Córdoba and Almodóvar, Spain

On July 28 to 30, Miriam de Schweinitz, Beverly, and Scott took a two-day trip to the beautiful city of Córdoba, with a side trip to Almodóvar. We left after our shift at the temple on a Saturday afternoon and returned the next Monday evening. It was only one of two weekends for the rest of the year in which we worked on Saturday morning and didn't have a Family Home Evening or missionary activity scheduled for the next Monday.

Our comfortable and inexpensive Hotel Maestre, located near the historic center of Córdoba, Spain:

 Built in 1st century BC, the famous Roman Bridge over the Río Guadalquivir:

Puerta del Puente or Arco del Triumfo, near the Roman bridge (the building on the left with the arched windows is the back side of the Great Mosque):

La Mezquita or the Great Mosque of Córdoba, converted into a cathedral:

Statue of Alfonso X (23 November 1221 – 4 April 1284), called the Wise ; he was the King of Castile, León and Galicia from 30 May 1252 until his death. Alfonso X supported the peaceful co-existence of Christians, Jews, and Muslims (Calahorra Museum, Córdoba, Andalucía, Spain):

 Roman bridge (foreground) across the Río Guadalquivir and the Great Mosque (Mezquita, right, background), taken from La Torre de Calahorra:

Miriam and Beverly on the Torre de la Calahorra:

An ancient Moorish door to the Mezquita of Córdoba:

One of the many shopping areas in the Jewish quarter (Judería) of Córdoba:

Tower of the Cathedral, part of the Great Mosque of Córdoba:

Miriam and Beverly in the Sepharic restaurant Casa Mazal in the Jewish quarters of Córdoba:

The Great Mosque (left) and the Puerta del Puente (right):

Sunday morning breakfast at the Restaurant Pilar in the old district of town on our way to Church in Córdoba; we ate one of Spain's favorite morning treats--thick hot chocolate and churros:

Scott and Beverly at the branch chapel in Córdoba. Scott was the final speaker in sacrament meeting; the branch president asked him to speak on temples in preparation for the branch temple trip in August:

After church, we invited the missionaries to lunch at a nice restaurant. Beverly, Miriam, Elders Woodford (Star Valley, Wyo.) and Jackson (Kanab, Utah) at the restaurant in Córdoba:

Beverly in the ancient Sinagoga of Córdoba:

Arches and pillars of the Mezquita (the Great Mosque of Córdoba); construction of the Great Mosque of Córdoba began in 785 AD:

 Scott stands by beautiful columns in the Great Mosque of Córdoba:

Beverly and Scott in the Great Mosque of Córdoba:

In the evening we ate at an outdoor restaurant. Scott had paella, the most famous dish of Spain. This is a chicken version. Spanish food is very different from that of North Americans.

We went to a nice flamenco show. Flemenco is not a dance but rather a music style, which may include dancing. Some of the numbers we heard and watched including this dancer, singer (in white), and guitarist:

We took a day trip from Córdoba to Almodovar to see the wonderful, restored, Moorish castle (Castillo de Almodóvar del Río) as viewed from our bus as we entered the town:

Guadalquivir River and valley as viewed from the Castillo de Almodóvar del Río

Beverly stands between battlements in the Castillo de Almodóvar del Río:

  
Castillo de Almodóvar del Río with farmlands in the background:

  
Another view of the Castillo de Almodóvar del Río:

 And still another view of the Castillo de Almodóvar del Río:

We loved our trip to Córdoba and to the nearby Castillo de Almodóvar del Río. The area is one of our favorite sites in Spain.