Chapter Six: Seein' More of Andalusia

After a day to ourselves (strictly for recooping purposes), we packed our bags, climbed back into Ruby and headed off once again. This time it wasn't so bad. We were rested, the gas tank was full, there was a peanut and banana sandwich waiting for us (you should have known by now) and the day was still young. Off we went - first stop Córdoba.

Driving there was a piece of cake. Just a straight shot down the highway for a couple hours. When we pulled in and found a spot, I was amazed at how quaint the city was compared to Seville. It wasn't tiny, but it just had this older feeling to it - like it was full of history. And let me tell you, it certainly is.

Once we were out of the car, Paige began leading through the streets, along a large wall that clearly separated the newer portion of the city from the old. Eventually we got to where we needed to be and turned a corner, crossing over into the old section. Oh. My. God. I was instantly transported. Before us stood an enormous mosque, The Mezquita. As we made our way inside, Paige began explaining how it was first constructed by the Christians in the 600s, but was quickly invaded and taken over by the Moors. They converted what had already been constructed into a mosque and continued to control it until 1236, when the Christians reclaimed what was once theirs. The ridiculous aspect of all of this? The inside of the mosque is absolutely breathtaking - hundreds of yellow and red arches, mihrabs as far as the eyes can see, lit in a beautiful glow - but in the middle of the structure is a massive, garish chapel. Literally smack dab in the middle of the Moorish architecture. It was a direct blow to their culture and rather startling aesthetically when you stumble upon it. The dome is easily over a hundred feet high and the choir chamber and accompanying organ are a sight to behold. The building overall has to be one of the most beautiful I've ever had the pleasure of seeing. The architecture is absolutely breathtaking. It was hard to believe stone and other materials could have been carved with such accuracy without the tools that we have today. All aspects of the structure were amazing - the marble floors - each tile cut to be the perfect size for prayer, the stained glass that adorned every wall, even the lanterns that hung from the cieling.

Everyone should really see this place in their lifetime.

Once we were done inside, Paige brought me to this small bar that served all the most traditional foods of southern Spain. And boy - did we feast. First came salmorejo - a cold tomato soup made with bread. Don't even try to get it confused with gizpatcho. This is thicker, richer, heartier. Then there was the tortilla. No - not what you'd find wrapped around a burrito. This is the real deal. A real tortilla. Imagine an apple pie, New England style, so kind of like a crumble. But instead of apple, picture layers and layers of sliced potatoes stacked on one another. Then fill in all the empty space with light, fluffy egg. Not exactly scrambled - but pretty darn close. So basically you should be picturing a potato quiche. If you are - you have the right idea. This tortilla was honestly one of the best things I've ever eaten. And I was blown away when Paige told me it is literally just egg and potato - maybe a sprinkling of salt and paper, but thats it. The flavor was outrageous. Just absolutely perfect. It struck such a unique balance, so heavy in the stomach, but so light and creamy in the mouth. If that wasn't a perfect meal, I'm not sure what else would be.

Once we were done stuffing our faces, we strolled back to Ruby, avoiding the occasional gypsy (kind of like Spain's homeless population), refusing the rosemary they were trying to hand out. Thankfully we made it back to the car with neither of us placed under a gypsy curse - yes, they really curse you if you offend them or refuse their gifts, and we headed out to Granada.

Now, unlike Córdoba, Granada was a little more confusing to navigate. At least to get to our hostel. We  first needed to drive through the old city, which our GPS just couldn't navigate. So we ended up driving down a couple one way streets backwards. Not only that - these streets were narrow. Literally as narrow as the car. Oh right, and they bent in directions a car isn't meant to drive. I will admit though, we made it and boy was my blood pumping. Paige was the perfect copilot and a quite the saint - handling when I got tense and snippy (as all men do in the car) due to the GPS constantly leading us in the wrong direction and telling us to do illegal things (thank you so much for your patience). When we finally parked and checked in, we immediately went out to explore.

Granada is known for a few things - but one of them being their tapas. Every time you order a beer, you receive a small plate of food on the house. Incentive to drink more? Sure, why not. So as we hopped around between a few places, we ate everything from octopus in vinaigrette to jamón and cheese. Not any jamón of course, but the world famous jamón de pata negra. Oh my god is that stuff amazing. Cure meat - a way only the Spaniards know how to do. Sliced super thin, it just melts in your mouth. Smooth and buttery. Salty and earthy. It really is the best ham I've ever eaten in my life. A tad expensive as you'd assume, but thats ok since we're ballers. We continued the night at a few more bars before finally settling into a nice Moroccan cafe for a hoohak and a few more drinks. It wasn't long until our eyelids were heavy and me meandered back to the hostel to rest. Tomorrow was going to be a long day - the tour of the Alhambra.

For those of you who don't know what the Alhambra is - it is another work of Moorish architecture - starting as a fortress, originally constructed in 889 and converted to a royal palace in 1333. Moorish poets of the time referred to it as a "pearl set in emeralds" and I can understand why. This place was absolutely stunning. Everything about it was decident. The pathways between buildings, the carved doors, the masonry that lined the walls, the hundreds of fountains that littered the property. Hell, it even had a water stairway. What the hell is that? Imagine a multi-terraced stairwell set into a hill, with hollow handrails. Within those handrails flows water, from the top, all the way to the bottom, watering the plants that line the hillside. It's literally the perfect irrigation system and absolutely mind blowing. Couple that with the other aspects of the Alhambra; the actual palace, the meticulously trimmed gardens, the massive fortified walls, rows of reflecting pools and you have a compound that is nothing short of stunning. How did they build all these so long ago? Again, I'm just left speechless.

Remember that time I said everyone should see the Mezquita? Well everyone needs to see the Alhambra as well (super convenient too both are close to one another).

We finished the day off with another great traditional Spanish meal - cured meats, cheeses, and bread, accompanied by stuffed peppers and a couple beers before climbing back into Ruby and making our way back to Seville.

On the ride home, it struck me that I was just at the tail end of the trip, but I was determined not to let it get me down. I had seen so much in such a little amount of time. Experienced more in the last fourteen days than I had the rest of the year. Eaten more amazing food than anywhere in America had to offer and I had the best company I could ever ask for. It had all flown by but there was still so much left to see and do. And best of all, unbeknownst to me, I still had the highlight of my trip left.


So make sure to pay attention to Friday. The will be two postings instead of the usual one!