From Seville we continued our journey through Andalusia for a 2 day visit of Cordoba. We were back on the train for a high speed ride; 40 minutes at 300km/hr and we were there. We really should have a similar system in Australia between capital cities, it takes you from city centre to city centre which is far more convenient than airports.
After a 15min walk from the station to our hotel in the old town we dropped our bags and began to explore.
From our hotel it was a gentle descent through a maze of streets and plazas until we reached the Guadalquivir river in the centre of the city. It’s the same river that runs through Seville and therefore was the main trading route back in the day.
Cordoba has a surprising history as it was once the largest city in Europe according to our tour guides, second largest according to Wiki. Regardless it was a powerhouse on the world stage at its peak.
Originally a Roman settlement, it was taken over by the Visigoths followed by the Moors in the eighth century, later becoming the capital of the Umayyad caliphate of Cordoba of Al-Andalusia. It was reconquested by the the Christians in the 13th century in the crusades. During the ~500 years of Moorish rule, Córdoba became a world leading center of education and learning.
Once we had reached the river front we crossed the original Roman bridge to the Calahorra Tower.
The tower contains a museum that provided a great audio tour and display of life in the Moorish times, emphasising the fact that Islam, Christianity and Judaism were able to coexist in the city while under islamic rule. It’s sounds wonderful but the reality was that non Islamist’s had to worship in private.
My favourite part was a room that had famous Cordoban philosophers from the period representing each cultures perspective, with the final philosopher, Maimonides, preaching that Love transcends all.
After walking through the museum you reach the top of the tower with great views back toward Cordoba.
After more exploring through the town we found a restaurant that Bel had researched for good local dishes called Casa Pepe de la Juderia, in the Jewish quarter.
It was a lovely restaurant but I think Flamenquin is a once off. We also tried the Oxtail – slow cooked with mash, it was so delicious we forgot to take a photo. We then finished the day on our rooftop balcony.
The following day we had a tour, but it didn’t start well as rain finally caught up with us after almost 5 weeks of amazing weather.
We started with the Alcazar, the Moorish fortress that had since been an inquisition prison and then military prison. It was mostly a ruin now that had been recently transformed into a museum as well as the Gardens being restored to replicate the originals.
Next we visited some patios that were beautifully decorated and colored with flowers. This was in the tradition of the Festival of Las patios (UNESCO), which is a festival that celebrates the decoration of tiny family patios and courtyards that housed multiple extended families (100s per courtyard).
We then toured the Jewish quarter and got to see my mate Maimonides again.
We finished the tour with the piece de resistance. The Mosque-Cathedral! Wow! A huge Mosque, that was extended 3 times to cater for the population growth over 500 years. And then the Christians built a full scale Cathedral INSIDE of it! Incredible. Enough said.
We finished the tour in awe. It reminded us of Barcelona and the impact of Gaudi’s Sagrada Famila. Indescribable.
For the remainder of our time in Cordoba we enjoyed wandering through the streets, doing some shopping and searching for some local delights. My favorite was a Cod and Orange Salad.
Thank you Cordoba, another wonderful experience.
