Cordoba: Home of the Candy-Cane Cathedral

CORDOBA, SPAIN -- April 25, 2006

Castillian Spanish takes a bit of getting used to. For those who have studied "classic" Spanish (i.e. the grand U.S. high school educational system), it sounds like nearly everyone talking is missing a front tooth. "Ess" sounds becomes "eth" -- kind of like the song, "All I want for Christmath ith my two front teeth..." Sevilla becomes "Thevilla." Gracias becomes "Grathiath." And I'm not traveling through Andalucia, it's "Andaluthia."

On top of that strange adjustment, my brain is still switching gears from Morocco, where I picked up a bit of Arabic. I keep wanting to say "shukran" instead of "thank you," or "salamu a'lekkum" instead of "hello."

It's a weird thing, but I noticed this same language phenomenon when I moved to Taiwan several years ago. At that time, the only other bit of a second language I knew was Spanish. I would meet these people that knew no English, and automatically I'd begin talking to them as if they were from Costa Rica instead of Taiwan.

I've met many study-abroad students, and I envy them for the experience they are gaining of experiencing another culture and absolutely immersing themselves in a second language. That's the way to go... the only hope for me if I were to actually learn to decently speak a language other than my native one.

As for Cordoba -- John and I took a day-trip from Sevilla (only 1.5 hours north-east by train) to visit this charming city, on the banks of the Guadalquivir. It is home to one of the most impressive Islamic mosques in the world. Cordoba actually became the most important Moorish city in Spain back in the 8th century.

The Mesquita itself was dramatic on the interior. Huge candy-cane striped stretch across an obscenely wide distance. The alternating red marble and white granite gave an earthy, yet unusual feel to this cavernous house of worship. As with the Catedral in Sevilla, the interior of the Mesquita was incredibly dim. It took a few minutes to adjust to the space before the striking colors came into focus.

While the Mesquita was amazing, the highlight for me was simply a picnic lunch in a small park on the other sie of the river, looking out over the historic area of town beyond a cluster of palm trees, and basking in the warmth of a beautiful day. John and I swapped life stories and it was a fabulous thing to be so far away from home, yet feel somehow so plugged in to the life of another person. Travel is teaching me that the differences between people are fewer than we think, and that most of the boundaries we believe exist are in our minds, which becomes our reality. Travel is about learning to break down those walls, to find the similarities and appreciate the differences, and to expand your present level of understanding by opening yourself up to new experiences, new people, new ideas. Travel is both education and liberation, and I must warn you -- it is highly addictive. But from where I stand, I cannot imagine my life without it.

We capped off the night with a free scoop of Ben & Jerry's from an ice cream shop down the street from the hostel, and omelets with garlic, onion, and red pepper that John and I whipped up in the hostel's kitchen. A bottle of red wine later, the night wound down to a slow finish. Another perfect day in Andalucia.

~Melanie