Visit and enjoy Cordoba’s Fusion

Ornaments at the main gate of La Mezquita

   Cordoba had been through religious and cultural fusion since early 700s. Today, we still can witness this remarkable fusion that becomes the main selling point of this historical city. My wife and I visited Cordoba (Qurthubah in Arabic) in April 2014. Here are some Tricks of Trip for you.

When we arrived (at the Train Station)

   Our visit to Cordoba was part of our Andalusia Tour. We went to Cordoba from Madrid by train. We found out from the map that the Old Town, where our hotel located, was not that far away from the train station. We walk down the Avinguda de Cervantes. It was a main road with a garden in the middle of it. Walking down the street through the garden, you can enjoy various types of trees, flowers, ponds, and historical statues. It took us around 20 minutes of walk from the train station to reach the Puerta de Almodovar, one of the entry gates to the old town. The Entry Gate and the city wall surrounded the Old Town were typical Moorish style with a replica of irrigation system right outside of the wall.

The Garden in the middle of Avinguda de Cervantes 

               The old city wall and the irrigation system replica

Must visit buildings

   The first and the main attraction for us was La Mezquita de Cordoba. This building has been through a long phase of identity changes. It started as a Roman temple long before the Visigoth era in the 600s. It became a catholic church in 600s. In early 700s, when Islam ruled Cordoba (part of Al Andalus, an Islamic state that covered Spain, Portugal, Andora and some Southern France), the Muslims and the Christians were agreed to share half of the church to be used as a mosque. Each respected other’s religious practices. In the late 700s, Abdul Ar Rahman I, a caliph who succeeded to make Cordoba as an autonomous Islamic state, asked the Christians to sell their part of the church. As a return, the Christians received sufficient funds to renovate their other churches in the city. Abdul Ar Rahman I then built a larger mosque and continued by his successors. After Muslims were defeated in the reconquista, the mosque became the Cordoba Cathedral.

   The main entrance located at the back part of the mosque; a common practice in building a mosque since the worshipers should fill the very front rows of the mosque first while praying. We place the main entrance at the back part so that the late comers would not disturb those who already in the front rows, even though there are side doors available. It is also common for a mosque to have a large back yard so that in certain events such as Idul Fithri (Eid), the mosque could accommodate more worshipers outside of the main building. The back yard is really beautiful with trees, a pond and the main tower. The irrigation system of the trees was centralized from the pond’s water flow.

The backyard

    The mosque is still stood well with its gigantic doors at the main entrance and at the colorful side walls. The mosque’s exterior was covered with beautiful Islamic ornaments such as Islamic-Arabic words and many forms of octagon (a common symbol of Islamic State in Spain). Christian symbols such as statues and crosses also presence in the exterior and the names used for the side doors.

One of the door at the side wall of La Mezquita

In front of La Mezquita at night

   Inside of the mosque, we could see the pillars, ceiling, floor, and the Mihrab (where the Imam (leader) in Islamic praying ritual stood) were definitely built in common Islamic style. Islamic-Arabic words also appear in many places. The Christian ambience appears at the chapels at the side walls and at the main altar in the center of the mosque. The fusion of the two religions was so unique that I have never seen it anywhere else. It would be amazing if the building could serve both religions again as a worship place like it used to in the early 700s.

One of the ceiling

The main hall of La Mezquita

                                                                 

The Cathedral part

The Mihrab

   The mosque was an amazing accomplishment considering the size, the small details of sculptures, and the technology used in the 8^th century. Abdul Ar Rahman I himself supervised the building process.

You can find more detail about La Mezquita here

   In front of La Mezquita, we could see Puente Romano (the Roman Bridge) cross over the Guadalquivir River. It was built by the Roman in the 1^st century. The Muslims then renovated it and added a tower at one end of the bridge in the 12^th century to protect the bridge and the city. Now the tower houses a museum. You can see a better view of La Mezquita from the bridge.

Puente Romano at night

   The next important building to visit is Alcazar de Cordoba (Al Qashr in Arabic, The Palace in English). In the early medieval time, it was a Visigoth fortress. When the Muslims ruled, it was renovated and became the palace of Abdul Ar Rahman I and his successors. It used to be a very beautiful palace with gardens, ponds and a library. During the reconquista in the 1200s, it became the command control of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella as a symbol of their aggression to take over Spain from Muslim dynasty. Now, it is a museum with a very beautiful garden. I strongly suggest you to climb up the tower and enjoy the view of La Mezquita, Puente Romano, and the Palace’s garden.

You can find more details about the Alcazar here 

In front of Alcazar

On top of the main tower of Alcazar

The garden of Alcazar

Sight Seeing

   The old town was surrounded by walls. Inside, we could see Islamic, Christian, and Jewish legacies such as baths, synagogue, statues, etc. There are also local artists that produce leather products. The old city was built with narrow streets, a common practice for Islamic States at that time. The narrow street helps to keep the temperature low during summer and to protect the citizens from possible massive attack; it would be a challenge for a large cavalry to attack a city with narrow streets. I suggest you to start exploring the old city from Puerta de Almodovar.

   A bit further you would find the new town. This was the first extension of the old town before the city of Cordoba expanded and developed to become what it is today. In the new town we could see the Roman temple ruins, beautiful Roman style churches, the old bull ring, and a lot of beautiful historical plazas. All are in walking range. I suggest you to start explore the new city from the Plaza de las tendillas. The Plaza was the separator point between old and new town.

Ruin of Roman Temple

One of the roman style church

Calleja de las flores (Street of Flowers) with La Mezquita's tower as background    

One of the narrow streets

Plaza del Potro

Gastronomy

   You could find typical Spanish foods such as Paella, Arroz Negro and many seafood products all over the place. There were also a lot of international restaurant chains around La Mezquita.

   Because of our halal food diet, we need to find a halal restaurant. Fortunately, there were also a lot of them. They were not hard to find, since they usually use Arabic names. You just need to make sure by asking to the waitress or even looking at their halal certificate.

   It would be easier if you are traveling with someone wears a Muslim identity. Since my wife wears hijab, a lot of restaurants salesman that offering brochures outside of la Mezquita mentioned that their restaurants serve halal food, some of them also offer a place to pray in their restaurants. We decided to eat in an Arabic Restaurant called El Sultan. It was located nearby La Mezquita in Martinez Rucker Street. The restaurant serves seafood, meats, vegetarian Arabian menu, and range of coffees and other Arabian and common beverages. The interior was also really interesting completed with Arabian music.

   The fusion of Islam and Christian historical sites seems to be the main offering of Cordoba tourism. I would suggest you to at least spend 2 days in Cordoba. Use the first morning to visit La Mezquita, and the rest of the 1^st day to explore the old town. Then use the 2^nd morning to visit Alcazar and the rest of the 2^nd day to explore the New Town.

Last suggestions and notes:

1.     You can visit La Mezquita and Alcazar FOR FREE. You only need to show up at 8.30 am in the morning, except Sundays and holidays for La Mezquita and except Mondays, Sundays, and holidays for Alcazar. If you visit both attractions after 9.30 am, you would need to pay €8 for La Mezquita and €4.5 for Alcazar. You’re welcome…

2.   Choose a hotel that located in the old town so that you do not have to buy daily transportation tickets. For Muslim travelers, a hotel located to main attractions would help a lot when you need to take a time out for your prayers. There are a lot of hotels in the old Town, range from modest hostels up to 5 stars hotels. Google it.

3.    If you’re afraid to get lost there’s a free walking tour everyday (except Tuesday) started at 10.30 am at Plaza de las tendillas. The tour covers the old town and the new town. You can find more detail about Free Tour Cordoba here .

4.    La Mezquita, Alcazar, and Puente Romano were not only amazing during daylight but also at night. Even better to take pictures at night with less tourists around and amazing lighting system of the attractions.

For more pictures of our visit to Cordoba, please check my Facebook album here

Visit the Elegant Vienna

One word that came up when I tried to describes Vienna, Elegant. The influence of prosperous Austrian Empire ruled by the Habsburg dynasty, later became Austro-Hungarian Empire, made this city rich of magnificent historical buildings, beautiful gardens, and now developed becoming a modern artistic city. Here I would share my experience in this elegant city when I visited it with my wife in June 2014.

When you arrived (at the airport)

Just like in many European major cities, as soon as you arrived at the airport, you can rely on sophisticated public transportation to reach the city center. To get into Vienna city center, we can use bus, public train (they call it S-Bahn), City Airport Train (CAT), or Taxi. I always chose public train for two reasons: first, it usually the most economically friendly. And second, to avoid unnecessary traffic jam.

At the airport, the S-Bahn platform is located downstairs on the west side. To go to the city center by S-Bahn, we have two choices:

1.      Buy a one way ticket that cost €4.40

2.  Buy a multi-day Vienna transport ticket (24, 48, and 72 hours) and an additional ticket to the city center for €2.20.

We decided to do the second choice because we would need the public transportation within the city for our trip. We bought the 72 hours ticket that costs us €16.50. Like all the multi-day tickets available, it already includes Tram, Bus, and U-Bahn (subway) that cover the whole Vienna. Here you can check more detail about Vienna Airport Transfer and Vienna City Transport

Must see buildings

The first building that amazed us was the Stephans Kirche, or the Church of St Stephan. This is Vienna’s cathedral built in 1147. The exterior color of the cathedral was originally white, but because of its age and air pollution, it became blackish in some part. This natural ageing effect made the cathedral more majestic and elegant. The other element that made this cathedral looks special was the roof. It covered by colorful mosaic tiles. At one side the mosaic formed the Habsburg Dynasty’s emblem, the double headed eagle.

The main tower is almost 140 meters tall and took more than 60 years to build.

Unlike many cathedral I have seen, this one is well illuminated inside. Natural light comes in from gigantic windows and glass ceiling, created dramatic rays of light.

The chapels inside face toward the main altar not toward the side walls like other churches I have seen. Occasionally, the church houses classic music performance. The entrance to this cathedral was free, except for the music performance.

Blackish ageing effect of the cathedral wall

Still magnificent at night

Bright interior

The main tower that hard to be fully captured and the Habsburg dynasty emblem on the roof

The second amazing building was Peters Kirche, or Church of St Peter, that located only two blocks away from the cathedral. This was the oldest church in Vienna dated from the middle age as a Roman Church. The original building was no longer stood. The existing building was built in early 1700s. This church is much smaller than the cathedral. However, its interior was amazing. The altar, the organ pipe, and the ceiling were so elegant. The gold colored interior and the ceiling reminds me of Vatican’s St Peter, in much smaller scale. The entrance to this church was free.

The main chapel of St Peter Church

The balcony and the organ pipe on the second floor

The third must see building was the Hofburg Palace. The palace complex is really HUGE and houses a lot of attractions including Imperial Library, Imperial Chapel, the Sisi Museum, Imperial Silver Collection, Imperial Apartments, Spanish Riding School, and many more. All buildings elegantly show how wealthy the Habsburg Dynasty was. They were huge, spacious and beautifully artistic. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures inside of most of them. However, you must take tons of pictures outside of every buildings.

I visited the Sisi Museum, the Imperial Silver Collection, and the Imperial Apartments. All three were built in the honor of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, known as Sisi. These attractions exhibit Sisi’s history since she was born in 1837 until assassinated in Geneva in 1898. She was the most beautiful empress at her time. She was also known as the Empress who encouraged Austrian empire to “rescue” Hungary. The empire then became Austo-Hungarian Empire in 1867.

The entrance was €11.50 including audio guide and covering all three attractions. The tour in the palace was around 3 hours long. You can find more detail here.

One of the building at the Hofburg Palace complex

The fourth and the most important building to see was the Schonbrunn Palace. It was the head to head competitor of Versailles, seriously. It was a royal hunting lodge and transformed into a palace in 1630s. The Schonbrunn Palace complex has a HUGE garden that houses a maze, zoo, and the Gloriette where you can see the view of the Palace and the city of Vienna. Again, the Habsburg Dynasty shows how wealthy they were.

The are several tickets available, each with different features and benefits. I am suggesting the €21.5 Classic Pass Plus ticket. This ticket includes most of the main attractions except the Zoo. In addition, we can attend the how to make Apple Strudle show. I took around six hours for us to visit this palace. Here you can find more info about the Classic Pass Plus ticket.

In front of  Schonbrunn Palace

The garden at the center of the park and the Gloriette on top of the hill

On of the garden at Schonbrunn Palaece

Schonbrunn Palace and Vienna seen from the top of Gloriette

Sight Seeing

If you prefer to spend your time sightseeing, besides the Hofburg Palace complex that houses a lot of magnificent beautiful buildings and gardens, I suggest you to visit the old town, the Belvedere garden and the Stadtpark.

Our first destination in most of our journeys was always the old town. In Vienna, do not expect an old town like in Barcelona’s Barrio Gotico, or Rome’s Municipio I. It seems that Vienna decided to modernize its old town. Most of the buildings still look European but already modernized. Here you could explore the Cathedral, St Peter church, Wiener Pestsaule (Memorial statue for Plague Victims), the Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna Opera House), and many more. Prepare your camera for the elegant Vienna.

Wiener Pestsaule

Belvedere garden is part of the Belvedere Palace. It used to be the summer palace of Prince Eugene of Savoy (1660-1736), a French prince that became Austrian military leader. The palace houses the Belvedere Museum that exhibit master piece paintings collections range from the middle age. Since I am not a big fan of paintings, I decided not to enter the museum.

The garden was amazing. It was built following the Versailles garden style, in a smaller scale. There were mazes, fountains, and a lot of colorful flowers. This place is perfect for relaxing after a full day of walking tour. The cost to get into the garden was free.

Belvedere Garden and Belvedere Palace

The Stadpark (City Park) was the favorite for locals. I was there in the summer, and people were act like they were at the beach. They were sun bathing, playing Frisbee, having a picnic, etc.

There was a beautiful concert hall and some statues of famous people in the park like Franz Schubert and Johann Strauss.

Satdtpark and the concert hall

Gastronomy

Because of my Halal Food diet, I eat in only in halal restaurants. There were a lot of them in the city center ranging from a modest food stall onto fancy restaurant. Some of them also serve local food such as Wiener Chicken Schnitzel. One that I could suggest is a restaurant called Turkish on Goldshmiedgasse right infront of the St Stephen Cathedral. The employees said that they use halal meat.

Another local food I tried in Vienna was the Sacher Torte. Honestly, I have never heard about this cake before I came to Vienna. It’s a chocolate cake that created by Franz Sacher. He was a cook apprentice that created the cake to be served at Prince Wenzel von Matternich’s party in 1832. The cake, later known as Sacher Torte, became famous because of good reviews from the guests and the Prince.

There were two options where you can try this cake; both claim themselves as “The Original Sacher Torte”. One was Sacher Café at Sacher Hotel, and the other one at Demel Bakery, both located at the old town. I decided to go to Sacher Café. Don’t get me wrong, I am a big fan of chocolate. But this one, I do not like it. The chocolate taste was sort of okay, but the apricot jam in the middle ruins the chocolate taste. The misfit taste together with the almost €6 price for a small portion of cake was not worth it to me. I’d prefer the cheese cake. Please confirm to the waitress either the cakes use alcohol products or animal gelatin or not for those who has specific diet preferences.

Sacher Torte and (the better) Cheese Cake

The legacy of the Habsburg Dynasty seems to be the main offering for those who want to visit Vienna. However, for those who do not interested that much with history, Vienna is perfect for sightseeing. Most of the main attractions were in walking distance except for the Schonbrunn Palace that a bit far away from the city center. I was there in the summer of 2014, and unlike what I was expected from many touristic city, Vienna was not crowded by tourists. It was very nice.

Last suggestions and notes:

1.     During  summer, a lot of classic music performance in the parks, churches and concert hall. Some are free.

2.   Use the multi-day transportation ticket. Even though the attractions were relatively close to each other, the hot summer or the cold winter would make you exhausted. And the sophisticated transportation system would save your time.

3.    Find a place to stay that close to the old town or, at least, close to any subway (U-Bahn) station.

4.    A lot of stores were closed on Sunday, including Supermarkets.

For more pictures of Vienna, please check my Facebook album.