One more try

Four years ago I came to Córdoba. I was with seven other people in two rented cars. Several of us had fairly strong personalities, and none of us really spoke Spanish. We showed up without a place to stay, had trouble finding a place to stay, argued about where to stay. Once we finally found a hostal, I promptly got myself mugged, sending some of us to the police station and leaving the rest on hold for what I think was a really long time. Without cell phones. We managed to somehow make it out of there without hating Córdoba or each other. (Well, we don't have each other now anyway....) That said, I liked Córdoba much better on the second try. No muggings, no fighting, no tears. I did get a cold, but I deserve it.

I think my favorite thing about Córdoba is the courtyards. It's the Muslim architecture--you see it all over Spain and especially in the south, but Córdoba just seems to do courtyards better than anywhere else I've been. We saw flamenco under the stars in a courtyard. Touristy, yeah, but it wasn't bad and the setting went a long way towards making up for any lack of authenticity. I was convinced our hotel was the same place where my less-broke friends stayed four years ago because I was sure I recognized the courtyard, with its plants and tiles and fountains. But then I passed another place that I was evenmore sure was where they stayed. And then it happened again. Okay, I clearly have no idea where they stayed. ...Which isn't to say that all the courtyards look the same; they're just all really nice, and nice is apparently all I remember about the one from four years ago.

My least favorite thing about Córdoba is salmorejo. I had seen people eating it, got grossed out, and then accidentally ordered it myself because I didn't know what it was called and was feeling adventurous. It's like gazpacho but thick and creamy. Really thick. It actually doesn't taste that bad (I had ordered it and was gonna pay for it, I had to try it), it's just that gazpacho is really good, and even kinda healthy. This stuff can't possibly be healthy. And even worse, it is such an eyesore. It's this light, bright orange that looks like a cross between Thousand Island salad dressing (gag) and that "cheese" dip they sell with nacho chips at sporting events (wretch). Pretty foul.