I packed my bag and left it with those who will stay in the same place tonight, since I have to move to a different place. Then got the 9 a.m. bus to Córdoba with Gwen and Lori who will jump ahead 2 days because of poor accommodation options this weekend. The scenery from the bus is changing and there were green fields – a refreshing change from olives (fascinating and exotic though they are).
I had all my planned places in Córdoba bookmarked on maps.me on my phone – post office to mail a package for M, 3 shoe stores, cathedral and mezquita to visit, tomorrow’s hostel location for orientation, the camino route through the city so I could walk part of it on this “rest day.”
New shoes and socks were easy to find – El Corte Ingles sells Salomons. My trusty boots have been too hot and with the frequent uneven rocky surfaces, I’ve gotten several blisters. They are almost healed now but I prefer not to get more if I can avoid it. I haven’t decided yet if I’ll mail the boots home. I want to test the new ones first, so will try to cram the old boots into my 31 L pack.
Ice cream for fortification…
In many squares of the city, there are parties where locals, decorate with crosses and flowers, drink and dance. There are dancing school contests, patio decoration contests, but I haven’t figured out how that happens.
The Mezquita-Cathedral was well worth the visit.
Finally a walk across the bridge and back on the Camino route.
Back to Castro del Río by bus for the night. I was proud to understand the driver when he called back to the passengers, clearly enunciating “¿todo va pa cato?” He was saying “¿todos van para Castro?”
Seeing Clarely 
Glad you had an interesting day and good luck with new boots x
Hi Clare,
Your fan in Chile here, following on. I’m completely jealous of you for the whole camino thing (one day!), but especially this time that you got to see the flamenco schools – it’s a fascinating art form that I have been trying to learn for more than two years, and I am learning but mostly that I have no talent for it myself.
Thanks for your blog and posts, it is a high point of my day to read them.
Buen camino!
What I saw consisted of ordinary young people with variable skill levels. Still, it was great to see the participation and interest, and genersl fun they were having. There were probably more advanced performances but we pilgrims don’t usually stay up late enough!
Glad you made good use of your day off. I visited the Mezquita in February and enjoyed it! I took the same photo of the beautiful stain glass.
Is “cato” short for “Castro del Río”?
Yes, apparently. No worse than Tronno, I suppose.
so what does that mean?
¿Todos van para Castro (del Rio)?
I visited Cordoba last year. I though the Mezquita was incredible. I didn’t notice the camino waymarks, will pay more attention next time!