Semana Santa 2008 - Departure

I took a train from near the hostel to the airport, and was on my way to Heathrow. There, I waited in their waiting area, which is like a mall. There was a toy shop with lots of animatronic animals, and I wanted all of them. I settled on the hamster in a ball, then I got on my flight for SFO. I landed around noon and was on my way home soon enough.

From an email that I sent to my sister:

I got home fine, there was some confusion at the Cordoba train station, but it all worked out. I accidentally took a shower in the boy's restroom at the hostal, but no one came in while I was there. I can't believe that just this morning I was on the Metro in Madrid, except that it wasn't just this morning, it was almost 24 hours ago. My flights were so-so, I bought a pet (more later...), and watched movies, including Elizabeth The Golden Age (AGAIN) and Enchanted, which while enjoyable, was really not a positive movie for women's interests. During the credits I saw "directed by [a man]", "written by [two men]" and "executive produced by [three men]" and knew why.....

When I got to the states, I went to the bathroom and there were paper towels there to dry my hands! Oh, the luxury! In London, the air dryers were so powerful that it looked like my hand was in a wind-tunnel. When I arrived at the Lafayette station, I saw that while I had been gone, the American death toll in Iraq had reached 4,000, which was kind of a sobering moment. There was a news crew van out in front of the field of crosses. I have to wait for my camera battery to charge before I can send the pictures and tell you more about my "pet".

I didn't make it to the art museum on Sunday, instead, I went to mass at la Mezquita and managed to find some super cheap ceramic things (on clearance) and got some purple pillowcases.

When I got home, I took a video of my new pet.

Semana Santa 2008 - Easter Sunday

My sister got up early for her bus back home. I woke up later and packed my things. The woman we were staying with told me things in Andalucian Spanish, and I eventually made out that despues de mi desayunos, I should be a la Mezquita a las doce. Translated, that means that after I have breakfast, I should go to la Mezquita at noon.

And that is what I did. I had my desayunos at a little cafe, then meandered to la Mezquita. It turned out that you could get in for free if you were going to Easter Sunday Mass, so I decided to go. I stood in the back, and found that photos were not allowed during Mass.

But I totally got this one. That guy on the bottom dared me. It's all his fault, I swear.

This was the second time I'd been to a Catholic Mass in another language. The first was a Palm Sunday Mass in the Langa Township in Cape Town, where the Passion Play was done in Xhosa. All of the standard elements were there - the songs in the right places, the sermon, the sign of the peace, and then Communion. I deliberated going for Communion, and decided to go for the whole experience, and to get up close to the front for a little while.

After Mass, I looked around a little, including having another good look at my saint's capilla, then I walked around some more and got some last minute souvenirs before heading to the train station.

I was a little confused with my train ticket, and after a slightly testy exchange - in Spanish - with some train station employees - who complimented my Spanish - I was on the train back to Madrid.

I checked into my hostel for the one night, chatted with a Polish woman, and then took a shower. I apparently showered in the men's bathrooms, which I only realized after I had finished showering and left the room. It's possible that I used the computers to connect to the internets, then I went to bed and set my alarm for my early morning flight. Before bed, I did read a bit of my Chinese History text book, as I recall.

Semana Santa 2008 - Holy Saturday

I took no photos today, possibly because my camera needed recharging, but more likely because JESUS DIED ON FRIDAY. Actually, I have no idea how to commemorate Holy Saturday, since we didn't really so much for it when I was a kid. It was really just the day between Good Friday and three days later, when Jesus rose again on Easter Sunday.

In the morning, my sister and I packed up our stuff and took a long, noisy walk with our roller bags across cobblestone sidewalks to a house on the next block. We greeted the lady who would be our host - a woman with a large house and many bedrooms who contracted with the hostel to provide beds to women if they had overflow. My sister and I climbed many stairs and set up in the nice bedroom with two beds.

If I am not mistaken, my sister and I then went to a Botanical Garden on this day, then had a nice Spanish lunch in a little diner. I ate olives as an appetizer, which was the beginning of my change of heart (or tongue, perhaps) about olives - at least good olives.

I do not remember much about the evening, but we likely saw some processions, then went to bed.

Semana Santa 2008 - Good Friday

Day two in Cordoba, and we had gone to the two main attractions the day before. So what to do? We crossed the 2,000 year old Roman Bridge and looked back. 

I just love scaffolding in Europe.

We also looked down the river.

And right into the Islamic Conversion Center at the other end of the bridge. I think that's how I remember it. Turns out that it is the Torre de la Calahora, or Calahorra Tower. I got a terrible photo of an incredibly awesome piece of artwork. 

Really, why did it have to be blurry?

Then we decided to suddenly go back to la Mezquita.

PSYCH! It was a miniature version, lol. The museum was pretty cool, and at the end, there was a little presentation about the awesomeness of Islam, and how many great thinkers came out of Islam, perhaps in Cordoba.

Then it was time to amble around Cordoba and get photos of a bridge that managed to stand for 2,000 years. I suppose it helps that Tim Pawlenty and Jesse Ventura were never leaders in Spain.

I got a photo of a billboard.

According to Google Translate, that means "I did not steal the dough" and now it makes even less sense. 

We went down by the river to a stinky place and I had my sister take a picture of me.

We walked around more, looked at more things, I think I wrote post cards, and then, it was procession time.

These are Spanish Catholics. See that thing in the background? That's Mary, Mother of God. Spanish Catholics.

After being attacked by the Virgin Mary, we were off to another procession. This one was by some old Roman pillars.

Sheesh, why was my camera so bad?

More ornate things passed by, and I need everyone to remember that these are Spanish Catholics, please.

These are Catho - HOLY MOTHER OF GOD, WHAT IS THIS?????
Spanish Catholics, they are Spanish Catholics. Sweet Jesus though... 

Then it was time for late night snacks, aka Spanish Dinner.

Por favor, no nos comen!

I did not listen to the shrimp. They were delicious.

Then we went to bed in our worst room yet - a shared room with two other women. It sucked mightily. 

Semana Santa 2008 - Holy Thursday

On our first full day in the city, we walked around for a little while.

Then we went into the best place in the city, La Mezquita.

Photo taken later in the day, but posted right here.

Until you visit yourself, you don't really have an appreciation for how the place feels - the forest of columns and arches seems to go on forever.

Seriously, go to Cordoba.

And now that you're in awe of the Moorish architecture, get your mind blown by the most ostentatious of Catholic artwork. 

The Canadian wall did confuse me.

Let the sun shine in.

This is something important, but I can't remember what.

Now this is aligned in the direction of Mecca. I remembered that. 

Cordoba also has a capilla for my saint, St. Ursula. Actually, St. Ursula was de-canonized by the Vatican in 1969 for possibly not existing, but canonized again in 2005. Frankly, I get too disturbed by the fact that the "11,000 maidens" or "virgins" were actually 12-year old girls and therefore children, who should not need to be described by their lack of sexual relations with men, to really understand the rest of the story.

Also, she traveled with 11,000 other people as handmaidens? How would that even work? It takes a lot of food to feed that many people, and where did they all sleep? How do you even find 11,000 handmaidens in the first place?

It doesn't make any sense, so let's move on to these three pictures of the same thing.

But you've been having thoughts of coveting things, so it's time for confession.

Oh, not too fast, big sinner, the confessional is not for you.

My guess is that this is an alter of some sort.

At this point, we went into a special room with special things and some nice statues. They probably have some significance, but it beats me how I would know that. 

This was the thing, which could have been the tabernacle and could be made with a lot of gold. 

My sister looking at something.

We then spent some time among the orange trees in the courtyard.

We then went to a little cafe for almuerzos. It might have been at the same cafe or perhaps not, but I did take a photo of the many dead pigs that decorate the city.

Fun Fact: During the Inquisitions, neighbors would invite suspected Jewish families to a lovely ham or pork dinner.
If they refused, the Holy Inquisitors were called in. So fun!

After almuerzos, we went to the other major attraction in Cordoba, el Alcazar.

The first time I ever saw a lizard outside of a zoo was near Cordoba when I was 16. Here is another lizard.

As I recall from my first visit to this place, ten years prior, these are the same fish that the Romans put in this pond.

These gardens were definitely put in by the Romans.

These are also Roman.

I don't remember what this is, or if it is even Roman.

Back outside for more Roman things.

This was definitely Roman.

Some ladies and more Roman things.

Trees and the interior area of Acazar.

Then we were outside in the Jardins.

This could be something to do with Columbus or something. I don't know.

After the gardens, my sister and I walked around the old city.

This is, perhaps, my favorite photo from the entire trip. 

As we waited for the processions to start, I played with the figurines I had purchased that day. For the record, they are figurines of the Navarones - people in the outfits people wear during these processions. 

We went outside and maybe had some food somewhere. We went back to the hostel and started to watch a procession that started with a band playing valveless trumpets and drums.

And vavoom, they're off!

But after a while, we went back into the hostel. Maybe we got some food or not, I can't remember. During this trip, my sister and I stayed in a different room every night. On Thursday, we were in a room that overlooked a procession. I found this to be the best room, despite the fact that it only had a single large bed.

Uh, who invited those guys? Are we okay?
(Yes, we are, they're just Catholics, and the Inquisition is, for the most part, over)

Jueves Santo was the night of The Last Supper, so I don't understand why the crucifix, but whatever.

The priest.

Ladies in black with fancy headdresses. 

We also made other ridiculous videos with my figurines before bed, but they're just too ridiculous, so they're not public. I hope you can understand.