Bug Bytes: Cordoba, Spain

ND: Cordoba is part of the region Andalucia, which is totally different than the other regions in Spain. In Andalucia they say: “We are the real Spain and the other regions are Europe,”  in the other parts of Spain they say: “We are the real Spain and Andalucia is Africa.”

The reason why this is said is because Andalucia has been part of the Moorish Empire for quite a long time, and also because Andalucia is very laid back.

People don’t spend their days inside their houses but on the streets and the “siesta” is still sacred. Between 2 and 5 pm everybody must rest and everything is closed.

BB: We all love food around here. What sorts of goodies or plates should we sample when in Cordoba?
ND: The actual specialty of Cordoba is called “Rabo de Torro,” which means tail of the bull. Don’t worry, you don’t get an actual tail on your plate, it’s more like a stew. If you can keep the image of the actual tail outside of your head it actually tastes very good.

In the Old Centre

BB: What’s the city like? How would you spend an average free day?
ND: The city is divided into the old Moorish part and the new part. As in most cities, the old part is very touristy but it’s very pretty and you could easily spend a day or two there.

But once you actually live there, you remain mostly in the new part.

Then there are options, Cordoba has a huge sport complex with facilities that you can use, the city also has some nice shopping streets, but my choice often went to either staying on the roof with a book or meet up with some friends and hang around in the city.

In summer in can get quite hot in Cordoba, so in the afternoon you do like the Andalucians do and take a siesta. You don’t have to worry about shopping as the stores are open until at least 8 or 9 pm.

Cordoba is a university city, which means that there are a lot of young people around, which also means that in the evening there is “botellon”. This is a typical (southern) Spanish phenomenon where the youth comes together in the city park to drink (drinks which are bought in the stores). From time to time there can be over a thousand people having botellon.

When you’re not drunk/tired yet, there are a lot of bars and clubs where you can party until the early hours.

ND: In Andalucia, there is no such thing like stress, so on a free day you often sleep until you wake by yourself. You don’t put on too many clothes because there is a 95 percent chance for nice weather. You wander to the fridge for some food and you have breakfast in the sun on your terrace or your roof.

Spain is quite cheap when you compare it to other West-European countries, and within Spain I think you can say that Cordoba is a little cheaper than other cities of the same size like Sevilla or Valencia.

The reason for this is that Cordoba is not ruled by tourism.

I have traveled a lot in the South and South-East of Spain, and my all-time favorite location is Granada. It’s also in Andalucia (indeed, I love Andalucia) and the city looks like two hills with a river in between.

On the hill with the city centre there is a little square called Mirador de San Nicolas (indeed, my name!) where you have the most amazing view over the river, the Alhambra and behind that the snowy tops of the Sierra Nevada.

ND: What I had to get used to most was the language.

I did know very little Spanish, but I figured that people would speak English. Wrong! Most of the inhabitants of Andalucia know very little English, and if they know some, they prefer not to use it.

So I had to learn Spanish very fast. But Andalucian Spanish is also quite different from “normal” Spanish. People talk very fast and they tend to swallow half of their words. So there was a lot of sign language involved.

Another thing was the siesta. I was used to general European opening hours from 8 am till 6pm, but in Cordoba everything is closed between 2pm and 5pm. And I mean everything. if you get hungry at 2:30 and nothing in the fridge? You’ll have to wait. You feel like a beer? Wait until 5. You can’t go shopping, you can’t go sporting, you can’t go to a bar, the only thing you can do is resting. In the beginning it happened a lot that I needed something between 2 and 5 pm, but after a while I got used to it.

And one last thing is the famous “mañana”. Everything happens mañana (tomorrow). If something is broke and you call someone to fix it, he comes mañana. If you call him again the next day, mañana.

Actually it just means that he’ll come when he feels like it. Spanish in general and Andalucians in particular don’t like to plan and to commit. It’s more like “I know you need me, you’ll see when I get there.” In the beginning this is very annoying, but after a while you start to enjoy this stressless attitude.

Mezquita

BB: If a friend came to visit, what would you do? Where would you take them, and why?
ND: Well there are a couple of things that might amaze them (at least they amazed me). We would have Churros con chocolate for breakfast, churros are a typical Spanish pastry which you dip in chocolate sauce.

We would have a walk around the old part of town, with the white houses and small streets it looks like you’ re in Morocco instead of Spain. Of course, we’d visit the Mezquita (a church in a mosque, who has seen that before?). In the evening we have some tapas on a terrace before we get ready for botellon.

If they’re planning to stay for a long time, it’s interesting to show them the environment of Cordoba as well. Granada and Sevilla are two very nice cities nearby, Cadiz is a bit further but certainly worth the trip and after a two hour train ride you can get to Malaga, at the Mediterranean coast.

BB: What’s the best way to get around the city? Bus? Train? Taxi? What’s cost effective?
ND: The best way to get around is walking. The city isn’t that big, and a lot of streets are pedestrian only. If you’re not that much of a walker, buses are cheapest alternative. To travel to other cities you’ll have to choose between train or bus. Often you have both possibilities but one will always be cheaper, faster or on a better schedule.

If you persist on using taxis, they are around, but I’ve never felt the urge of taking one.

Nicolas is a photography enthusiast, traveling an average of six to eight weeks each year. In 2011 country number 30 will be checked off the list.

If you like to learn more about him you can visit http://www.nicolasdecorte.be or follow him on twitter or Facebook.

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