Cordoba has Europe’s best Islamic Mezquita (mosque) which I will give its own post. It is incredible, you won’t be disappointed. The old town has several other points of interest.
the Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos
I think the palm tree sets it off nicely
Cordoba has a remodelled Roman bridge
it has an 18th century monument to the plague
There is a lion at the base of this that has the most peculiar look. He looks like a cross between Warwick Capper and Farah Fawcet Majors. See what you think.
what about that mane?
side view
The baths of the Caliphate Alcazar are well worth a visit, even though there is not a lot left. The exhibit shows how Arab baths worked. The city used to have hundreds of such baths. They obviously liked to be clean.
inside the old baths
where the boiler was
the room where the caliph would recieve treatments and greet guests
showing what happened in the room
I want a skylight like this
Wandering through the narrow streets that once formed the Jewish quarter is very interesting. There are pretty houses, shops and lots of very inviting restaurants to discover.
a tiny Cordoba street
I loved this house
the lady who owned it was deadheading her geraniums
the street of the flowers
a flamenco spot getting ready to open
the restaurant where we had dinner
Spanish dinner
the walls of the Mezquita
the walls at night
the view of Cordoba from our hotel
the foyer of the hotel
We stayed at the Parador of Cordoba. The hotel was very nice and our room was enormous, with a beautiful view over the city. However, in future we would prefer to stay in the city so we can walk outside and be part of the action. The Parador was a way out of the city and required a bus (which we could not find) or a taxi to get into town. We will know better next time.
I will put up the post about the incredible Mezquita when I get back to Bagni di Lucca and I have more time to go through the photos.
Fabulous, fabulous. The lion certainly looked unhappy – funny mouth. Gorgeous white street. Loved it all.
By: mary D on April 12, 2011
at 8:01 am
It was a very wierd lion.
By: bagnidilucca on April 12, 2011
at 2:23 pm
Love this. I want to go! Having geranium envy of that street!
By: From a Tuscan Villa on April 12, 2011
at 8:35 am
I think we need something like this in BdL.
By: bagnidilucca on April 12, 2011
at 2:23 pm
Love geraniums lining the street. How lovely.
By: cityhippyfarmgirl on April 12, 2011
at 10:54 am
That little street was so pretty and I think the girl in the red dress added to it.
By: bagnidilucca on April 12, 2011
at 2:24 pm
I can’t wait for your Mezquita post, it is one of the most magical places on this earth… did you go early in the morning. Oh I am even more jealous than usual of your travels Debra.
I loved it so much the one time I visited it. I want so badly to go back now. Extraordinary place, I remember the flowers and coming back home and looking for plant pot rings, and finding some plastic ones, attaching them to my guttering in homage to Cordoba; they fell down in the night.
By: Joanna @ Zeb Bakes on April 12, 2011
at 12:10 pm
I absolutely loved the Mezquita. I had no idea what to expect, which made it even more amazing. I am so glad I was able to take photos. They will be up next week.
By: bagnidilucca on April 12, 2011
at 2:25 pm
I’ve just discovered that if I click on the photos I get an enlarged version! Have I just discovered a little known fact!! What a fascinating place Cordoba is – but that Lion is odd. It’s definitely feeling hormonal -it’s got that “I am NOT grumpy……” look. I love the pottery vessel in the old baths.
By: Jan on April 12, 2011
at 12:13 pm
I felt sorry for the poor old lion.
By: bagnidilucca on April 12, 2011
at 2:26 pm
Take me here….. plueasssssseeee…. Love the flamenco spot, oh and the flower street… Its gorgeous…
By: Anna Johnston on April 12, 2011
at 1:31 pm
Wait until you see the Mezquita.
By: bagnidilucca on April 12, 2011
at 2:26 pm
Well Deb, you beat me to it!!
I will be covering Córdoba in the next couple of posts, and the Mezquita is so special it will probably have its own dedicated entry as well! Córdoba is definitely up there among my favourite Spanish cities, truth be told I liked it a lot more than Seville. In fact I’ll be back in 2 weeks for the Cruces de Mayo, it’s said that the city is most beautiful in the month of May.
By: James on April 12, 2011
at 3:05 pm
I preferred Seville to Cordoba, but the Mezquita is incredible. Did you go to the Alcazar in Seville? I loved it!!! I think May would be too hot in Spain for me then. I am finding it too hot now. We are now in Granada and will visit Alhambra tomorrow. We will be dueling posts.
By: bagnidilucca on April 12, 2011
at 4:42 pm
I have an old ex pat acquaintance in Granada, he did all the english signage at the Alhambra. Having said that, I don’t know if he still lives there. He had an old house in the Albaicin. Oh look, by the powers of google I’ve found him :
Carmen Books
Libreria de Antiguo y Ocasión
c/ San Matias 10 – Granada
By: Joanna @ Zeb Bakes on April 12, 2011
at 9:12 pm
We have a tour of Alhambra booked for today. If we get into the new town sometime later we may look for the address.
By: bagnidilucca on April 13, 2011
at 5:43 am
Seville’s Alcázar was absolutely breathtaking, I could have spent an entire day wandering the palace and its gardens!! I had a bit of a rough day when I got to Seville but experiencing the Alcázar really turned things around. I never did make it to Granada though, so you’re definitely one step ahead!
By: James on April 12, 2011
at 6:15 pm
I loved the Alcazar. I want to move in. I’ll let you know about Alhambra soon.
By: bagnidilucca on April 12, 2011
at 8:29 pm
I remember Cordoba! Arrived there on a 4-day holiday weekend – nothing was open. We (I was travelling with a South African friend) were lucky that a kind Spanish family took pity on us, and helped us get to the camping grounds, buy food etc.
When you’re backpacking through a country, and a lot of your day is taken up travelling on public transport and worrying about logistics, you miss out on seeing some of the sights. Your Spanish series has been wonderful to follow. I can remember some of the places of interest very clearly, others not so. Your photos are bringing back a lot of memories.
The person that made the lion sculpture had obviously never seen a lion himself before! It looks like it’s wearing a wig.
By: lisa@notesfromafrica on April 18, 2011
at 12:14 pm
I know, that poor old lion must have seen himself in the mirror, he looks most upset.
By: bagnidilucca on April 18, 2011
at 1:01 pm