Spanish weddings, babies, and a 1200 year old mosque

On Friday, we didn’t have school – because we had a field trip! Field trips in Spain pretty much own field trips in the States. We went to Córdoba, about 2 hours away, and saw Muslim ruins from the 10th century and the Mezquita (Spanish for “mosque”). It was all 47 of the students, David and Julie Ann (the student ministry coordinators) and two professors: Ana and José María. We went to the ruins first. Córdoba was the center of the Muslim empire in Spain, but the Califa (I don’t know the word in English for that: he was like the Emperor) wanted his own town. So he built one outside of Córdoba, and legend has it that he named it after his favorite concubine.
We saw the throne room (totally intact, still has a roof), the king’s quarters, remains of the city gate, city mosque, and places for the townspeople to live. After awhile, it all started to look the same, and I just wanted to play and climb which is definitely not allowed. Maybe when we go to Rome.
Then we saw piled back on the bus and drove to Córdoba to see the Mezquita. We’ve been learning about it in art. They built it over an old Christian church, using materials from the Roman occupation and pre-Rome. So, while construction on the Mezquita itself began in the 8th C, parts of it are much older. Then, Christians built a Cathedral in the inside of the mosque later. In the midst of all this beautiful Muslim architecture, there are random crucifixes, Bible verses in Latin, and paintings of nuns.
On Saturday, Sam and I went shopping (as is becoming our custom) and then I went to Plaza de España. Plaza de España was built for the 1929 World Expo, hosted that year by Seville. Part of Star Wars Episode 3 (?) was filmed there. It’s huge and beautiful with a large fountain in the middle. There are often people playing the violin, guitar, and accordion for money. It just adds to the ambience. On Saturdays, especially at this time of year, Plaza de España is a very popular spot to have wedding pictures taken. Every Saturday evening since I have been here, I have been in a wedding picture area. First the Cathedral, then Plaza de America, then Plaza de España. In Spain, it’s very rare to see a pure white wedding dress. They usually range from off-white all the way to beige. Last night I saw I think 5 couples.
Babies around Seville still ride in baby carriages, where they can lay down on soft beds that have matching umbrellas to protect them from the sun.