We ate bocadillo in Córdoba - Writing Wednesday

Hello everybody and welcome back to another blog post,

Apologies for my absence on here recently. A lot of things have been happening. As I write this post, I am actually back from Spain and I am back to the normal working routine at Scudamore's. So far, despite the fact that we're now off the peak season and heading into the autumn, I am enjoying the working life and being a river tour guide. I feel as though I am growing and developing as a person everyday which is a nice feeling and I find that it's such a refreshing change from the hectic schedule I had during the IB. However, if you follow me on my Instagram, you'll also know that I recently visited the Cambridge colleges with my parents and currently I am making applications to the University of Cambridge to study history. To be perfectly honest, I doubt I am actually going to get in because it seems as though the application process is very demanding and only a select few make it through all the stages. But, taking into consideration my performance during my recent exams, I am ready to give it a go and see what happens. And who knows, I might just learn something in the process of trying.

So that's what has been taking up most of my time recently, as well as a few other things.

But more on that later...

Let me take you back to one of my fond memories from my trip to Spain. I hope you enjoy.

During our time in Spain, me and my family didn't just stay in Seville. We also travelled out to Córdoba for a day, the city my mum spent a year in during her time studying modern languages at university. Córdoba is an ancient city located in Andalusia, Spain, further up the Guadalquivir River, which also flows through Seville. One of the most iconic features of the city is the Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba, a beautiful, ornate cathedral that was built within the ruins of an ancient mosque. Strange as it may sound, the mosque-cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, sums up the city's spectacular history. Upon the arrival of King Ferdinand III of Castile into the city of Córdoba in 1236, the Great Mosque of Córdoba, built during the Umayyad occupation of the city, was transformed into a Catholic cathedral that was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It was built as a statement to the people of Córdoba, that a new religious order had arrived in the city. Hence why there is this clash between two contrasting religions and civilisations, epitomised within the monument. We visited the site upon our arrival in Córdoba and the experience was quite overwhelming to say the least. It became quite apparent, through the bold architecture that was exhibited by both religions, that the Arabs and the Christians were both trying to influence their rather naive followers. However, I was glad to have seen the site because I got a better understanding of the architecture that I also saw in Seville, which also seemed to be influenced heavily by Islam and Christianity. 

However, just before we went to see this beautiful monument, my mum decided to take a trip down memory lane and visit a place that she used to go to as a student that apparently sold amazing tortillas. She described this place as a small, tucked away stall, that didn't have any places to sit at but was incredibly popular amongst the locals. Having wandered around the Mezquita-Catedral for a while, we weren't entirely sure if we would be able to find this place but suddenly, we found ourselves on a cobbled street that was full of people. My mum shouted "I found it!" and as if by magic, the tortilla place in my mum's fond memories, had materialised before our eyes. It was called Taberna Bar Santos and it was exactly how my mum had described it. A hole-in-the-wall bar that had no places to sit at but was absolutely surrounded by tortilla-lovers. And who could blame them? On the bar table there were giant tortillas on display that were so big, they looked like wheels of cheese. If you don't know what a tortilla is, it's a pan fried mix of potato and eggs and it's a Spanish classic. You can have it a variety of ways. My mum had her slice of tortilla with a pickled salad and me and my dad had bocadillo, which was tortilla inside a sandwich. We all had our lunch alongside a small glass of Spanish white wine. I was enjoying my glasses of vino blanco on my holiday but this wine was not my favourite so I left it out in the end. However, we ended up eating our tortillas on the plaza beside the Mezquita-Catedral and it was a beautiful experience. I'm so glad we went to this tortilla bar because my bocadillo was delicious. 

Have you ever been to Spain? Let me know in the comments below and I'll be sure to reply to them. I ♡ hearing from you!

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See you next time, 

Bye,

XOX, Juliette

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Visiting the Real Alcázar de Sevilla 🇪🇸 - Writing Wednesday