Córdoba and Seville, Spain

Córdoba:

We spent two days in Córdoba. It was a really nice place, but in hindsight, probably only a day is required in Córdoba. I am glad we spent 2 days there, we just took it easy. We were very impressed with the Mezquita in particular.

Sights/attractions:

1. Templo Romano – Roman ruins, remarkably well-preserved. I noticed a group of schoolchildren having a school excursion to the ruins, what a lovely idea, so good for them to learn the history of their city.

2. Mezquita (€10 pp, +€4 pp for audioguide) – first a cathedral, then a mosque, then a cathedral and then a mosque again. Had been expanded many times, very interesting to see, and the Mihrab is beautiful. The mosaic work is so detailed and intricate.

Mihrab

Zooming in on the Mihrab

Mihrab

3. Puente Romano – bridge – the water looked very dirty, almost as though it has too much clay in it.

4. Alcazar de los Reyes Christianos (€4.50 pp) – beautiful views from the towers, and amazing gardens. So many fruitful orange and lemon trees, wonderful water features.

5. Córdoba Equestrian show (€15 pp) – wow! Was so exciting. The horses were so well-trained and beautifully presented. My favourite part was the flamenco dancer with the prancing horse – that was really special. This was really a highlight of our trip for me.

Food recommendations:

1. Roldan (breakfast) – had capello de angel (like an apple tart, was very sweet), ham and cheese croissant, hot chocolate, orange juice

Capello de Angel – have no idea what kind of fruit it is

2. Bodegas Mezquita – €29.70 menu del dia, was really good value, the waiter also gave us free dessert wine to try.

Seville:

I wish we could have had more time in Seville, it had so much to offer, but we just did not have enough time! We met so many interesting people, and the Cathedral and Alcazar were really amazing – we will definitely be back for a more thorough visit.

I particularly loved the talented street artists who sell little miniatures of the sights – We purchased two miniatures.

Sights/attractions:

1. Real Alcazar (Entry €11.50pp, €5pp for audioguide) – this place is actually one of the sets of GoT, specifically Dorne. Was interesting to see their large gardens, and beautiful rooms, very beautiful place. It was so busy, the line was so long!

2. Metropol Parasol – kind of looked like a giant mushroom. Was cool due to the busking brass band, they were very talented.

3. Cathedral de Sevilla and La Giralda (entry €9 pp) – Supposedly Christopher Columbus is entombed here. We met a tour guide named Jorge (George) in front of the cathedral. He was kind of funny, in that he took his job as a tour guide very seriously. He could speak so many languages fluently, it was very impressive! He showed us all around the cathedral, explained many things about cathedrals that we didn’t know about, like what a knave is, and some of the key artworks. He showed us Christopher Columbus Tomb, and said that 2 universities have run DNA tests and have “confirmed” that the remains in the tomb are in fact Christopher Columbus. The sample had been compared with the remains of his bastard son who was also buried in the Cathedral. Christopher Columbus apparently married a Portuguese woman and had a son. He fell in love with a Cordoban woman and had another son out of wedlock. Apparently both sons were very close to one another. After the tour, we went up the La Giralda tower. It had 35 ramps. The panoramic view from above was amazing. Some of the funny things Jorge said: “Jesu Krist” (Jesus Christ), and apparently indigo is the most expensive blue.