Today we slept late since Tom, Frances, and Stuart were jetlagged, and then had a huge brunch at the hotel. At about eleven we left and drove to Córdoba. Along the way we passed a lot of old-fashioned, Don Quijote type windmills. We also passed a lot of modern windmills and solar panels. We also got to drive through fields of red poppies.
Most of the cites in Andalucia have a history and ruins from the Roman times, followed by a Muslim history during 700-1200 or so, followed by a Christian history after the reconquest. Many of the buildings were reworked to accommodate the new regimes. Córdoba used to be the capital of the Islamic part of Spain and one of the largest cities in the world during the Middle Ages. We walked around and saw the main square and the town. We got to see the Mezquita, a mosque/church that had really interesting architecture with red and beige arches. It too started as a Roman church, was rebuilt as a giant mosque, complete with gardens and fountains, added onto over the centuries, and finally had a Catholic church added right in the middle of it.
That evening we drove to Sevilla through farmland that looked similar to Northern California. We passed a lot of grapes, olive trees, fruit trees, sunflowers, and different grains. Once we got to the hotel, we checked in and then went to dinner.
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