Weekend Trip: Cordoba

A beautiful park when we got off the train. Bitter cold - I was wearing 5 layers and still shaking uncontrollably. I say "bitter cold" because it was 49 degrees in the morning- just about identical to my early morning runs at home in the Bay Area.

Our first real synagogue in Spain, built in 1315.

The women's balcony

The Medieval Jewish Quarter

The famous Jewish philosopher Maimonides' diet recommendations, Part I. Our favorite family quote this weekend is "Peaches: they are one of the worst fruits."

Diet recommendations, Part II

We had learned in Morocco that when the Jews were expelled from Spain, many of them settled in Marrakech, Morocco. Here at the Synagogue (and adjacent museum) we saw jewelry that Moroccan Jewish women wore. The girls and I looked at it for a long time, imagining the real girls and women who wore it.

Sophie spotted the ten commandments

After the Synagogue we headed to a typical Cordoban restaurant to try all the traditional local dishes - Albóndigas (meatballs), Salmorejo (super thick cold soup/dip made of tomato, garlic and almond paste with a hard boiled egg and diced cured ham. Second time I've tried it and wanted to like it, but it's somehow kind of bitter), bread with garlic aioli, Fried eggplant spears with sugar cane syrup drizzled on top (second time for those too - so delicious!!) and Flamenquines (like mini chicken cordon blue without the cheese).

And onto the Mezquita - first a Roman building, then a Visigothic church in 600 AD,  then a Muslim mosque starting in 754, and then finally a Catholic cathedral starting with the Christian conquering in 1236. Luckily, the Christian King heeded the city's plea to spare the mosque and not tear it down, as the Spanish typically did - instead they built a cathedral inside the existing structure. 

We have a beloved children's book called The Most Magnificent Mosque, which the kids have read over and over again, so they were all really excited to see this place in person. 

In the middle there is a window down to Roman ground-level - the mosaics are still perfect down there!

Stone looked around and said "I think I will be a Muslim now. I want to go to a mosque for the rest of my life."

The original mihrab, where the imam would lead everyone in worship.

We toured around for awhile, taking in the grandeur and uniqueness. We agreed with King Carlos V, who reportedly lamented after the cathedral was completed (which stands in the middle of the mosque) that they had made a mistake to build something that could be found anywhere within a truly unique structure that exists nowhere else in the world.  I was also interested to know that during the last decade, Spanish Muslims have lobbied the Roman Catholic Church to allow them to pray inside the Mezquita, which was rejected both by Spanish Catholic authorities and by the Vatican. Sometimes I am struck by how adults are just bigger versions of rotten kids on a playground. "It's MY building!" "No, actually, I built it, and you shoved me away, and now I'd like it back, please." "Tell it to my fist." 

This tension between religions has spawned some of our most valuable discussions with our kids. Complex feelings have come up as we have learned how the Catholic Church has bullied other religions. And yet yesterday we went to to a Convent and chatted for a long time with the Mother Superior, who was one of the most peaceful, loving people we have ever met. "What a shame that nuns can never be grandmas," commented Lindsay. And we have many Catholic friends - they are wonderful people and some of our closest friends. We hear about acts of Terrorism perpetrated in the name of Islam and we are horrified. And yet we learn about Islam and find beautiful teachings there, and all the Muslims we have personally met (at home in California, and people we talked with in Morocco) have been friendly, kind, peace-loving people. I point out that they are just as horrified by Terrorism as we are. I've discussed my condemnation of the policies of the Israeli Government in regards to Palestine, and yet they know how much I have loved my dear Israeli and Jewish friends throughout my life. Some day, I'm sad to realize, they will encounter their first hateful anti-Mormon comment. I have been judged, condemned, teased and misunderstood on different occasions throughout my life because of my affiliation with a larger, very often misunderstood institution. I hope that when my kids feel the pain of bigotry and closed-mindedness, they can channel it into deepening their empathy for others, and pledging to fight the Universal human urge to paint with a broad brush. 

Note to parents who may romanticize taking their young children to Europe for four months: Running up the down-escalator ramp is more fun for kids than just about anything else in the world.