{"id":23563,"date":"2023-10-04T00:01:35","date_gmt":"2023-10-04T07:01:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/?p=23563"},"modified":"2023-10-04T03:43:23","modified_gmt":"2023-10-04T10:43:23","slug":"cordoba-spain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/2023\/10\/04\/cordoba-spain\/","title":{"rendered":"C\u00f3rdoba, Spain"},"content":{"rendered":"<h6>By Joe Berk<\/h6>\n<p>Until this summer, if anyone had mentioned Cordoba to me my first thoughts would have been of Fernando Llamas and fine Corinthian leather.\u00a0 Men and women of a certain age will remember the Chrysler commercials of the &#8217;70s and &#8217;80s:<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Ricardo Montalb\u00e1n Chrysler Cordoba &quot;Corinthian Leather&quot; (1980)\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uvyTTx33PPQ\" width=\"667\" height=\"500\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>But I digress.\u00a0 This blog is about the real C\u00f3rdoba.\u00a0 The one in Spain.\u00a0 I haven&#8217;t finished telling the story about our visit to Spain (I still have three or four blogs to go).\u00a0 This\u00a0 blog continues the journey, and our <em>enfoque del d\u00eda<\/em> (focus of the day) is C\u00f3rdoba.\u00a0 We traveled to C\u00f3rdoba after our visit to Portugal.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_23589\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23589\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-23589 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Guadalquivir-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"319\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Guadalquivir-1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Guadalquivir-1-300x160.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-23589\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">C\u00f3rdoba lies along the Guadalquivir, Spain&#8217;s second longest river. The Guadalquivir used to be navigable along most of its length; that is no longer the case.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>C\u00f3rdoba is in southern Spain (in the Andalucia Province) along the Guadalquivir River.\u00a0 The photo at the top of this blog is where we walked across the Guadalquivir River into the center of the old city.\u00a0 The bridge across the Guadalquivir was built by the Romans and for 2000 years it was the only bridge into the city.\u00a0 As we walked across the bridge and entered C\u00f3rdoba, I noticed a couple posing for wedding photos in the now dry moat.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_23584\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23584\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-23584 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0030A-600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0030A-600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0030A-600-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-23584\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ah, the wonders of a decent camera (my <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/b?_encoding=UTF8&amp;tag=exhaustnotes-20&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;linkId=5f6f33f719d629c6dbfd6a66e0ca1217&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;node=502394\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nikon<\/a> D3300), an inexpensive lens (the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/b?_encoding=UTF8&amp;tag=exhaustnotes-20&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;linkId=5f6f33f719d629c6dbfd6a66e0ca1217&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;node=502394\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nikon<\/a> 18-55 that came with the camera), and PhotoShop. I cropped this photo and adjusted its curves and levels to get the image below.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_23565\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23565\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-23565 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0030-600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"750\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0030-600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0030-600-240x300.jpg 240w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-23565\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ah, that&#8217;s better.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>C\u00f3rdoba is a World Heritage site with an impressive history and stunning architecture.\u00a0 The city was part of the Roman Empire, then it was conquered by the Visigoths, then the Muslims (when it became part of the Caliphate of C\u00f3rdoba), and finally, the Christians when they conquered it in 1236.\u00a0 When the Muslims were the landlords, C\u00f3rdoba became one of the world&#8217;s centers of knowledge and education.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23578\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0178-600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"462\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0178-600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0178-600-300x231.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>One of C\u00f3rdoba&#8217;s principal attractions is the Mezquita-Catedral.\u00a0 It began life as a mosque in 784 &#8211; 786 AD when Abd al-Rahman I built it.\u00a0 \u00a0I took the following photos using the fisheye 8mm <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/b?_encoding=UTF8&amp;tag=exhaustnotes-20&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;linkId=f8e11c0797a350a5289c9f9e5bbad48e&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;node=502394\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rokinon<\/a> lens I&#8217;ve written about before.\u00a0 \u00a0Using that lens requires doing everything manually (focus, shutter speed, ISO, and f\/stop).\u00a0 I&#8217;ll usually have to take a few shots to get the camera dialed in using the onboard histogram.\u00a0 \u00a0I set the ISO high (12,800) to get the speed (i.e., the camera&#8217;s light sensitivity) high enough for the dimly-lit mosque interior.\u00a0 \u00a0That induces a lot of noise into the photo, but the noise mostly disappears when the photos are resized from their native 6000 x 4000 pixel size (at 300 dots per inch, or dpi) down to a 600 x 400 pixel, 72 dpi size for the blog.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_23581\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23581\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-23581 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0068-600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0068-600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0068-600-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-23581\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Inside the mosque interior with the 8mm <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/b?_encoding=UTF8&amp;tag=exhaustnotes-20&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;linkId=f8e11c0797a350a5289c9f9e5bbad48e&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;node=502394\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rokinon<\/a> lens.\u00a0 These interior photos were shot at a very high ISO, which adds a lot of noise to the photos that is not too visible in these reduced size images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_23594\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23594\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-23594 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0068-2-A.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"401\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0068-2-A.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0068-2-A-300x201.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-23594\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A cropped portion of the original photo above. The high ISO noise mentioned above is quite visible in this &#8220;actual pixels&#8221; viewing size.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Another option for these kinds of shots would be to shoot at a much lower ISO speed (say, 200 or 400 ISO) with the camera on a stable tripod.\u00a0 That would get rid of the noise, but exposure times would have gone up dramatically.\u00a0 I didn&#8217;t want to carry a tripod for a lot of reasons, so that approach was out.\u00a0 You might be wondering about using flash, but that&#8217;s a nonstarter, too.\u00a0 Most of these places don&#8217;t allow flash photography, and even if they did, the flash is only good for a few feet.\u00a0 Available light, no tripod, and high ISO is the way to go here.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_23570\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23570\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-23570 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0100-600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0100-600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0100-600-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-23570\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This area goes back about 1200 years. The Muslims built it when ruled Cordoba.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_23568\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23568\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-23568 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0081-600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0081-600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0081-600-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-23568\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Our local tour guide explaining more about the mosque.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_23572\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23572\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-23572 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0133-600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0133-600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0133-600-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-23572\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Another indoor photo where the lighting was a bit better.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_23571\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23571\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-23571 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0109-600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"863\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0109-600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0109-600-209x300.jpg 209w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-23571\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Islamic art and architecture inside the mosque.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When the Christians conquered C\u00f3rdoba in 1236 the mosque became a church.\u00a0 There are a lot of churches in Spain that started life as mosques.\u00a0 Sometimes several such switches in ownership and religious affiliations occurred in other parts of Europe that had been ruled by the Moors.\u00a0 We&#8217;ve been in one that started as a mosque, became a church, and then reverted to a mosque as different factions occupied conquered lands (the one I&#8217;m thinking of is San Sofia in Istanbul, which I may get around to writing about one of these days).<\/p>\n<p>So the mosque became a church as the Christians &#8220;converted&#8221; or executed all who were not Christians.\u00a0 \u00a0While the artwork and architecture are beautiful, the history is not.\u00a0 \u00a0During the Spanish Inquisition, the Jews of C\u00f3rdoba had a choice:\u00a0 Convert to Christianity or die (with death preceded by horrific torture).\u00a0 \u00a0The church is now referred to as the Mezquita-Catedral, the Great Mosque of C\u00f3rdoba.\u00a0 The photos below show more of the Mezquita-Catedral.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_23567\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23567\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-23567 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0055-600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0055-600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0055-600-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-23567\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The f bell tower dominates C\u00f3rdoba. It was built over the mosque&#8217;s dome.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_23595\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23595\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-23595 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0144-600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0144-600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0144-600-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-23595\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">An interior photo of the Mezquita-Catedral.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_23573\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23573\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-23573 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0147-600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0147-600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0147-600-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-23573\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A photograph of the church ceiling.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_23586\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23586\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-23586 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0120-600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0120-600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0120-600-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-23586\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A sculpture inside the Mezquita-Catedral.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Ferdinand and Isabella lived in C\u00f3rdoba for a while when they used it as a base of operations to drive the Moors from Spain.\u00a0 It&#8217;s also where the Spanish Inquisition took root.\u00a0 Prior to The Inquisition, Cordoba had three synagogues and a sizable Jewish population.\u00a0 Today, only one synagogue remains and it is essentially a tourist attraction.\u00a0 My research indicates no Jews live in C\u00f3rdoba today.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_23569\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23569\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-23569 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0088-600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0088-600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0088-600-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-23569\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A doorway to the Mezquita-Catedral, as seen by the 8mm Rokinon lens.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>What used to be the Jewish quarter retains the streets of medieval C\u00f3rdoba outside the Mezquita-Catedral, and today the area is largely a tourist center.\u00a0 Although the streets are not laid out in a grid pattern, the Mezquita-Catedral tower dominates the town and is visible from all directions.\u00a0 It would be difficult to get lost in C\u00f3rdoba.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_23575\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23575\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-23575 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0167-600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0167-600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0167-600-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-23575\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Mezquita-Catedral bell tower dominates the tourist area.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_23576\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23576\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-23576 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0175-600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0175-600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0175-600-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-23576\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A door handle in C\u00f3rdoba&#8217;s tourist area.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_23577\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23577\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-23577 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0176-600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"782\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0176-600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0176-600-230x300.jpg 230w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-23577\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A knocker. If you look through our other posts from Spain and Portugal (I&#8217;ll provide a set of links below) you&#8217;ll see quite a few similar photos.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>There are many restaurants in C\u00f3rdoba, and we enjoyed lunch at one.\u00a0 \u00a0Most of the restaurants have tables in front on the narrow cobblestone streets, and virtually all meals are preceded by complimentary tapas.\u00a0 After having lunch, we wandered around a bit more.\u00a0 \u00a0There are about a dozen churches in C\u00f3rdoba, and most go back to medieval times.\u00a0 I watched a family entering one for a wedding.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_23574\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23574\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-23574 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0156-600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0156-600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0156-600-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-23574\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This woman was outside a church prior to a wedding. I&#8217;m guessing she&#8217;s either the bride or groom&#8217;s mother. I caught a pretty dour expression when I snapped this photo, but immediately after she broke into a huge smile. I don&#8217;t know why I didn&#8217;t hit the shutter again.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>After C\u00f3rdoba, it was on to Madrid.\u00a0 We traveled on Spain&#8217;s high-speed rail, running at speeds of around 220 mph.\u00a0 That was really cool.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_23579\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-23579\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-23579 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0192-600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"751\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0192-600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0192-600-240x300.jpg 240w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-23579\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A high-speed Spanish train. Their rail network is impressive.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>So there you have it:\u00a0 C\u00f3rdoba.\u00a0 I didn&#8217;t see Fernando Llamas nor did I encounter any fine Corinthian leather.\u00a0 But it was still fun, the city&#8217;s dark and inhumane history notwithstanding.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Our other Spain and Portugal posts are here:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/2023\/04\/27\/spain-and-portugal\/\">Spain and Portugal<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/2023\/05\/07\/a-portuguese-norton\/\">A Portuguese Norton<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/2023\/05\/03\/lisbon\/\">Lisbon<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/2023\/05\/28\/coimbra-portugal\/\">Coimbra, Portugal<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/2023\/06\/18\/the-alhambra-and-granada\/\">Granada and the Alhambra<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/2023\/06\/06\/basilippo-a-spanish-olive-plantation\/\">A Spanish Olive Oil Plantation<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/2023\/05\/20\/the-sportster-of-seville\/\">The Sportster of Seville<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/2023\/05\/16\/evora\/\"><span class=\"dropcap\">\u00c9<\/span>vora<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Are you enjoying our stories?\u00a0 Please help support ExhaustNotes to keep the stories coming.<style>\r\n        .wpedon-container .wpedon-select,\r\n        .wpedon-container .wpedon-input {\r\n            width: 171px;\r\n            min-width: 171px;\r\n            max-width: 171px;\r\n        }\r\n    <\/style><div class='wpedon-container wpedon-align-center'><form target='_blank' action='https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/cgi-bin\/webscr' method='post' class='wpedon-form'><input type='hidden' name='cmd' value='_donations' \/><input type='hidden' name='business' value='ExNotes@ExhaustNotes.us' \/><input type='hidden' name='currency_code' value='USD' \/><input type='hidden' name='notify_url' value='https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-admin\/admin-post.php?action=add_wpedon_button_ipn'><input type='hidden' name='lc' value='en_US'><input type='hidden' name='bn' value='WPPlugin_SP'><input type='hidden' name='return' value='' \/><input type='hidden' name='cancel_return' value='' \/><input class='wpedon_paypalbuttonimage' type='image' src='https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/en_US\/i\/btn\/btn_donateCC_LG.gif' border='0' name='submit' alt='Make your payments with PayPal. It is free, secure, effective.' style='border: none;'><img alt='' border='0' style='border:none;display:none;' src='https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/en_US\/i\/scr\/pixel.gif' width='1' height='1'><input type='hidden' name='amount' id='amount_9eedb05fb9b3f7a9293782f394fc8c51' value='' \/><input type='hidden' name='price' id='price_9eedb05fb9b3f7a9293782f394fc8c51' value='' \/><input type='hidden' name='item_number' value='' \/><input type='hidden' name='item_name' value='' \/><input type='hidden' name='name' value='' \/><input type='hidden' name='custom' value='23447'><input type='hidden' name='no_shipping' value='1'><input type='hidden' name='no_note' value='0'><input type='hidden' name='currency_code' value='USD'><\/form><\/div><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.britishmotorcyclegear.com\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-23940 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/BritishMotorcycleGear400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/BritishMotorcycleGear400.jpg 400w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/BritishMotorcycleGear400-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/BritishMotorcycleGear400-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 85vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/bajabound.com\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23943\" src=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/0-20191017_4474BajaBound.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/0-20191017_4474BajaBound.jpg 400w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/0-20191017_4474BajaBound-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/0-20191017_4474BajaBound-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 85vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Joe Berk Until this summer, if anyone had mentioned Cordoba to me my first thoughts would have been of Fernando Llamas and fine Corinthian leather.\u00a0 Men and women of a certain age will remember the Chrysler commercials of the &#8217;70s and &#8217;80s: But I digress.\u00a0 This blog is about the real C\u00f3rdoba.\u00a0 The one &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/2023\/10\/04\/cordoba-spain\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;C\u00f3rdoba, Spain&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23580,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[89],"tags":[3749,3752,3310,3750,3751],"class_list":["post-23563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-motorcycle-adventure-ride","tag-cordoba","tag-mezquita-catedral","tag-spain","tag-the-spanish-inquisition","tag-touring-spain-and-portugal"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/DSC0034-900.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23563","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23563"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23563\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24027,"href":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23563\/revisions\/24027"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23580"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exhaustnotes.us\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}