My whole program took two charter buses from Alcalá to the Andalusia region of Spain to spend the weekend. After a 6 hour bus ride we arrived at our first destination: Córdoba, Spain.
At 4:30ish we began a tour (in Spanish, por supuesto ;) of the Mezquita. It was really cool to see this structure in person because it is one of the most seen iconic images of Spain. I felt like I was walking into a postcard frame. It is a very interesting mix of architecture as it was originally an Islamic mosque but during the Reconquest of Spain, it was converted into a Christian church.
After the visit my flatmates and I went to get some dinner. We found this little restaurant had I had a great salad (see below). Additionally, I ordered some "bull's tail with Chocolate" for my flatmates to try (as I am a vegetarian, bull's tail doesn't really work out ;) because it was the strangest thing we could find on the menu and they were brave enough to give it a try. They actually said it wasn't bad! (see picture below).
At 2230 our whole group met up and we went to a flamenco show near our hotel. It was held in a patio that had an insulated tarp overhead so it was actually somewhat warm and felt as if we were actually indoors to watch. The show was great and a wonderful cultural experience: it was the first time I'd seen Flamenco. There were 2 men playing acoustic guitars while two other men sang these loud sporadic-Spanish-chant-Romances for the dancers to dance to. I guess that the songs sort of tell a story for the dancers to reflect. It seemed to be a very emotional and expressive form of dance. There was a guy and girl who danced, 3 girls who performed together, and then a girl who did a fan dance alone. The show ended after midnight and I was very sleepy but loved the experience.
HIGHLIGHT OF CÓRDOBA: Seeing the Mezquita and feeling as if I had walked into a postcard.
1. Daytime shot outside the Mezquita
2. Iconic image of the inside of the Mezquita
3. night shot of the outside of the Mezquita
4. My Salad (tomato, artichoke, caramelized red onions, basil dressing, cheese)
5. Chocolate Bull's Tail
6. Flamenco-Acoustic-Guitar player
7. Flamenco dancers (following four)
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