Tag: Cordoba

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Fun things to do in Cordoba

On your visit to Spain be sure to include a few days in the Andalucia territory in the South. This is where you will be able to see first hand the remnants of a time when Muslims, Christians and Jews lived in harmony and peace in small cities like Cordoba and Granada.  

  • White washed houses in the Juderia

I visited Cordoba in September 2017. Here are some fun things to do while visiting Cordoba:

See the city on a bicycle

If you are the adventurous type and like to see more than the usual guided tour on the Red Hop on Hop off Bus, then why not try a bicycle ride. The city centre of Cordoba is compact, making it easy to complete a tour of the city and its outskirts within a few hours by bicycle. We rented bicycles at a rental shop not far from our hotel in Cordoba.

  • On our bicycles at the Plaza de la Corredela

On our scenic ride we stumbled upon this huge model aeroplane on the outskirts of the town. 

  • Somewhere on the outskirts of Cordoba

As we looked across the field we saw this breath-taking view of the Grand Mosque of Cordoba – La Mezquita.

  • Across the field the magnificent Le Mezquita rises

What better way to cross the famous Roman Bridge than by bike while stopping to look back and take in the back drop of the Mosque- Cathedral.  A memory captured in the heart and mind, and if you lucky to have someone with you, in a picture as well.

Speaking about Roman Bridges, another must do I recommend.

Take a night walk across the Roman Bridge

Built in the first century by the Roman’s and rebuilt a few times, most of the current structures that remain of the Roman Bridge dates back to the Moorish reconstruction in the eighth century. The bridge is best seen during the day to fully comprehend it’s structural magnificence.

  • The Roman Bridge – Cordoba

But your visit would be incomplete without a romantic night stroll across the bridge. With the river glistening in the night sky and the Mezquita lit up in the background, the walk across this bridge sets the tone and mood for a very romantic evening.

  • The Roman Bridge at night (with Le Mezquita at the far end)

Flamenco Dancing & Dining

If you ask some of the locals in Madrid, where is the best place to see a Flamenco show, they will tell you that authentic Flamenco dancing can only be seen in the South of Spain, where the dance originated.  

  • Flamenco dancing at Patio de la Juderia Restaurant

The Flamenco is not so much about the dance but more about the passion and emotion which plays itself out in an energetic movement of hips, clicking of castanets, clapping of hands and stamping of feet. Add to this the music, the strumming of the guitar and some powerful and demanding singing and you are witnessing an art form which dates back centuries and was perfected by the Gypsies of Andalucia.

  • Flamenco dancing is passionate and emotionally charged

In the area surrounding the Mezquita, you will find a variety of restaurants offering a Flamenco show with their evening dinner. We were told to make a reservation rather than just pitch up, since these restaurants get booked up a day or two in advance.

I decided to play dress up and went to dinner in my custom-made Spanish outfit matched with my newly bought hat. To experience authentic Flamenco dance while enjoying a delicious meal try this restaurant https://patiodelajuderia.com/wp/

  • My Spanish dress up for dinner

What a night to remember. The passion and energy with which the dancers move, leaves one feeling breathless and emotionally charged.

  • Dinner at Patio De la Juderia Restaurant

Wander the Juderia

With it’s narrow cobbled streets and its white-washed buildings the old Jewish Quarters called the Juderia is best explored by foot. A long time ago, the city of Cordoba was called the city of three cultures because of the harmonious nature of the relationships between Muslims, Christians and Jews who lived side by side in this little city.

  • Sunrise in the Juderia

 Today most of the Jews and Muslims have left Cordoba. The streets referred to as the Juderia is where the Jewish people once lived and remains a beautiful and attractive part of Cordoba.  You will be charmed by the picturesque streets filled with flower-covered walls and patios.

Take a pic at the Calleja de las Flores

While walking around the Juderia, be sure to look out for this street – Calleja de la Flores – the street of flowers. . You may be confused by the many similar streets in the area but do not despair.

A good landmark to keep in mind is that you will be able to see the Minaret of the Mezquita peeping through in the background. Another is ofcourse the blue flower pots hanging down the walls on either side filled with brightly coloured flowers.

There are many tourist wanting to take their perfect Instagram pic in this street so timing is important if you want to take a good pic.

One other “must see” while in Cordoba is ofcourse a visit to La Mezquita, the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba. I’ve written a complete blog on my visit. You can read it here: https://withnarriman.travel.blog/2019/05/06/fall-in-love-with-cordoba-spain/

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Featured

Fall in love with Cordoba – Spain

We visited Spain in September 2017. It was a trip that was long in the making in my head and heart so it turned out to be extra special that I could share it with my husband.

  • Our first day in Spain

Spanish history is rich with Islamic influence and I was looking forward to visiting historic sites where I could see first hand what has been left of Islam in this European country.

We decided to spend much of our planned visit, in Andalusia, an autonomous community in the south of Spain. Andalusia territory is divided into eight provinces of which Cordoba, Granada, Malaga and Seville are the most popular for tourist visits.

On this visit we spent time in Cordoba and Granada. I fell in love with Cordoba from the moment I breathed its air and smelled its orange fragrance drifting from the many orange trees that lines their walkways and streets.

  • Orange trees on the streets in Cordoba

We arrived in Cordoba on the Monday, after we had spent the weekend in Madrid. The train ride from Madrid Atocha station to Cordoba takes a little over two hours depending on the route you choose.

  • Cordoba Train Station

 I remember arriving at Cordoba station not sure about what to expect. At first glance it looks like any other European town but as you walk further from the train station into the centre of Cordoba, you notice the change in the architecture of the buildings from modern to medieval Roman with a hint of Moorish influence.

  • On our walk from the Station to our Hotel

The city of Cordoba was a Roman settlement until it was invaded and conquered by the Umayyad Caliphate in the eighth century. There is a distinct visibility of Islamic remnants in this quaint town.

In another blog I will tell you more about some must-do’s in Cordoba, in this blog I want to draw your attention to the main attraction :

Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba

The Great Mosque of Cordoba – La Mezquita- was built in 786 and expanded several times until the Christian Reconquesta when a Cathedral was built right in the centre of the mosque area. Most Spanish people still refer to it as the Mezquita, but its official name is now the Mosque-Cathedral.

As you walk through the entrance to this magnificent architectural gem, you step into a courtyard, Patio De Los Naranjos, which has at its centre a fountain, an orange grove with a covered walkway circling the Mosque.

  • Courtyard of Mezquita with its orange grove

To the right you will see the foundation of a minaret which has now been converted into a bell tower.

  • The Minarat in the background, now converted into a bell tower

 A bitter-sweet reminder of a time when the call to prayer was heard throughout the Iberian Peninsula. Now standing in this wide expansive courtyard, the one thing that is deafeningly missing, in Cordoba and most of Spain, is the Muslim call to prayer.

The courtyard is large and spacious with pathways leading you to huge doors. Step through the Puerta de la Palmas (the Door of Palms) and you find yourself standing in a large Prayer Hall where more than 850 red and white columned arches rise above you.

  • 856 red & white columned arches in Mezquita – Cordoba

From this view it’s hard to imagine that this is anything other than what it was built to be, a Mosque, but as you walk deeper into the Prayer Hall, you are suddenly surprised to see right there in the centre, squats a Renaissance Cathedral dating back to the early sixteenth century.

  • Cathedral in centre of Mezquita

Tourist are mulling around and one is suddenly struck by the mixed emotions that both Muslim and Christians visiting here must be feeling. Here is an example of two worshipping places existing within each other and maintaining its individual architectural style under one roof. It’s a moment to reflect and the space lends itself for deep reflection.

Even with the Cathedral towering in the centre of this Mosque, the horseshoe style arched Mihrab with it’s dazzling Dome remains in intact as a testament to the many sermons and prayers that must have reverberated within these walls in a time long ago.

  • Mihrab with its dazzling Dome

My visit to the Mezquita left me feeling a sense of sadness and wonder. Sad to see that the prayer hall has now become a place where tourist stand in awe of the brilliant architecture instead of a place where Muslims gather to complete their daily prayers. Yet I stare in wonder at the ingenuity of the architects who have over a period of hundreds of years, managed to maintain all of the Islamic Architecture that this Mosque has to offer, whilst placing a Cathedral at it’s core.

  • Notice the contrast – Moorish arch filled with Roman/Christian architecture

The Mezquita is open for guided tours or individual tourist at a cost of 10 Euros from 10am. The courtyard area is free for you to roam around in but if you want to see the Mosque and Cathedral area, you will have to pay the entrance fee.

Travel Tip: Early morning between 8.30am and 9.30am individual tourist are allowed to enter for free while workers are cleaning. We visited during this time and found it to be a good time for deep reflection and to take in the energy of spiritual awareness and peace that is present in the early morning silence of the Mosque-Cathedral.