La Mezquita de Córdoba

One of the sites I was most excited to see on our adventure came early into our trip. Since high school I have envisioned traveling to Spain, both from taking Spanish for so many years and, more importantly, because of music. Music was my life in high school in Fairfield, Ohio. I was in marching band for four years, and Wind Ensemble and show choir combo for three. We played so many amazing pieces of music I have trouble remembering everything. However, one of my all time favorites I will never forget is a piece called La Mezquita de Córdoba composed by Julie Giroux. Everything about this song was fun to play; everyone in Wind Ensemble (at least that I could tell) got excited to see La Mezquita on the rehearsal sheet for the day. it was such a hit for us and our director, Jill Wilhelm, that we adapted it for marching band the next year.

The song inspired me to learn about the history of the Great Mosque of Córdoba. It's an amazing example of Moorish architecture that has survived and evolved over centuries. It has been places of worship for both Muslims and Christians, sometimes both at the same time, and is still used today for Catholic mass. I was inspired to visit someday, and today was that day.

The Mosque-Cathedral is easily the biggest tourist site in the city. We went early to try to avoid crowds but Sunday morning has a way of drawing people to church. Jokes aside, most days the cathedral is open all day but because it still is active they clear out all the tourists on Sunday at noon for mass and then reopen in the afternoon. I was in awe of everything: the arches, the chapels to different saints, the cathedral in the center, and the views from the bell tower. I'll leave you with two things: the song that inspired this leg of the adventure (not performed by the Fairfield Wind Ensemble, unfortunately), and our pictures from an incredible site that has been over ten years in the making.  -Will

Bye from Córdoba! Next stop: Barcelona