Cordoba is full of character

More of the same today with another early morning train to Cordoba, the ancient heartland of Andalucia and the regional capital. Thank God I made it for the train as I did not realise that the Madrid metro starts at 6am and with only 30min headroom, it was a miracle I manage to get a ticket and catch the train.

Had a bit of hiccup in getting tickets as the ticket office I bought my Toledo ticket yesterday was not open yet and when I went to another ticket office that was open, the unfriendly staff just muttered something in Spanish and brushed me off in another direction to get my Cordoba ticket.

Was in a mild panic as it was 10min to departure time and I almost resigned myself to the idea of just hitting Granada directly and skip Cordoba. Made a last ditch effort and quickly walked through the train station to where I recalled seeing some ticket offices when I first came to Madrid and true enough, I manage to get my ticket there. Quickly ran to board the train and was the last passenger on board and the train took off just 2min later. Phew!!! Nothing beats having to run for a train to get your adrenalin pumping in the morning and wake you up from your somnambulistic stupor.

Less than 2hr later and I was in Cordoba. Immediately hit the trail to the Mezquita -the cathedral - mosque. This seems like an oxymoron but it is true and I think this can only be found in Spain due to the fluid nature of Christian-Muslim wars, depending on who is winning at a particular point in time, the building is either a mosque or a cathedral and either structure will borrow materials and craftsmen from the other. From my time in Barcelona when I saw Gaudi´s Modernist Temple de La Sagrada Familia to Toledo´s Gothic Catedral de Toledo, this elegant Muslim-Christian creation must surely be the best. The forest of columns and arches, the intricate motifs and Islamic inscriptions...they were simply beautiful!

Next on my list was the Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos - a palace-fortress complex with beautiful palm trees and well-maintained gardens. But beneath the idyllic exterior belies a more sinister past. From 1490 to 1821, this was the site of the Spanish Inquisition. God knows how many innocent people were condemned to their fates here.

Am happy catching the 2 main attractions I have targeted here and now getting ready to hit Granda tonight. Need to go catch some zzz, the physical activity is getting too much...