What more can be said about Córdoba, Spain? It has to be one of our favorite places in Spain, period. The small winding roads, the festival celebrating patios, and the architecture left over from the Muslim and Christian rule of southern Spain. It was back in March of 2007 when we visited Córdoba. We caught a morning train early Friday morning, spent 50 euros on a hostel for the night, and took the last train back to the Madrid Saturday night. Two days is plenty of time to poke around this wonderful city of nearly 330,000 people on the plains of Andalucía. Córdoba's history dates back to the Roman presence in the Iberian peninsula. It became especially powerful and important during the Caliphate that ruled over Spain. One of the most important landmarks in the city is the famous Mezquita. It was started in 786 and became a mosque. It was the second largest mosque outside of Mecca until the blue mosque was built in Istanbul. It's now a national treasure and cost 8 euros at the time to enter.
The red striped archways are the quintessential part of the Mezquita. Inside, there are several chapels and some of the former royalty are interred there. There is a sort of forest of arches that you can get lost in. We spent a long time just wandering around the corridors exploring. For me, it was amazing to see something I had studied in art history class in real life.
If you get cold easily, do take a jacket as it can be quite drafty inside. The inside was a mix of styles that spanned over 9 centuries and encompassed multiple religious influences.
After spending a couple of hours wandering around, we wandered south and found a river running along the south side of the city. Across the bridge, we were able to get a nice view of the city.
We took a quick lunch break then boarded a bus that took us out to Medina Azahara. It's a small city built about 8 km outside of the town. It sits at an elevated position and provides an amazing view of the Guadalquivir Valley. The city was constructed in layers that provided a great look out point. The grounds consist of a North Gate, a Military House, a Grand Porch, and a Reception Hall. Rumor has it the city was named after the favorite concubine of the Caliph. It also contends that a statue of her stood at the entrance. Whatever its history, its a worthwhile trip to take and visit.
After our long adventures for the day, we settled in and had some dinner and drinks. We then moved on to a nice hookah bar and watched a Spanish family enjoy one as well while their kids ran wild. It was great. Even though it was a Friday night in Spain, we weren't quite up to the Spanish night out. On Saturday, we casually strolled through the streets, checking out different neighborhoods and enjoying all of the orange trees. If there's one thing you notice right away in Córdoba, it's that there are orange trees everywhere. Do not eat the oranges from the trees. They are incredibly bitter. While we don't offer this advice from personal experience, we did watch others make it their personal experience and it looked awful. The other major historical spot we did visit Saturday was the Palace of the Christian Kings. The kings took over the palace when Spain was retaken from the Moors and made it a place to call their own. Once you see the pictures, its easy to understand why.
Until our train left, we meandered through the city checking out other places we hadn't yet visited. Overall, Córdoba turned out to be one of our favorite cities in all of Spain. We visited it in 2007 and now, five years later, we still have the same opinion of Córdoba after visiting tons more Spanish cities. The last few pics are from our lazy Saturday afternoon in Córdoba. Hope you enjoy the pics as much as we did taking them.
