We have breakfast in our little courtyard and then head off to the site of the Roman temple. The temperature is surprisingly cool, though it feels set to climb during the day. We meet our guide, Angel, for a walking tour of the city.
He takes us on a crash course on the history of the town, or 'my city' as he affectionately calls it. Founded in the second century BC by the Romans, they stayed for 750 years followed by the Visigoths for 150 years. They were kicked out by the Arabs who controlled the city for 525 years. During this time the city became a major centre of learning, with its university, and grew to have a population of 2 million. A huge city in those days.
Muslims, Christians and Jews all coexisted
Then came the Christian period and an intolerance to other religions and the city declined
We have lunch at one of the restaurants recommended by Angel. Between ue order everything on the fixed price menu, it is the best meal of the trip so far:
- Lettuce Hearts with Fried Garlic
- Cod with Orange
- Mazamorra (never heard of this before, it was delicious)
- Salmorejo (a cold tomato soup with ham, better than it sounds)
- Fried Cod
- Marinated Pomfret (another fantastic little dish)
- Pork Cheeks in Molasses (this just melted in your mouth)
- Ham and sheep's cheese Flamenquito
- Torrija di Cream (a sort of rich custard tart)
- Pastel Cordobes (apple pie)
A struggle to eat, but just about accomplished. After lunch we crossed the bridge to see an exhibition in the old gatehouse. The audio guide was full of overlong descriptions, but the old surgical instruments were surprisingly delicate
The effect of food, wine and thirty degree heat took their toll and we crashed for a late afternoon siesta
No comments:
Post a Comment