Cordoba bliss

(Pics will be here at a later date. My camera cord isnt cooperating)

A brief weekend getaway found myself, Raquel, and Hannah in the medium sized city of Cordoba in Andalusia. We took the renfe train at 9 am on saturday and was in the city an hour and a half later meeting Hannah. It was quite a journey finding our hostal because we didnt have the name of it. We tried other hostals, but they were full. We finally retrieved some numbers and called. The first place we called had a room for 3, thankfully it was a lovely place with Spanish character. There were 2 turtle pets in the center courtyard. So cute! We explored that afternoon and for dinner that night, we found a pizzeria to fulfill our cravings.

In ancient times, Cordoba was an Iberian and Roman city with Islamic calliphate. The architecture is a reminder when Cordoba was under Roman rule. Cordoba has the second largest old town in Europe, and its most important monument being the Great Mosque of Cordoba otherwise known as the Mezquita Catedral. Originally it was a pagan temple, then a Christian church, then a mosque. For three centuries, it was a very important place for the Islamic community to gather.

The design is remarkable featuring its giant doubles arches, open court, and windows of colored glass. There are about 800 columns. It is an eerie feeling knowing you are in a place with so much history.

The Roman bridge built in the 1st century is a beautiful piece of architecture. It was lovely walking across and seeing the city at a good view from across the bridge.

The Jewish quarter contains many irregular streets, winding roads, and beautiful patios (in May there is a patio festival). We wondered around there hours discovering cafes, shops, and interesting patios.

We woke up on sunday and found a lovely cafe to have our cafe con leches and decided to share a few pastries, including a chocolate croissant. We walked around, found the synagogue, and decided it was time for lunch. We stumbled upon a Chinese restaurant in which the menu lured us in. The place was filled with Asians, so we knew it would be good and that was just what it was. I ordered a chicken and veg stir fry, and it was very good, just what I had a taste for. Overall, the weekend was lovely. Cordoba lacked good tapa cafes and it was hard to find good food, but the history made up for it. I am looking forward to trips ahead including hiking in the mountains this weekend with a friend.