Saturday, May 19 -- Day 7

**On Saturday, we endured the rainy weather for a great time in Cordoba! 

Even though the weather took a rather rainy turn, we still made the best of it! Waking-up in the a little quant villa outside of Cordoba provided a pleasant morning and a pleasant accompanying breakfast. 

Taking the quick thirty-minute trip into Cordoba was enough time for our beloved tour guide, Juan, to provide us with a well-informed history of the city of Cordoba. When we arrived in the city, the beauty of the ancient city shocked our entire group of travelers. What was surprising for most of us was the age of the city. Dating back to nearly the year 800 A.D., Cordoba and the sites around the city provide the oldest structures we will see during our venture abroad.

 The Mosque at Cordoba is a holy structure that has represented the religious struggle that has occurred throughout Spain’s existence. Regularly switching from Muslim to Christian control and vice versa, the Mosque at Cordoba showcases traits of each religion and this makes for an excellent visual representation of Cordoba. With distinctive architecture, the structure has Islamic and Christian markings that truly make for an excellent tour.

After touring the beautiful mosque, we ventured into the streets of Cordoba and experienced an authentic Spanish city. With Flamenco dancers and Spaniards lining the streets, Cordoba was an experience all in itself.