We ate breakfast in the little bar across the street from our hotel, then set off on foot to see La Mezquita, a mosque that was taken over by the Catholic church and made its mother church in 1236. As always, the sheer age of buildings in Europe amazes me. As we walked toward the old city gate to the historical area, we passed the beautiful office of Cruz Roja Espanola. It was one of those happy little accidental finds, since we had had a couple of options for getting to where we needed to be and happened to choose that street.
Our first stop along the way was the old synagogue. We also looked into some little shops and patios as we passed. There are so many tiny little businesses along the narrow streets. Gema was looking for a gift for Paula, and I was intrigued with some intricate little mirrors that I ended up not buying because I couldn't think of a place I wanted to put them in my house.
Then we arrived at La Mezquita. I really didn't know what to expect at all. There were a number of tour groups - Spanish, French, Japanese - and I once again was glad that we were here in the shoulder season instead of the peak. It's a huge place, but I can imagine that it is packed when it is full summer tourist season. We bought our tickets and walked through the courtyard full of orange trees. I was completely unprepared for what we saw inside.
Its history as a mosque was evident as soon as we walked inside - row after row of arches and columns that made me feel as though I was looking into a mirror that kept reflecting back over and over, into infinity. It was dimly lit and smelled of incense everywhere. For some reason, I found it very moving. And in one area, the floor was made of glass to reveal Roman tiles in the floor on a lower level that belonged to an even earlier version of a church in this location.
Afterward, we did a bit more shopping (but not much buying) as we headed back to the car to set out for Granada.
At the beginning of our drive, I said that I didn't think Andalucia was all that beautiful. By the end of the drive, I had changed my mind. We were surrounded by mountains, and hill after hill covered with olive trees and vineyards, the ground around them dry and brown, but the trees and vines obviously thriving.
The drive took a bit longer than we had anticipated, due to some creative directions from TomTom, and a missed exit or two, but we eventually arrived to our hotel in the outskirts of Granada. It is a very new, very modern building right next to a huge Carrefour and a mall. We gave ourselves some "siesta" time, then went into Granada in hopes of being able to take some sunset pictures of Alhambra (we tour there tomorrow). There were no good vantage points, but at least we know how to get there tomorrow - and I know that I will need my hiking pole.
Tomorrow is my last full day in Spain. Sometime after 11:00 a.m., I will check in for my flight, and tomorrow night in Toledo will rearrange my belongings so that the right things are in the right bags for the flight on Sunday morning. In a way, it seems like I have been away forever, and in another, I can't really imagine how so many days went by so quickly!
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