Ahhh, Cordoba… after the craziness of the train thing and the madness of the festa in Sevilla, we decided that we would take Cordoba slow, and spend lots of time walking slowly and sitting in cafes and stuff. Lucky for us, it is a perfect city for this. I love it here. Something in the air invigorates me. Cordoba is all white, heat and dust. Tourism and day to day life mingle well together here. I can walk slowly and breathe deeply. It is that kind of place.

There are Easter processions here also (as there are all over Andalucia and Spain.) I have learned the name of the religious floats, they are called Pasos. In Sevilla, you watch the procession from afar. In Cordoba, you are part of the procession. From our hotel, which is steps away from the Mezquita/Cathedral, we can hear the drums coming so we run out, and the procession passes. Then we go back to the hotel, until 10 minutes later we hear drums again. Yesterday the first Paso was accompanied by sober young soldiers who protect the Paso with machine guns pointed towards the sky. This was very moving to me in a way that I could never explain. It takes them a while to get the huge Paso around the tiny corner and when this is accomplished, everyone applauds. Last night we went to dinner, a large meal for us because Cordoba has so invigorated us that we can eat three courses after walking all day. During our dinner a Paso passed down the tiny street, and everyone, including a waiter with an offering of red carnations, runs out to see it pass. After we are done eating we leave and there is another Paso coming, this time the Madonna with a flowing cape and fresh white roses all around her. We cannot move and the Paso passes an inch from our heads. Then there is nothing to do but join the hundreds who are following the marching band and the Paso down the street. There are tiny kids, older people, everyone seems to be eating sunflower seeds and spitting out the shells. Too bad I just ate three courses because I love sunflower seeds.

We are in this procession for a long time, because the procession stops often, for someone singing a hymn from a balcony, or maybe because the guys carrying it need to rest. At first these long stops are OK; but after three we are ready to move. We duck up a side street and run smack into the long line of Nazarenes (people with cone heads and candles), this means there is another Paso coming. Somehow we know where we are going, and circle the old city completely, and coming back through the city walls there is another procession! They are everywhere.

Today is Thursday and most of the shops are closed, and will be tomorrow also. We are leaving for Granada tomorrow supplied with wine, olive paste, crackers, coffee, milk, and cookies, in case we cannot find an open store tomorrow. We will spend Good Friday Eve at the Alhambra, and relax on the terrace of our apartment on Easter…

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