Córdoba, Spain

Several people have asked about the artists whose paintings have appeared on my blog. Whenever I post an image, I will put the credits at the bottom of the page, as I have already done for the last two paintings.

Today is El Dia de los Reyes Magos (Epiphany) -- the last day of the Twelve Days of Christmas -- so everything in Córdoba is closed. I spent most of yesterday in the Grand Mosque of Córdoba -- called ¨the Holy Cathedral Church¨ by the Catholics and ¨the Burger King Mosque¨ by the city of Córdoba. That´s right: Burger King! If only I was joking.... (The city´s Burger King franchise is located directly outside the Mosque gates.) Originally built in 785 by Abd ar-Rahman I, the emir of al-Andalus, it is considered one of the greatest creations of Islamic architecture. (I´m sure you´ve all seen pictures of it before, but I am including one here, so you know what I´m talking about.)

I also visited the small, 14th century synagogue and a little museum that attempted to recreate daily life in Muslim Spain (Casa Andalusí). Last night the entire city of Córdoba converged on one of the central plazas to watch the Three Wise Men arrive in a grand parade. They were preceded by mounted soldiers and a marching band, and each arrived on his own float with courtiers tossing candy into the crowd. The third king and his entire court were in black-face.

I have moved into a nice little hostel called El Repaso de Bagdad in the old Jewish quarter (¡gracias a Raquelita!). The rooms are all situated around a beautiful little patio courtyard with a fountain. And it´s only 20 Euros a night! (About $24.)

I will leave for Sevilla on Sunday, so tomorrow I can see the sights that I missed yesterday and that were closed today. The holiday, in combination with the falling rain, allowed me to spend most of today reading The End of Faith, by Sam Harris (a gift from Mark). His scathing indictment of Islam was interesting to read (albeit somewhat lacking in solid evidence and overly dismissive of politico-historical facts). Regardless of the validity of his arguments, or lack thereof, I think I will get rid of the book before I am confronted by curious Moroccan border guards.

My ¨research¨ continues tomorrow with an aromatherapy massage in the newly renovated Arab baths. Así es la vida...

(Photo by Eric: Grand Mosque, Cordoba, Spain)