better tourist gift places. Some amazing sliver work, leather work, fans and mantillas. I am talking about the hand crafted stuff rather than the touristy cheap stuff. One particular mantilla would have looked stunning when set off by Marjan, but she would have yelled at me when she saw the €500 price tag, so I passed.

I gave Anna another three course lunch. She tells me she could get used to them. The berenjenas con miel (egg plants and honey) were nice, but Anna did not truly enjoy the rabo de toro stew (oxtail). I enjoy everything and will probably miss being offered a complimentary tapa before, and Pedro Ximenez after almost every meal.

A little more wandering in the Juderia, an extended sit and chat under the oranges trees in a square watching a local use one of the oranges to play catch with his dog and it was time for merienda. We wound our way back to Anna's accommodation where we found a place that sold turron ice cream.

Having left Anna happy and better, I wound my way to the station, changed to an earlier train and am writing this at 270kmh (I just saw the readout on the train information display) on the way to Madrid. Apparently the high speed network is the second largest in the world after China with over 3,000 Km of track. Thought I had better get some facts in at some stage.

Adio Cordoba. (No s coz Cordobeses never finish words with s)