My Christmas present from Cameron this year was a trip to Cordoba, a city two and a half hours north/west from Granada. What an amazing present (and boyfriend)!! We woke up on Wednesday morning to catch the bus from Granada and arrived in Cordoba just in time for a siesta.
After our nap we found a tapas bar down the street in La Judería, the Jewish quarter and a World Heritage Site. We splurged and got the Tapas de Cordoba, a sample of six different tapas traditional to the area. Cordoba at night is gorgeous, with La Mezquita - the highlight of this city - lit up all along its outer walls, an entire city block along the river.
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La Mezquita/ La Catedral is on the left, and our hotel is the
lit up vertical sign on the right. Cameron couldn't have picked
a better hotel in a more convenient location! |
We woke up in the morning and walked one block, around La Mezquita, to the Roman Bridge. The view behind us is La Mezquita (or La Catedral):
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| Horses and carriages outside the mosque/cathedral |
The center courtyard of the cathedral/mosque is filled with rows of orange trees, all watered by a system of open troughs designed with gravity in mind.
I remember seeing pictures in my high school art history class of the arches at Cordoba, red and white, that seem to span forever. I was so excited to get to see La Mezquita (and the arches) in person, and I wasn't disappointed. The mosque is essentially one giant room, with side cathedrals and sanctuaries along its outer walls with one giant cathedral abbey at the center (yes the Catholics got ahold of the mosque and converted it, but left the arches and the ornate 'mihrab' which is an outlet in the wall of all mosques everywhere in the world that points to mecca).
The 'mihrab' was possibly the most ornate part of the mosque, with gold and blue decor and a beautiful domed ceiling. Cameron said it was his favourite part of La Mezquita:
A side cathedral inside La Mezquita:
The main abbey of the cathedral, built at the center of La Mezquita:
We took a walk through La Judería, down little alleys and side streets that could barely fit a car. It got comical when a car actually tried to come down a street we were walking on and we had to duck into a doorway to let it pass.
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| Old Roman ruins at the center of Cordoba. |
We took a cafe con leche (coffee with milk) at a plaza that used to be an old Roman amphitheater, called Plaza Corredera.
We made our way back to our hotel for a siesta along the river, through plazas with fountains and museums and history. We passed through a plaza mentioned in Don Quixote, as announced by a plaque on the wall with the inscription "Miguel Cervantes ... mentioned this place and neighbourhood in the best novel of the world."
The Roman Bridge from afar:
Our hotel room, with a view of La Mezquita (and nothing but the mosque!) outside our window (we spent more time than planned at the hotel after Cameron got a bout of stomach flu or food sickness - not sure which - on our last night. Thankfully it only lasted through the night and he felt better in the morning):
We had a late lunch at a restaurant built in an indoor patio and arches to look like the arches inside La Mezquita. I got the 'Chef's Artichoke' and Cameron got ox's tail ... which may have accounted for his illness later that night.
Above are more views of the walls of La Mezquita at another entrance. It's hard to miss this monument when you're walking around the old city - I'm sure we walked around its walls half a dozen times during our two day stay in Cordoba. Though our stay may have been tainted by a bit of illness, the city was beautiful and I don't feel like we missed out on seeing anything. It was so great to see another part of Spain and spend some time with Cameron.
