THE ANDALUSIAN HORSE AND THE FLAMENCO
Andalusian horses are some of the most exceptional and elegant horses in the world. Their history goes as far back as 30,000 BCE as confirmed by the cave paintings all over Spain. King Philip II, who was a great lover of horses, established the Royal Stables of Cordoba precisely to propagate and promote the Andalusian horse, and it has persevered. So, after refreshing ourselves with all the history and beauty of the Mezquita, we set out to watch the elegance and grace these horses were known for.

As we entered the stables, I saw men in costumes, complete with berets decorated with ostrich feathers, walking the horses. Little did we know we were a tad late and Lola was trying her best to get us in ASAP. As we entered the venue, an elegantly dressed “cowboy” in a three-piece gray suite, complete with matching hat, shiny chaps and a very long stick, was doing his routine. With his horse, they covered the entire arena as the caballero had the horse strutting to the music. After his routine, in came the other caballero. His routine was a little more exhausting because he was at the back of the horse directing the horse what to do. He obviously had to rein him in because otherwise he can get dragged by the powerful animal. Again, they were strutting and prancing to the beat of the music. But the main event was at the very close, when a flamenco dancer came in, performed some dance moves, and all of a sudden the gate opened, and a caballero on horseback strutted in and began to dance around the flamenco dancer. Together with her manton de manila, she twirled, stamped and tapped to the music. She did braceo movements (elegant arm movements) with her maton as the caballero gingerly guided the horse within swiping distance to the dancer. It had to be precise because the timing of the music and the distance between horse and dancer tells the story of the dance. It was an interaction and corroboration in rhythm, elegance, grace and power – and this happens only in Cordoba.

The Patio Houses
Every May, the city of Cordoba comes alive with an explosion of colors. Geraniums, jasmines, tuberoses, carnations, roses, bougainvillea – name it, as long as it is flowering, it is there. However, most of these flowers are not on the street but in the courtyards in the houses of Cordoba. Laura, our beautiful guide who could have been a muse for this festival, was able to bring us around some of these houses that have kept the tradition alive even though it was still too early for the festival.

The first house she brought us to was a consistent winner. Against the backdrop of a white washed wall, identical pots were planted with geraniums of only pink and red. It was a sight to behold. If vertical gardens are the fad today, Cordoba was ahead of its time. Try to imagine four walls surrounding an open courtyard. You feel like Aphrodite being wooed by one of the gods and the way he shows it is by magically surrounding you with flowers. It was a delight to see such beauty. There was absolutely not one pot that was without a flower. But my absolute favorite was another house that had artisan and craftsmen as tenants and owners of the quarters inside. As we entered, there was a souvenir store, then inside was a shop of fans, another one sold leather goods, and another had art and other artisanal products that are traditional to Cordoba.

Right across the entrance in the middle, was a staircase that had greeneries cascading down the side of its rail-handle. Hanging from the eaves of the second floor were potted geraniums of different colors and varieties. At the balcony railing are more geraniums that are so lush they were cascading down and covering the entire balcony with blooms. Somewhere in the middle of all these are lush ferns, adding more fullness to the already thick flora. At the ground level, every inch of wall was covered by some kind of plant, all randomly chosen and whose only job was to cover anything that was white. It was so opportune that there was a man, working on some terra-cotta pots on a wooden bench and it was just magical. It felt like Van Gogh could not have composed it any better. This particular patio house brought two of my most loved things together – plants and art. “So where do I sign up to volunteer in this house?” I teased Laura.

And this is Cordoba. Its intimate nature made me feel like comparing it to a beloved aunt whom I always looked up to for comfort. There was familiarity, warmth and a shared history. It made me feel at home with an ardor that only a loved one can get across, all in two short days.