Andalusia Bound

We are back on the road today, headed south, with a couple stops along the way to break up the drive. We are on our way to Andalusia - the sun-kissed Spanish region with glorious, Moorish palaces, Islamic influences, passionate flamenco, intricate cobbled lanes, blindingly whitewashed villages, and buzzing tapas bars.

We stopped for coffee in Toledo, the old capital of Spain. The entire city has been declared a national monument; to keep the city's historic appearance intact, the Spanish government has forbidden any modern exteriors. The maze-like streets are narrow, and the walls are scratched by cars squeezing through.

Along the ring road are many scenic stops to capture El Greco's view of Toledo - my mom's favorite painting in the Met.

The Cathedral of Toledo is considered the most spectacular in Spain; construction went on for more than 250 years. It rises out of the town's medieval center.

All the streets surrounding the cathedral were draped in decorations for the celebration of Corpus Christi 

We left Toledo just as all the day-trippers were streaming in. "That was a cool stop thanks mom," commented Jeremy.

I'm excited about our next stop, and remember learning about it for the first time many years ago in an episode of The Amazing Race. We're stopping in Córdoba to visit the Mezquita - also known as the Great Mosque of Córdoba. It is immediately recognizable by its two-tiered, red and white arches that seem to recede into infinity.

Cordoba's Mezquita

The Mezquita - a wonder of the medieval world - is a symbol of the worldly, sophisticated culture that flourished here more than a millennium ago when Córdoba was capital of Western Islam - when much of Europe was barbaric and illiterate. Built on the site of an ancient Roman temple and with a Christian cathedral at its heart, it is a symbol of harmony and coexistence between different cultures, religions, and civilizations.

The Mezquita is built with recycled ancient Roman columns from which sprout a striking combination of two-tiered, symmetrical arches, formed of stone and red brick.

Almodovar Gate: the best preserved of Cordoba's original city gates.

Cordoba's narrow streets with thick, whitewashed walls

Cordoba is known for its walls and patios decorated with flowers. One of the most charming corners of old Cordoba: the Calleja de las Flores

Finding every bit of shade to keep out of the 90-degree heat

We've arrived for 3 nights in Sevilla. The city is credited with the invention of tapas and has more than a thousand bars. Our work was cut out for us!  We are staying right next to the Sevilla Cathedral so we chose a very popular bar nearby, Bodega Santa Cruz Las Columnas. By the 4th (very small but still effective) beer, happy Greg was getting much more experimental with the tapas menu.

Crammed into a Seville tapas bar

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