On Tuesday morning we bid farewell to Madrid, wishing we had more time in that beautiful city. But we couldn't be too sad because we were scheduled to take the AVE high speed train to Cordoba in Andalusia. The AVE train really moves, reaching speeds up 186 MPH. We reached Cordoba in no time and all.

The historic area of town features many interesting sights but what everyone wants to see is the Mezquita Cathedral of Cordoba, which was built as a mosque during the Moorish period and converted to a Roman Catholic cathedral after the expulsion of the Moors in 1492. The normal practice during the Spanish expulsion period was to tear down the mosque and build a church in its place. But the Cordoba mosque was so beautiful and beloved by the residents of Cordoba it was decided to leave it intact and build the cathedral inside of the mosque. The area of the original mosque is huge, accommodating up to 40,000 worshipers at once. The Mezquita Cathedral is a truly unforgettable sight.

Where the cathedral and mosque meet up:

After visiting the Mezquita-Cathedral it was about 2pm which is lunch time in Spain. Our guide recommended a nearby restaurant called Restaurante Campos de Toro. We feasted on some very Spanish dishes such as salmorejo, which is similar to gazpacho but is thickened with bread and pureed to a smooth consistency.

We also had a delicious dish made with eggplant and honey called berenjena con miel:

After lunch it was time headed for Granada. The trip took about two hours and we and arrived there at about 5:30pm or so (they have rush hour in Granada just like we do in California). Though not quite as opulent as the palatial Ritz in Madrid, the Seda Club Hotel in Granada is quite comfortable and very well located in the older section of Granada. Granada is a wonderful place to visit. More tomorrow!