Slow/Fast Train to Cordoba

Saturday, June 3, 2017--Ronda to Cordoba

When we bought our train tickets, Wes was surprised at the cost (about 30 Euros each).  The woman explained that it was a fast train.  When the train pulled into the station, it didn't look like a fast train.  And for the first hour of the less-than-two hour trip, it wasn't.  Then we passed the way-out-in-the-country station of Santa Ana/Antequera, we joined the fast-train tracks between Malaga and Cordoba.  We went a little faster, but then we pulled over and waited for another train to pass.  With only about 35 minutes left before our expected arrival and about 40% of our distance still ahead of us, we finally started moving fast.  It was so fast, that we made that 40% of the trip in only 30 minutes with 5 minutes to spare.  If it had been a fast train all the way, we would have traveled only about 1 hr. 10 minutes compared to the scheduled 1 hr. 55 minutes.

We are staying at another place that is called a hostel but really isn't one.  It is the Hostal Azahar which is just across the street from the main tourist sight in Cordoba--the Mezquita (the old mosque).  Our room is very nice and has a patio area outside it that we will enjoy using.

Walking from the train station, we came through the Old Town--the largest in Europe.  In a brief outing after checking in and walking around the corner to the tourist office, we saw the old Roman Bridge, the Puerta del Puente (old gate), the walls around the Mezquita, and an art exhibit at the Centro de Arte Contemporaneo on the history of Flamenco.  It included a beautiful photograph of Lola Flores whose statue was just outside our apartment in Jerez.

We have finally hit hot weather, so after buying some happy hour supplies we returned to the room to take advantage of the air conditioner for a while.  We are mapping out a plan for what to see and when to see it using information we got at the tourist office.
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We went back out in the early evening just wandering randomly.  The Old Town of Cordoba is so big that it is easy to do that day after day.  (Around the year 1000, Cordoba already had 500,000 residents!)  We aimed toward the northeast, because the tourist office had told us about a concert up there.  On the way, we passed another art exhibit which we saw--works by Toni Soto.  (Note:  It is difficult to find any of her work; only the first 3 photos on the link are related to her and her works.)  A few minutes later, we came to a square that had many people dressed in white and a choir singing Aquarius (the 4th Dimension song).  Eventually, a drum/dance group led the crowd away from the square.  We never figured out what it was about.

We made it to the concert.  It was in a former church.  A string quartet of young people called Cuarteto Haendel de Puertos del Estado.  They played two pieces, each with four parts--one by Verdi and another by Brahms--and finished with an encore.  They were very good and had all graduated from the Queen Sofia School of Music.

Walking back home via a different route, we kept passing full plazas and bars where people were watching a futbol (soccer) game with Real Madrid, one of the major teams in Spain.  Every time there was a score, there would be roars!  Back in the room, we prepared for bed!