There is so much to see and do in Córdoba

I could live in Córdoba. It’s that kind of place. Not too big. Not too small. Lots to see and do. Very peaceful, relaxing and friendly.

It’s easy to get to Córdoba. Just a couple of hours from Madrid by high-speed train.

We went to Córdoba because the Mezquite (Mosque-Cathedral) has been on my bucket list for a long time. Once we were there, we discovered so much to see and do.

Spring and fall are the best times to visit Córdoba. It’s chilly in the winter and waaaaaaaay too hot in summer.

This city now has more UNESCO Heritage sites than anywhere in the world

December 2018

 

(CNN) — For most tourists to Spain, a visit to Cordoba isn’t a must.

Barcelona and Seville have been luring visitors for decades, keeping Cordoba, a city in the south with a population of around 330,000, relatively off the map.

Around a million people visited Cordoba in 2017, whereas Barcelona and Seville saw 8.9 million and 2.6 million tourists in 2017, respectively.

But Cordoba, part of Andalusia and less than a two-hour train ride a from Madrid or a 45-minute train ride from Seville, is worthy of big travel acclaim.

As of 2018, it’s the first city in the world to have four UNESCO World Heritage Sites, surpassing Rome and Paris.

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/cordoba-spain-most-unesco-heritage-sites/index.html

The Alcázar was our first destination

Since it was a beautiful day when we arrived, we wanted to start our tour of Córdoba by exploring the Alcázar of Córdoba. The Alcázar is known for its beautiful gardens.

This photo is of The King’s Walk, bordered by a line of cypress trees

Wandering through these fabulous gardens is my idea of a perfectly relaxing way to spend an afternoon. The gardens were designed to inspire this peaceful feeling … but they were not always used for this purpose.

Since medieval times, Córdoba flourished as a political and cultural centre. When the Alcázar was constructed, it became wildly popular, with its baths, magnificent gardens and one of the largest libraries in the world.

The Alcázar’s tranquil beginnings ended with the reign of Isabella and Ferdinand. In 1482, they used the Alcázar as a permanent tribunal for the Spanish Inquisition, converting much of it, including the Arab baths, into torture and interrogation chambers. The Inquisition maintained a tribunal in the Alcázar for three centuries. Isabella and Ferdinand’s met Christopher Columbus in the Alcázar in 1492, before his first voyage to the Americas.

Napoleon used the Alcázar as a garrison for his troops in 1810. In 1821, the Alcázar became a prison.

Finally, the Spanish government made the Alcázar a tourist attraction and national monument in the 1950s.

All of Córdoba is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Alcázar was declared a Cultural Interest Heritage in 1931. It is part of the Historic Center of Córdoba that was declared a UNESCO World Heritage in 1994.

This cypress hedge is closed because it became too popular for Instagramming

What is the name of this flower?

Most of the flowers in the gardens are the same ones that we plant. It was fun to discover something new. What is it? To me, this flower looks like an upside-down flamenco costume.

There is an extensive irrigation system in the gardens

Córdoba is very hot and dry in the summer. The gardens are irrigated with water from the nearby river. Watermills supply the power to move the water from the river to the gardens.

I would have missed this detail but Norman spotted the gates and showed me how they can be opened and closed to direct the flow of water.

Around a corner, we discovered a secret garden with a special fountain

Many pathways are decorated with mosaics

I would love to build a stone mosaic in my back patio but can only imagine how long that would take!

The interior of the Alcázar was interesting to explore

There are four towers in the Alcázar, each offering magnificent views of the historic old town.

This is the staircase that lead to the tower. I had to let go of the handrail to take this picture.

Here is a final shot of the Alcázar

We were ready for a short stroll back to the centre of the old historic city

I could reach this door knocker if I were on a horse

If you like pictures of doors, you can check out Instagram. There are 2.3 million posts of doors.

Nuns wear traditional habits in Spain

The Great Mosque is the main attraction in Córdoba

The Mosque-Cathedral, or Mezquita, is one of the world’s best Moorish monuments.

It was late afternoon when we finished our tour of the Alcázar and gardens. Our hotel was just across the street from the Great Mosque so we decided to catch an end-of-the-afternoon visit. Monuments are usually less crowded at the end of the day.

There are 856 columns in the Mosque. It is an endless vista of columns in every direction. With the late afternoon sun, it is absolutely breathtaking to stand in the middle of this oasis. The pillars are designed to evoke of feeling of palm trees in an oasis in Syria. The columns are made of jasper, onyx, marble, granite and porphyry.

The Mosque is a testament to technology. The innovative double horseshoe arches enabled the ceilings to be higher.

The Mosque is famous for its red and white arches.

I think I took 856 pictures of the 856 columns

Every vista offered a different view of symmetry

The mihrab is a masterpiece of architectural art

A mihrab is a prayer niche, a semicircular niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the direction that Muslims should face when praying.

The mihrab in the Great Mosque is decorated with gold, silver, copper, brass and ivory. Nails of pure gold were used in its construction.

This is another mihrab on the prayer wall

This view of the mihrab incorporates some of the columns

There is a cathedral in the middle of the mosque

In 1236, Córdoba was conquered by the Christians. A Renaissance cathedral was built in the centre of the mosque. Although Charles V gave permission for the construction of the cathedral, he expressed his disappointment with the results when he said:

You have destroyed something unique to build something commonplace

Look up, way up

Every part of the Mosque-Cathedral is magnificent

This white ceiling is part of the Royal Chapel in the mosque

I would love to hear the organ in the cathedral in the middle of the mosque

The eagle lectern in the cathedral is stunning

Eagle lecterns are common in cathedrals. It was believed that eagles can fly the highest in the sky and stare into the sun without flinching. They are the closest to heaven and can carry the word of God to the four corners of the world.

This is my final view of the Mosque-Cathedral in Córdoba

We stayed until the dying seconds and it was time to leave the magnificent Mosque-Cathedral in Córdoba

This is the exterior of the Mosque-Cathedral, just across the street from our hotel

We started the second day with a visit to the Palacio de Viana

The Palacio de Viana is a private house with courtyards and gardens. Frankly, we were disappointed with this tour. The gardens have seen better days. ….

Now that I am looking at my photos of the trip, it seems a little harsh to say that we were disappointed with this tour. Maybe it’s because the gardens in the Alcázar are so spectacular. I guess a second visit is needed!

This is a courtyard in the Palacio de Viana

Since we were disappointed with the Palacio de Viana, we were somewhat reluctant to proceed with our plan to visit the Patios of Córdoba. 

Córdoba is famous for its patio gardens. There is a 12 day festival in May that celebrates the patio gardens. It is recognized as a UNESCO cultural intangible heritage.

We set a low bar for expectations and decided to proceed with the self-guided tour. The cost is 5 euros each. We were given a map with the addresses of the patios that are open. These are private homes that decorate their internal patios with flower pots.

We are so glad that we took the tour. It was an absolute delight. The homeowners were very friendly and hospitable. There were very few tourists and the homeowners were happy to answer our questions. The flowers were a bit past their prime after a long hot summer but still worth seeing. I would like to visit in May during the patio festival but everyone says that all of Córdoba is crowded and expensive.

The patios of Córdoba lived up to its designation as a UNESCO cultural site.

It is always fun to find the UNESCO sign when we visit a UNESCO site

I love this sculpture next to the UNESCO sign

This is the first patio we visited

The owner is a young woman who inherited the property from her grandmother. She lives upstairs. She tends the flowers and talks to tourists. She also takes pictures.

This very sweet man did not speak English

Somehow, he understood that I wanted to know how the flowers are watered.

He uses a can and hand-waters every pot.

Many of the potted flowers are geraniums. I grow lots of geraniums in my garden because they are very hearty. They need little care during a long hot Toronto summer and keep on blooming. They thrive on neglect.

Norman looks like he dressed for this patio

Each patio has a different colour for its pots. I liked them all and would have a hard time deciding which colour I would pick for my garden.

The pots are flat on the back side so that they can be attached to a concrete wall.

This is my vision of a perfect dining room

The self-guided tour was very relaxing. We could spend as much, or as little time, as we wanted in each patio. On our way from one to another, we noticed that some patios in the neighbourhood had signs inviting anyone to visit. This is one such patio. It looked so inviting to stay for dinner.

I can see myself here!

This frog looks like me in the morning, ready to see everything in Córdoba

This frog looks like me in the afternoon, ready for someone to pour me a glass of wine

Can you touch the wall on both sides of your street?

After our wonderful tour of the patios of Córdoba, we found a restaurant, just around the corner from our hotel, with flower pots on the walls, live music, tapas and great Spanish wine. A perfect evening!

Busking on the Roman Bridge of Córdoba

After dinner, we strolled down to the river and enjoyed fabulous local music.

Our final view, the Roman Bridge of Córdoba

The Roman Bridge of Córdoba is better known as the Long Bridge in Season 5 of Game of Thrones.

If you have a day … or two … or a winter … spend it in Córdoba!