Day Trippin', La Rambla and Córdoba Edition

You can't always get what you want. 

But if you try sometimes. Well, you just might find. 

You get what you need. --The Rolling Stones

Looking at beautiful things makes me the happiest in life. --Allie MacGraw

For you is your religion, and for me is my religion.--The Quran

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I just spent about an hour on the hunt for black beans.

Simple black beans. The type that used to be a staple in our house, especially after years of living in Texas and eating lots of Tex-Mex food.

But alas, there are no canned black beans to be found. Or jarred. Yes, here beans are more likely to come in a jar than in a can.

Nary a black bean to be found in the town of Rota. . . and no pinto beans, either.

And this is what you call "first world problems." It's the main extent of my issues living in Spain these days.

(and before well-meaning people send me care packages of black beans--I can get them at the base, and I have a bag of dried ones sitting in the pantry--it just requires a little meal planning and prep, which I am lousy at doing).

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I keep seeing the following statements online:

"Collect moments, not things."

"Less things, more experiences."

and not to forget we now need to think about what gives us joy (and chunk the rest of it).

These thoughts are verging on becoming cliches; once I see them on items (shirts, hats), I know it's all over.

The sentiment of eschewing material goods for travel and experiences is an appealing one to me. A lot of that has to do with my big, big birthday coming up in a few months (5-0, ouch) and a summer sitting around sometimes bored, waiting for school to start up again, with lots of time for reflection.

Some of that reflection is also coupled with closet cleaning, as well. I want less things, and I want to want less things. The latter is more difficult at times than the former.

Again, more first world problems. "Poor me, I have to quit buying stuff!"

With this "less is more" mentality, I decided one lovely April day to travel with a group of girlfriends to the town of La Rambla. . . to do some pottery shopping.

See how that happens? I am going for the experience of traveling to a new destination, but the purpose of the destination is to buy more things.

In other words, travel and trinkets seems to be intrinsically connected.

Instead of aimlessly looking for things I need and can't find (black beans), I spend a lot of time aimlessly looking at things I don't need but want (pottery).

My girl squad got into my friend's SUV and we drove about three hours to La Rambla.

(Every time I say "La Rambla," I think of the Led Zeppelin song "Ramble On." Now you, too, shall have it in your head as you are reading this).

La Rambla is still in Andalusia, in the province of Córdoba (and about 40 minutes away from the city of Córdoba). The small town has meandering roads lined with dozens and dozens of pottery studios. Walls, shelves, and even the outside of buildings are covered with colorful ceramics and hand thrown pots, plates, platters, and other decorative pieces.

If you've spent any time in Spain, you know about the gorgeous tiles (Sevilla seems to have them everywhere). La Rambla makes tiles, but there are so many other pieces potters in this town make to export all over the world.

There are vases around 5 feet tall. What is the use for this, anyway? I was puzzled and amazed at the detail.

I went from, "Eh, I'm just going to look" to "I really think that a vase the size of a small-ish woman would look great in my entryway!!!" 

(No, I didn't buy it)

I did, however, buy a few small pieces and some gifts, and I am looking forward to going again, hopefully when my parents come to visit in September. They both love pottery--my father is good at throwing pots, my mother is the artistic one when it comes to painting and glazes. 

Here is just a tiny sampling of what we saw in La Rambla: 

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As we were taking our carefully packed goodies back home, we saw the sign for the Mezquita-Catedral in Córdoba and decided to take a detour.

The Moors (North Africans, mostly Muslim) ruled Spain for about 800 years. In some places, there was a peaceful coexistence of Catholic and Muslim faiths; no place is this as obvious as in Córdoba, and the Mezquita-Catedral (Mosque-Cathedral). Once there was a Catholic church that was split into worship space for both Muslims and Catholics. Then the Moors tore down the church to build the current structure sometime in the late 700s. And then, the Catholics took over the building after the Moors were expelled from Spain, and have controlled the building since. Today it is still a place of worship and weekly mass is held here.

The large prayer hall is famous for its many arched columns of red and white stone. There is also a Mihrab, or prayer niche.

In contrast with original mosque's architecture are much later-added Christian elements, such as gilded alters and statues of religious figures.

After studying the Mezquita-Catedral in Spanish classes in college many, MANY years ago, I am so happy I finally got to see it. 

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We only stayed in Córdoba a couple of hours, and it is definitely a place I want to visit again. It is also famous for its patio festival. Colorful flowers were hanging everywhere, including in some of those famous pots from La Rambla. Oranges were in bloom and the entire city smelled divine.

We stopped for a break in the Jewish quarter, which is right outside of the Mosque-Cathedral. In one of my Spanish classes, I learned about the history of the "city of three cultures." Sadly, the Catholic monarchy of Ferdinand and Isabella made sure the Jews were expelled in 1492, and Moors of Muslim faith were finally expelled under King Charles V in the 1500s. The period of peaceful co-existence of Muslims, Christians, and Jews was no more. There are buildings and museums to tour and learn more about this time period, which I fully plan on doing--just during the fall or spring, since Córdoba is also known for its 100º+ days in the summer.

Click here for our Cuban adventure (2012-2017).