The Fetmans Take Sevilla...and a bit of Cordoba

Saturday, June 17

Woke up dreadfully early on Saturday morning considering how exhausted I was already from ceaseless sightseeing and hence walking. But we had a train to catch to Córdoba. We had debating about how to get to Córdoba—what would be most time and cost efficient, and finally settled on the high-speed Ave which was going for a reduced rate at 9:30am. So we got up, drowsily had breakfast, then cabbed it out to the train station Santa Justa (I hadn’t been there since I went to Madrid back in January…so weird!). Daddy and I went to buy train tickets and we boarded right away. The train was really nice, fast, and comfortable, and I was able to get a good half hour of sleep on the 45 minute ride. We arrived in Córdoba on a warm, yet a bit overcast day. The last time I was in Córdoba we had rented a tour bus, so the whole train station thing was new to me. I figured out the bus system, and we took the public bus to the street by the Mezquita. I was so excited to take my family to see the Mezuita, and I was also really excited to go back to Córdoba on an actual nice day (rather than the pouring rain I experienced back in March). Also, I was looking forward to seeing the infamous Córdoba decorative flowers in bloom. So we got to the main street, took some pictures of the old Roman bridge…it was so cool for me to be back in Córdoba and see these architectural masterpieces that I studied in art history. Yeah, that was part of my reasoning for wanting to come back to Córdoba: having learned all about the old Califat Arab architecture and art, as well Christian iconography which also resonates in the old Mezquita. So we headed into the Mezquita—it was so different this time: so many more tourists! I wasn’t used to seeing this place during tourist season. We walked around and looked at all the chapels which was cool because it was something that I really didn’t do the last time that I was there. It’s interesting, my family was actually more interested in the elements of the cathedral (converted from the old mosque) than the Arab Mezquita. Perhaps because I was telling them about Christian iconography in the paintings and sculptures in each chapel. Who knows…I’m just an art history dork, and it was really fun to put my new knowledge into practice. Wow, I really did learn a lot this semester! We spent about two hours in the Mezquita then walked the streets a bit. It started getting hot out, but not terribly. I was really impressed with my navigation skills through the narrow, winding streets of Córdoba…especially since the last time I was there I got horribly lost. I was able to find the two main plazas and flowered patios (unfortunately most of the flowers had bloomed already and were now dying), and the old Jewish district with the infamous statue of the Jewish philosopher of Córdoba who invented eyeglasses, and the old synagogue. My family really liked the old synagogue, despite the huge amount of tourists there (ugh). Then we went for lunch, very hungry and excited because Córdoba is known to have some of the best food in Spain, and I did not know about this the last time that I was there (I ended up eating crappy paella last time I was there). On the way we made some souvenir shop trips, Shana bought some really awesome leather sandals. The souvenir shopping in Córdoba is pretty awesome (because there’s not too much to do but see some sights and go to the Mezquita) but I had to keep assuring the fam to hold off until Granada, which I will always and forever consider some of the best shopping in Europe. We went to lunch at El patio de la Judería, a.k.a. The Judaism Patio. How appropriate, eh? Actually, the restaurant was recommended by my program directors, so we figured why not. I got salmorejo because it’s a dish typical of Córdoba, and its claim to fame. Besides, I looooove salmorejo, so where better to get it than from the source? Yes, it was definitely the best salmorejo I’ve had (besides Maruja’s). I also got an endive salad with blue cheese (just like the one Maruja makes) and it was quite delicious. Yes, quite. My whole family had really good meals, too. Definitely the best Spanish food I’ve had eating out, I’d say. Just, ya know, consistently good. Córdoba, you have lived up to your name. We finished lunch at around 3:30 and had time to kill before the 6:30 train we planned to take back. We were too tired from the heat and lack of sleep to walk aimlessly, so we went to the tetería that I went to with Pepe and the girls last time I was there. We sat in a secluded couch area in the back, ordered some juices and green tea and just chilled out for a little “siesta”. We relaxed, played a really humorous round of “The Movie Game” (now I know where my lack of movie knowledge comes from…the fact that I was dominating a round of The Movie Game just reflects poorly on my opponents), and passed the time. Then we left and tried to think of something to do besides shop for souvenirs. Damn, maybe should have looked up earlier train times…or planned the trip better. Eh, whatevs. We thought about perhaps seeing the Córdoba Alcazar gardens. On the way over we passed some horse and buggies and decided to just take a horse and carriage ride to get a glimpse of the rest of the city. Well, Córdoba’s really not all that exciting aside from the Mezquita, some really awesome Roman ruins (the old temple columns were pretty cool, especially post-Art History class), and the old Jewish quarter. The coachman pointed random stuff out, but I didn’t even bother listening too hard nor translating for my family because it all just wasn’t too impressive. Oh well. The Mezquita and synagogue make up for it all. After the 45 minute carriage ride we still had about a half an hour to spare. So we went to an outdoor café and got some cokes…well, I got coffee because I was fading out. Then we finally got up, grabbed a cab, and went to the train station. We couldn’t get a cheap high-speed Ave back to Sevilla, so we too a train that took an hour and a half. I slept for a good portion of it. Once back I felt a bit refreshed. The family wanted ice cream, and I had told them about this ice cream parlor I had heard about called Rayas that’s supposed to have the best ice cream in all of Spain, and arguably Europe. We got a cab from Santa Justa and headed straight to Rayas. The driver was really funny, animated, and talkative and chatted with me the whole cab ride; ya know, asking the usual about my studies in Sevilla and such. He told me that all foreign students in Sevilla go to Flaherty’s (the main Irish pub) at night and end up not speaking any Spanish. He accused me of being one of those—I kept insisting that that wasn’t the case, but he was just silly and acted like he didn’t believe me. Oh man. We got to Rayas in the Sierpes shopping district, and man, they had so many choices! Shana got a scoop of mint and a scoop of chocolate; Daddy got a scoop of butter pecan and a scoop of pistachio; Mom got a scoop of caramel and a scoop of coconut; and I decided to be daring and try something very atypical. I saw that they had breva ice cream (the raw fig that I ate at Maruja’s recently), so I gave that a go. They also had honeydew melon ice cream and decided to try that one, too. They were both quite good, made a winning combination, and tasted just like the fruits they were supposed to imitate. Crazy! It was like there were actual fruits chopped up in the ice cream. The ice cream was also very light and refreshing; needless to say, the rest of the family wasn’t digging my flavors too much since they weren’t too sweet. I have weird taste, what can I say? After eating our ice cream in the park across from Rayas, we decided to head back to the hotel for a bit before going to dinner at…where else but Cien Montaditos. I had no idea how to get back, although I knew that we were close. I ended up asking directions at least 5 times along the way. It’s funny—even after almost 6 months living in Sevilla I still don’t know my way around too well. It’s that damn lack of a grid system, I swear. So anyways, we got a little lost, but not too lost, so we ended up back soon enough. After settling for a good half an hour and the sun began to set, I could hear what sounded like firecrackers being fired every five minutes. Then I heard drums and music. Another procession! I didn’t know that Corpus Christi would still be going on! I simply had to investigate. I grabbed Daddy and we headed out, following the music. Our ears led us down the street where a band of high school boys played horns and beat drums in front of windows decorated as altars. Omigod, this was all happening right next to our hotel! How lucky! We ended up following the small procession with many other Spanish residents in the neighborhood. So cool! Soon the band processed around the corner and far enough away that we decided that we’d seen enough. So we stopped at some of the windows and looked at some of the altars. They were beautiful—one was a particular favorite of mine, mostly due to orange being its principle color theme. I took pictures. Then we headed back to the hotel where we collected Shana and Mom and we walked over to Cien Montaditos on a gorgeous, warm Spanish summer night. We all got 3 sandwiches. And it was damn good. We again spent the entire meal discussing how to make the chain successful in the States. I really want Cien Montaditos in the U.S. We need it. After dinner I decided to show my family the wonders of the tuna empanada that I had spoken so highly of. It’s my favorite Spanish snack food and it’s sold at most bread stores and bakeries. It’s what I like to think of as the Spanish “Hot Pocket”. It’s as pastry shell stuffed with tuna, pepper, onion, and sometimes a bit of onion. It’s delicious and cheap. So we bought one so everyone could try it. My mom didn’t like it too much, but Shana and Daddy were absolutely craaaazy about it. They now share my love of the tuna empanada. Yesss. After dinner/snack we walked back to the hotel. We got ready for bed and were asleep by around 1. So tired…needed sleep…after another fantastic day doing the Spain thang with the fam.