Cordoba - Mosque built in 768 still stands as Cathedral

We woke to the sound of Bells calling us to Mass this morning.   I think I told you yesterday that our hotel room is right across the street from the Mosque/Cathedral.   Mom, they don't play songs, but the bells ring for a good 5 minutes early in the morning.   Apparently everyone is welcome to morning mattens, or they use the bells to know it is time for a shower and breakfast.

We made our way to the ticket office to see this huge faciity.   Everyone was on Spanish time.  The ticket taker took his time opening the window even though there was in excess of 200 people waiting for him to start.   You can't imagine how a building that was started in the year 768 as a mosque is still here today as a Catholic Cathedral.    They kept many of the areas for side temples and just redecorated as needed, keeping the moorish feel to the building.   It looks pretty spectacular until you walk in the Cathedral, and then it looks pretty humble in comparisson.

One of the side chambers ( Designed by the Moors) was designed to be a sound chamber for the whole building.   The speaker would stand in one of these side chambers facing the wall, and the sound was channeled up the side and out into the whole room.  What fabulous design.     The Cathedral has also closed in many of the side chambers and filled them with gold artifacts.

They are in the process of building a museum and one of the most amazing artifacts ( to me) was the Church record book from the year 1661.   They have them all.

We stopped for lunch in one of the many, many patio cafe's.   How do you say no to a wonderful place like this?   I have been looking for Leischen's favorite cameno meal ( Spanish Omlet) and it is served everywhere here for about $2E.   They also have a Gaspacho soup( Cold Tomato with onion, cucumber and ??) that is made with thick yogurt or sour cream that is suppose to be wonderful.  ( Fred likes it a lot, I don't really like cold soup, unless it is melon).  

The city of Cordoba has seen what tourism does for Seville.  It is on the same train track and would like people to stop, take a look and share some of the $$ with this economy.    They have taken the Roman Bridge and lit it for wonderful evening walks.   There are pleasant parks everywhere and they have put so much money into the restoration of their antiquities.

Sorry to be so wordy.  Fred is sound asleep, I am tired of shopping and resting my feet.   I don't mind if you breeze through the pictures and just enjoy the views.

Be careful all my friends and family in WASHINGTON,  it sounds like a terrible storm.