Photos: Richard Bergen. Model: Julia Herwood.

The great mosque at Cordoba is a refuge from the arid heat of Southern Spain, as well as from the busy city in which it now lies. Built by Arabs in the eighth century, it was a place of meeting, business, study and worship. I visited the mosque as a tourist and lingered there nearly alone among the columns in the semi-dark, awed and held by the place.

In my backyard I find refuge at the end of the day. I eat the evening meal there, watching the setting sun slant through the trees at the edge of the yard. Later the stars appear in the darkening sky. Frequently I begin the day there as well.