Toledo & An Epic Night Out

We woke up and happily left our sketchy hostel, made a quick stop at our favorite donut place, and then were off to the headquarters for Juliá Travels again. This time, we were off on a day trip to Toledo, a beautiful city north of Madrid. The drive there was about 1 hour each way, and I entertained Julia by making her listen to my beloved Spanish music playlist on my iPod. Once we

Catedral de Toledo

arrived, we walked around with our guide and 20 of our closest friends, and learned the medieval history of the city. I noticed that the information he gave in this Spanish speaking version versus his English speaking version was much more detailed, and he actually skipped out on repeating some of the interesting facts when he would repeat his speech in English. Luckily Liz and Julia had me there! ;) We stopped for a while in front of the cathedral, and then made a quick stop at the museum dedicated to 16^th century artist, El Greco. The museum is built inside of an old cathedral, and at one point it had been a Jewish synagogue as well. The fusion in the architecture was probably my favorite part to see. I was also happy because when I originally visited Toledo in 2007, I took a photo of a beautiful Spanish house with flowers under the window, and I coincidentally walked by the same house again and was able to re-create the photo. The walking tour then finished up with us having an overlook view of the river and surrounding hillsides. It was a short-but-sweet tour, but I am glad my friends got to see this small and charming Spanish town!

View from Toledo

The Re-Created Photo!

Back in Madrid, we left the tour office and walked to a nearby restaurant for some tapas. I personally think the tapas selection in Valencia is better than what they have in Madrid- but then again I’m a little biased! After lunch, we headed back over to Parque del Retiro. The last time we went, we just explored the huge park on foot, but this time we decided to experience it via rowboat. We rented boats on the large pond in the center of the park, like so many visitors do, and it was a great experience! We had so much fun relaxing, resting in the sun, and just taking it all in. I was fortunate enough to get to sit in the middle, so Liz and Julia did all the work!

Rowing at Parque del Retiro

Once we left the park, we went back to our “beloved” hostel, and got ready for a girls night out. No melting power outlets this time! We decided to once again head to the “La Latina” district, and things were off to a great start. The first place we went to upgraded our sangria glasses to a giant pitcher. I’m not sure why exactly, but it was amazing. This pitcher was not for the faint of heart either- delicious, and potent! After the sangria, we were all feeling very cheerful, and so we headed to a British style pub for some cider. While there, I could see that two fellow travelers kept looking over at us, and so being the nice girls that we are we struck up a conversation with two friendly Brits named Joe and Adrian. They had spent some time studying in Spain as well, and of course asked us “where the good clubs were”. Since none of us really had any idea, we all 5 decided to head to a nearby discoteca together. The ensuing free beverages, strobe lights, and loud music made for one of the most fun, if not THE most fun, nights out I have ever had (randomly salsa dancing with guys from the Philippines, as well as Liz relationship counseling a guy from Ireland were just added bonuses)! We all stayed at the dance club until about 5am (yes, Spanish clubs are open that late on a Tuesday night!), and then we parted ways with all our new friends. We came back to the hostel around 6am, and felt very proud of a truly epic night out! The only downside? The girls had to get up at 7:30am to leave for the airport!

One of the few surviving discoteca photos!

Ávila & Segovia Daytrip

10/22 Today we got an early start, and after our usual donuts at the place next door, we walked about twenty minutes from our hostel to the tour office for Juliá Travel. We had booked our daytrip tickets in advance through the website Viator, and everything went smoothly. We got on the big shuttle bus, and started our drive from Madrid to the small central Spanish city of Ávila. Growing up Catholic, I immediately identified the city name with St. Teresa of Ávila, and that was all I knew about it. Our tour guide, Nuria, gave us a lot more information though. The three of us were nodding off to sleep periodically during the drive, but once we arrived to the medieval hilltop city surrounded by a stone wall, we woke up! It was a bit chilly, and the first thing we did was begin our walking tour. We stopped by the Cathedral of Ávila, and headed in. Inside the church there was a decorative tomb for three Spanish children who were crucified by the Romans in the 12th century, and for whom the church is named after. That's
probably the main thing I remember- pretty gruesome story! We also got to see a statue of the famous saint, and then visited the quaint and small “Plaza Mayor” of the city. The highlight of the city was seeing the childhood home of Santa Teresa, which has since been built over and is now (of course) a church. My Mom is a big fan of the lives of Catholic saints so I made sure to take plenty of photos to appease her! The museum in the church had some of her bones there, and there was a crazy huge mob of people around them.

The Cathedral of Ávila

The birthplace of Saint Teresa

After our morning tour of Ávila, we headed back to the bus and onward to our next destination! About 1.5 hours later, we arrived in the beautiful Segovia!Iconic for its Roman aqueducts, I instantly loved it. It's so classic and beautiful- I definitely want to go back again. When our group was first dropped off we were given 1.5 hours of free time. Liz, Julia and I got a quick lunch at Burger King (don’t judge us, it was the cheapest and quickest thing available), and then spent time exploring the tiny city on our own, taking plenty of photos with the famous aqueducts. I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve always viewed the towering structures as symbols of Spain, but seeing it in real life was so cool for me!

The real Cinderella's Castle

Once we had our fill of photos, we met up with Nuria and our group again and headed over to the fairytale stone castle settled on the hilltop, the Alcázar of Segovia. Rising out on a rocky crag near the Guadarrama mountains, it is one of the most distinctive castle-palaces in Spain, and is the one that Disney's Cinderella castle is modeled after! We first went into the palace's cathedral, and saw the gorgeous stained glass. I was embarrassed because members in our group were being really loud, and locals were actually there trying to pray. Luckily we left, and then we got to see the inner courtyards of the castle. We saw the throne-rooms for King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel, and we also got to see some legitimate knights in shining armor in the Armory! We explored the gardens and a few more fancy, ornate, medieval-style rooms, and then sadly it was time to go. We had a nice long drive back to Madrid, during which I listened to all the Spanish songs on my iPod with Julia. We freshened up in our hostel, and then we walked around the Plaza de España. We got some delicious tapas for dinner afterwards in the artsy La Latina District of Madrid. I will never get tired of eating bravas.

The Alcazar de Segovia

The Armory inside the Castle

Later that night, back at the hostel, we suffered a terrible travel mishap! In hindsight, it was hilarious, but at the time it was crazy. Somehow, one of hair straighteners blew a fuse for the entire floor of the hostel. Before we knew it, there was smoke, burning plastic, and a blown converter. I later tried my converter in the same plug for some stupid reason, and it was promptly destroyed. All the power on the floor went out, but no workers were there to help. Finally someone showed up and turned on the lights, but unsure of what to do with the melting plugs and burning plastic, we threw it out the window into some courtyard, and then opened every window in the hallway. No idea how or why this happened, all I can guess is that it was a problem with the different voltages. I wish we had a video of this whole ordeal, it was definitely pretty hysterical, and we went to bed that night to the aroma of melted plastic.

Julia and Liz love Madrid!

Madrid - Bus Tour of the City & The Prado

The Gran Via of Madrid

10/21 On this dark and rainy morning in Madrid, we dressed up as cute as we could and headed out into the city, umbrellas in hand. After stopping for donuts Julia, Liz and I decided today would be the perfect day for some sightseeing- from the dry interior of a tour bus- and we were right. We bought a daily" unlimited use" ticket for the iconic “hop on hop off” double-decker red city tour buses that are now ubiquitous across Europe. It was a bit pricey (about 18 euros I believe), but it proved to be worth it. It can act as transportation across the city, you can do different circuits at your leisure, and you also have the chance to use the audio headsets to learn historic information if you want. With the rain coming down hard, we did Ruta 1 and Ruta 2 without leaving the bus, and were able to see all of the historic landmarks and buildings of Madrid in a relatively short span of time. It was a very efficient way to see it all and get a good feel for the city. We drove past Plaza Cibeles, the famous art museums, many statues and fountains, Plaza Neptuno, The Bernabeu stadium, and more. We sat on the top of the bus which had a rain cover, and while we couldn't take very good photos we still enjoyed the chance to sit back, relax, and see the sights with our own eyes.

One of the main plazas- I forget which :(

Next to the famous Oso Statue

Plaza Mayor de Madrid

We hopped off the bus at the Puerta del Sol (which today felt like a cruelly ironic name) where the big protest happened last week. While walking around the plaza I saw a bear statue and thought it was cute (plus it’s what John and I call each other as our couple name), so I took a photo with it. I had no idea that it is a famous symbol and icon of the city of Madrid, but now I’m glad I posed next to it! We then walked from there over to the famous Plaza Mayor. We took several photos there (with umbrellas in hand) and did some souvenir shopping too. We took a break for lunch, and then got back on the red city bus. This route took us to the other side of the city where we got off again to see the Royal Palace (Palacio Real). The rain picked up harder and so while it was a beautiful building, we were grumpy and getting wet and so peeked through the gates, took a photo or two, and got back on the bus. This time we headed to the world famous Prado Museum (Museo del Prado). On Sundays admission to the museum is free, so we took advantage of that! We had to wait in a gigantic line wrapping around the whole building, in the cold and rain, but once we were inside it was worth it. It is a massive museum (although still smaller than the Louvre I believe), and we spent several hours walking around and trying to see as much as we could. I personally was excited to see all of the work from Spanish artists like El Greco, Velázquez, and Goya. Seeing Rembrandt and Monet was just a bonus! The building was designed in 1785, so it is not only beautiful, but historical too. I am so happy that we went because the last time I was in Madrid I didn’t make it to the Prado, and it is definitely a must-see for any art or history lover.

Rain outside El Palacio Real

The long line for the Museo Prado

A contraband photo taken inside the Prado

Julia posing outside of the Prado Museum!

Exhausted from all the walking we headed back to our sketchy hostel, and did as the Spaniards do – napped! We had a nice two-hour siesta, and then walked across the street to the giant McDonalds so we could use the WiFi and get icecream. The inner Americans in us just can't help it! Later that night back at the hostel our Italian neighbors were being extra crazy, and I recall being afraid to shower because the tub was flooding, cold, and gross. What a high class establishment!

Liz and I on the tour bus!

Madrid- Parque del Retiro & Real Madrid Game

Taking in the view from our hostel rooftop.

10/20 We woke up early (as usual), grabbed some breakfast in the hostel’s third floor kitchen, and watched the sunrise over the rooftops of Sevilla. The hostel is in an old mansion and we definitely loved our time there, I was sad to leave. We took a cab to the train station, and then we were on our way to the capital city of Spain! I had spent two days in Madrid in 2007, but I was sick at the beginning of my study abroad trip and so I honestly saw hardly anything of the city. To me, this was like the first time going, so I was very excited! Once we arrived at the huge train station "Atocha" in Madrid, we took a cab to our hostel.

While our hostel, Pension Lemus, had a central location right by the Gran Vía on a lively street, the place itself was pretty sketchy. I like to call it “jank”. It was definitely the least clean, creepiest looking hostel I have ever stayed in during any of my travels (including places in rural Cambodia). We also eventually found out that the customer service was terrible too. Walking in and seeing a dusty, vandalized stairwell leading up to the second floor entry with creaky floors wasn’t the most reassuring welcome. Once again, knowing Spanish came in handy because none of the employees spoke any English. I actually had to help another person checking in who was getting flustered with the language barrier. Our room had a queen bed and a twin bed, and the bathroom down the hall had a Disney Channel “Camp Rock” shower curtain and a random 1950's cartoon like painting. It was a bit like a cheaply decorated college dorm. Despite this, we were excited to be in Madrid, and the excellent location helped us overlook the rough interior!

Hostel entry- didn't look bad, at first.

What was our first stop in the capital of Spain? An order-up Chinese restaurant naturally! We had some amazing Asian stir fry at “Wok to Wok”, which was conveniently next door to the hostel entrance. By this point, it was already afternoon and we had tickets for the big soccer game that night, so we decided to take it easy and headed to the “Central Park” of Madrid: Parque del Retiro! We started walking around and exploring, enjoying our first semblance of fall weather. Full of trees, gardens, paths, and little ice-cream shops, it was a very beautiful and relaxing walk. 

Fall in Parque del Retiro

After we had some gelato by the lake, I decided to barter with some guys selling fake Real Madrid soccer jerseys in the park. I was proud of myself for talking the man down to a decent price. My recent haggling experience in Morocco really paid off! I wanted something festive to wear to the game that night, and so it was perfect! We continued walking around the park, somewhat aimlessly, and ended up at the famous Palacio del Cristal. It is a beautiful glass and medal structure built in the 1800s. We all said it would be our dream location for a wedding reception! It almost looks like a large, gorgeous, greenhouse. We had fun walking around the area and taking photos. There were some baby turtles, hidden little mini caves, and lots of fountains!

Palacio del Cristal

Upon leaving the park, we did a quick walk by of the Plaza de Cibeles- the main plaza in Madrid where all of the riots have been happening recently, but also where they had the huge street party celebrating the world cup win a few years back. We got to see the famous fountain and government buildings, all on the walk back to our hostel. I would also like to point out that I finally felt confident enough with a map of a city that I was leading us around to our destinations. I was using a map. Successfully. For me, that is a big deal! Once we changed into our clothes for the big game, we asked someone for information on the bus to the stadium. We ended up finding a cab driver though, and luxuriously made our way there.

Once arriving at the famed Santiago Bernabeu stadium, home to the soccer team Real Madrid, we began

A fan's decked out car before the game

our quest to pick up our tickets. It was a bit of a struggle, with conflicting directions from different people. We walked all over the place, so it was a good thing we were early. We got to see the Spanish version of “tailgating”- people partying it up in the parking lot pre game, and then finally I figured out the automated machine and we got our tickets! Between the online ticket ordering issues, my phone conversation with their customer service, and the struggle to pick up the tickets, I felt a huge relief to finally have them in my hand!  We walked around a bit before the game, took photos, and the girls bought some team souvenirs. Decked out in our gear, we were ready! (Disclaimer: I am still a Valencia CF fan at heart)

Attending a soccer game in Spain is an experience in itself. Attending a Real Madrid game is a whole different thing entirely. The stadium itself is absolutely massive, and the fans in the crowd are intense. While our seats were way in the back, we still had an amazing time. We got to see world famous athletes like Cristiano Ronaldo, and cute ones like Iker Casillas, play soccer in front of our own eyes. It was fantastic! We got to do the Olé cheer, and take part in something that truly represents a very prevalent part of Spanish culture. While I initially was hesitant to go because of the pricy ticket cost, I am SO glad we went. It is definitely a “bucket list” thing that anyone visiting Spain- Madrid especially- must do!

Supporting the team by the stadium

Inside the huge stadium with my new jersey!

Cristiano Ronaldo on the field! (yes, this is zoomed in)

Mapping out the route home while at Hard Rock Cafe

Once the game let out, we decided it would be fine to walk back towards the main plaza. I guess we didn’t realize that 7 minutes in a cab is much more time while walking on a very crowded street. It took us about an hour to walk back to the city center! Once there, we decided to eat dinner at the Hard Rock Café Madrid because we really wanted a juicy burger, fries, and free refills on fountain drinks. There was a bit of a wait, but it was worth it! We had a great meal, figured out our plans for tomorrow, and then walked back to our hostel.

Once there, we figured out that we had extremely loud, annoying, and drunk Italian neighbors. The hallway was so loud, and they had their door opening while partying in their room. Every time we walked by to get to the restroom we were cat-called, and we were annoyed that absolutely no hostel staff was present to ask them to keep the noise down, at least after 1am. We’re not asking too much! We had a long day and wanted some sleep! Somehow though, we fell asleep to the sound of raging Italian techno music. An interesting end to our first day in Madrid!

Plaza de Cibeles in the center of Madrid

Sevilla- The Alcazar, Plaza de Torros, & Exploring!

10/19- For our last full day in the amazing Sevilla we were off to an early start, ready to make the most of

The Alcazar de Sevilla

our day! The first thing we did was head to the Alcazar de Sevilla. It’s a centuries old royal palace that was originally a Moorish fort, and it’s actually still in use today. It has been around during all of the different cultural conquests, so it has Arabic influences as well as Christian Renaissance type as well. We spent most of the afternoon exploring the intricate grounds, full of many sections like baths, patios, and gorgeous gardens! We took tons of photos, especially since every corner of the place is the perfect photo opportunity. The architecture and artwork was really similar to the Alhambra in Granada- so while it was gorgeous and a fun day with the girls, I think we were ready to be done admiring intricately carved walls! Also the admission was 9 euros and even though I tried to convince them that we were students and should get the discount, they were mean and wouldn’t let us.

Interior of the Alcazar

Julia, Me, and Liz in the Alcazar- looks like Granada!

Fountain and Gardens at the Alcazar

We started wondering around the city, and the weather was absolutely perfect. We got some pizza for lunch (you can only handle so much jamón), and then walked along the river to the must-see Torre del Oro. It’s a military watchtower from the 12^th century, and it is a unique and beautiful icon of the city. While there isn’t much to do besides look at it and admire the surroundings, I’m still glad we got to see it! We continued walking along the river and we ended up stumbling across the Plaza De Torros, and decided we might as well pay for the interior tour. That ended up being a very good idea! I didn’t realize that the famous bull fighting ring I always see pictures of was this one in Sevilla. We went on a guided tour and learned about the history of bullfighting. We got to see old matador outfits, stuffed bulls, learn the traditions, and where the matadors get ready before they head into the arena, etc. It was also the perfect opportunity to take some “classic Spain” photos! I think we all enjoyed learning about the customs of bullfighting, as nerdy as that may sound. It was very educational!

Torre Del Oro

Matador Statue outside the Museum

After that we decided to cross the bridge and explore the other area of the city. We passed an area where

Bullfight Reenactment

people put locks on the bridge to symbolize their love- like the ones I’ve seen in Paris and Austria- I guess that’s the new trend in Europe these days! We then decided to stop in some random side street and got icecream, and at that point Julia and I both decided we needed to find bandaids, stat. We made poor shoe choices, and after tons of walking all day, our feet were in pretty bad pain. However, it was siesta time in Spain (the afternoon), so everything was closed. We tried like 5 different places to no avail. Finally- we had luck by finding a store owned by chinos. Thank God they don’t follow Spanish siesta traditions J

At that point, we decided to make the long walk back to our hostel. We got some more sightseeing in along the way, and stopped at this weird structure that looks like a giant mushroom. Supposedly it’s an architectural “must see” in Sevilla and there was all this hype, but I personally just thought it was ugly! We then did some gift and souvenir shopping, and when we got back to the area where our hostel was, we took siestas of our own. It was much needed!

Once we woke up from our naps and freshened up, we headed back out into the city again for (of course!) tapas and sangria. The two staples of life. We found a little place in the barrio of Alfalfa, and had a great night out, as always. We toasted the end of our time in the wonderful Sevilla, and then went back to the hostel and packed.

Beautiful Seville/Sevilla

Sevilla - The Cathedral & Flamenco!

10/18- We got up early and took a cab to the small Córdoba train station. Everything went smoothly, since we are now pros of the Spanish train system of course! It only took about 1.5 hours, and then we had

Exploring the main plaza!

arrived in Seville, or Sevilla as it’s known in Spain. Our cab took us through some very narrow cobblestoned streets to our hostel, “The Traveler’s Inn: Seville”. It is a 500 year old house that was converted into a very trendy youth hostel. It has a rooftop balcony, and plenty of character. We had a 4 bedroom dorm this time, and we were excited to find we were the only three in the room (for the time being at least!). We unpacked and then started wandering around the area near our hostel. We were very close to the main plaza and cathedral, and so after we did some exploring we had lunch at a touristy place right by the Cathedral. That was our own fault, because the food was bland and overpriced, and the worker was SUPER mean and rude to us. We actually said we felt bad giving her any money because she was the worst waitress we had ever experienced. 

 

Christopher Columbus' tomb

After that, we lined up for admission to the beautiful and stunning Catedral de Sevilla. It is the largest cathedral in Spain, and the third largest church in the entire world! It has also been around since 1520, pretty impressive! We walked around the interior, and stopped at the supposed tomb of Christopher Columbus. It is debated whether he is truly buried here or in the Dominican Republic. We also got to see lots of the ever famous Spanish gold. Of course I lectured Liz and Julia about how much of this gold was actually taken from the natives of South and Central America though. There’s always a back story to history, gotta love it!

Once we had our fill of the church, we headed up the long ramp path to the bell tower, known as the “Giralda”. It was modeled after the Islamic minaret of the Koutoubia Mosque in Marrakech where I just was! It took a decent amount of time for us to get up there, but it was absolutely worth it! We got a full panoramic view of the gorgeous and colorful city, and had fun taking photos with the crazy wind that was going on. We got some great photos though, and had a lot of fun!

Spanish Gold

View of the city from the tower

La Giralda Tower

Back at the bottom of the cathedral, it started to rain very heavily. At one point Liz and I huddled under my little umbrella while Julia ran back inside the cathedral to buy a souvenir fan, and we were hassled by gypsies trying to sell us umbrellas. I kept telling them we already had one and we were fine, and that no we don’t want to pay 20 euros for an umbrella, but they were so persistent!! We luckily avoided that mess, and then ran over to a pizza stall. We sat down inside, nice and dry, and had a better second lunch than the first. Finally it cleared up, and then we headed to the ATM outside. There was an old beggar woman, possibly a gypsy, who was being really forward and asking us for money. I made Liz and Julia be my bodyguards while I was withdrawing money, it was crazy. I guess that’s what we get for hanging around the tourist zones. Those little old ladies are more fierce than your realize! It started raining again, and so we headed back to the hostel to do what any good Spaniard would do… take a siesta!

That evening, we had purchased tickets for a flamenco show through our hostel. They said it was very “authentic”, and even though I didn’t believe them at first, it ended up being truly legitimate. Sevilla is the birthplace of flamenco, and we got to witness it at its prime! We walked to the theatre from our hostel, and had a great time at the show. The dancing and music was of course amazing, and we were entertained by watching how badly the male dancer was sweating. After that show, we decided to head back out towards the main square. We found a coupon for free margaritas at a Mexican restaurant called Iguanas Ranas, and so of course we HAD to find this place! It took us a while, and we got a bit lost in the dark at one point, but on the plus side we saw more of the city, and were super relieved when we finally found it! The Mexican food of course was just “okay”, but when you’re in Spain you just become inexplicably desperate for some greasy Mexican food. We had a great ladies night out, and then headed back to our hostel. There, we were surprised to find that we had a Scottish guy as our new bunkmate, and that someone had a crying baby in the lobby! Who brings a baby to a hostel?? I mean, that’s taking the word “youth” to a whole new level people!!

Flamenco Show!

MEXICAN FOOD in SPAIN!

Córdoba - Beyond the Mosque

10/17 We woke up very early in the morning and did our best to quietly sneak out of our awesome Granada hostel. We tiptoed out the front door and then, the silence ended. Rolling big suitcases up a chunkycobblestone street is a near impossible task to do quietly. I think we woke up everyone on the street! Once we had made our way up the alleys and stone steps, we found a slightly wider street where we met our cab. We rode down the narrow, windy streets of hilly Granada, and made our way to the train station for our 9am train to Córdoba. The ride was only 2.5 hours long, and we were at our tiny little hostel, Pension Cibeles, by noon. This hostel was clearly someone’s residence who just rented out a few rooms, and we waited outside the door for a long time before they finally answered and checked us in. There was a baby crying and kids toys everywhere, and luckily Liz and Julia had me because none of the workers spoke any English! On the bright side, it had an open floor plan and touches of Moroccan-style architecture, plus we had a private room so that was a big plus! We settled in and then headed a few doors down to a typical Andalucía-style restaurant. I don’t recall what I ate, but it’s safe to assume I had some bravas! It was also cool to see how much Moorish influence the city has. There was a hammam (Arabic bath) right next to our hostel, and tons of Alhambra-esque decorations and architecture everywhere.

The Mosque/Cathedral Tower/Minaret

In my Art History class in college, we spent a long time learning about the famous Mosque-converted-into-a-Cathedral in Córdoba, and discussed all the art related reasons as to why it is an artistic gem. Having known for years about the famous red painted Moorish style columns in the interior of the building, I was very excited to finally be seeing it in person! The Mezquita or Catedral, built about 600 AD, is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is the main tourist attraction for the city. Back in its prime, the structure was the heart of the city, and I’d say it still is today. We walked around the interior, awed by the age and history of the building. I was impressed by the tall ceilings, and intrigued to see how the Moorish architecture is combined with Catholic decorations over it. There were many sandstone etchings similar to the ones in La Alhambra, and also lots of Renaissance era paintings and woodwork. Anything Christian though was added in 1236 during the Reconquista. We spent a few hours walking around taking in the history and taking lots of photos! Once we had seen most of the interior, we headed out into the courtyard orange gardens in the back, or the Patio de las Naranjas. The gardens have their own built-in irrigation system, which was very technologically advanced for the time period it was built in. From there you can also notice the cathedral bell tower, which was actually the minaret while it was still an Islamic structure.

The famous interior of the Mezquita

When it was time to leave the Mosque, we decided to do some exploring and walk around outside a bit. We ended up walking over towards the bridge and crossed the Guadalquivir river to take a look around. We didn’t see much on the other side, but we did have a nice view of central Córdoba! The next

View of Central Cordoba from across the river

site we wanted to check out was the Alcázar de Los Reyes Cristianos. This building was very historically significant, and I find it odd that I’d never learned about it in any of my Spanish classes. It’s basically a palace and a fortress, built in 1328, and the famous Isabella of Castille & Ferdinand of Aragon lived there during the time period when Christopher Columbus / Cristobal Colón came to ask them permission to take a ship in search of an alternate passage to India. Hopefully, we all know what happened from there! In addition to that, Ferdinand & Isabella also began the first permanent tribunals of the Spanish Inquisition in this building. Many of the Arab baths and gardens were converted into torture and interrogation chambers during this time, and much of the palace interior also served as a prison for suspects as well. The main tower noticeable in the building is actually called the “Inquisition Tower” because of its infamous history. As if Columbus and the Inquisition weren't exciting enough, the royal couple also launched their war on the Nasrid Dynasty of Granada from this building. The year they finally succeeded in taking over Granada, 1492, was the same year that Columbus of course “discovered” the Americas.  The Alcázar later served as a garrison for Napoleon’s troops, and today it is a tourist attraction.
 

View of the city and mosque from the Inquisition Tower

I think we were all pleasantly surprised by the large amount of very significant historical events and happenings that occurred within the walls of the Alcázar. Not knowing what it even was until we paid admission and were inside it, I definitely felt it was worth my money! We were able to walk around inside the structure, and see the old prison cells and the Inquisition tower. The view from the tower was great, and we finished our time there by visiting the old Arab baths and gardens on the property. It was gorgeous out there, and we took a lot of great photos. Out in the garden there is also a statue signifying Columbus’ interaction with Ferdinand and Isabella.

A questioning room during the Spanish Inquisition

Statue of Columbus petitioning the king and queen

Arab Baths / Gardens of the Alcazar

Since it was pretty warm, and we had done tons of walking, by the time we were finished walking the gardens we were beat! We continued on though, and and explored the several charming city blocks in the area known as La Juderia (Jewish Quarter) of the old city. We all did some browsing of souvenir shops, and enjoyed the artsy environment of the neighborhood. Around 5, we headed back to the hostel for a siesta (just living like the locals, you know?). When we got ready for dinner we learned that our shower didn't like to have the water stay inside of its tiny parameters. Things like that happen when you stay in budget hostels though :) . For dinner, we went back outside and roamed around the Juderia trying to find a place we all liked. We were all a bit "over" Spanish food, and the only other option we saw was Italian. We had a nice relaxing dinner there though, and then went back to Pension Cibeles to talk to Danielle on Skype. We then packed our bags up again and got ready for our next train tomorrow morning.

A scenic portion of the Juderia