How to Plan an International Trip: Travel Tales and Tips : Spain Trip Report, Day 7: Córdoba

Nov 27, Friday, 2015:

Day trip to Córdoba:

Córdoba is 45 minutes from Seville by AVE. One can buy Renfe Tickets Online. We were a little late, so paid full price for the tickets online.

We took a taxi from our hotel to the San Justa Seville train station. This large board shows the platform number some 20 minutes before the train departure.

Then we waited at the scheduled platform for our train...

Though this train is reported to be crowded in peak season, we had it almost to ourselves at this early departure time!

The AVE station in Cordoba is 1.8 km walk or 3km by car from the Mezquita. We took a taxi to save time.

Here's a map...

La Mezquita:

A UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site, La Mezquita is the Great Mosque that was created in the eighth century for the Caliphate of Córdoba, an important Moorish kingdom of Andalusia.

We visited twice over, first time for free. We arrived at the Mezquita around 8.30am and walked in and enjoyed the side altars and the stunning columns for an hour till the officials cleared the place for mass.

We roamed around nearby at the Plaza del Triunfo.

Then in half an hour when the ticket counters opened, we got the tickets and reentered. This time the terrific sacristy with all its treasures was also open as also the main altar and we had a great time

We entered through the Puerta del Perdón gateway that leads into the picturesque Patio de los Naranjos (Patio of Oranges) that is planted with fragrant orange trees and palms. This patio is where the ablutions prescribed by Islamic law were performed.

From the Patio de los Naranjos, we reached the Mudéjar-style Puerta de las Palmas, which opens into the prayer hall of the mosque.

This impressive hall is an endless forest of 856 columns and awe-inspiring arches. The marble, onyx and jasper columns are linked by red and white horseshoe arches.

In this hall, the mihrabs (prayer niches) mark the direction of Mecca.

This is the main altar.

This is the elaborately carved choir!

The Mihrab Nuevo, which displays the Koran, is an incomparable work of Islamic decoration. Crafted from a single block of marble, it is covered with a great profusion of floral and geometric patterns and verses from the Koran in Arabic script.

The mosque was converted to a cathedral in 1523 by the Catholic Monarchs. The cathedral's sanctuary, with its Gothic choir, was plopped right in the center of the mosque, while keeping the basic framework of the Islamic architecture.

The sacristy and treasury are GREAT, with religious articles of silver and gold, studded with rubies, emeralds and diamonds!

After seeing all the altars and the exhibits, we exited.

Bought the ticket for the bell tower climb.

It’s also a guided climb, amazing a guard climbs up 200 steps with each group;

it was rewarding with a great view.

We then retraced our steps to the Roman bridge.

Puente Romano (Roman Bridge):

Close to the Cathedral is the Roman Bridge, one that is still used, although by pedestrians only. This 16-arched bridge that spans the Río Guadalquivir was originally built after Caesar's victory over Pompey the Great. Later, a Moorish bridge was built on the foundations of the Roman bridge.

There is a small shrine and statue of St. Raphael in the middle of the bridge, made in 1651, where the devout burn candles. The St. Raphael statue is now an icon of the city.

Torre de la Calahorra (Calahorra Tower) is the fortified gate seen at the other end of the 1st century Roman bridge of Córdoba with the water wheel.

Then we walked over to the Alcázar.

Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos (Alcázar of the Christian Monarchs):

Alcázar of Córdoba, is a medieval Alcázar located in the historic centre of Córdoba, next to the Guadalquivir River and near the Grand Mosque.

The Alcázar takes its name from the Arabic word القصر (Al-Qasr, meaning "the Palace").

This former Caliphal Palace was home to the Moorish rulers until the city was conquered by Catholic King Fernando III in 1236. The Alcázar was built by Alfonso XI in 1328.

The original Moorish Alcázar stood beside the Mezquita, on the site of the present Bishop's Palace. The square called the Camposanto de los Mártires in front of the main building is the site where Christian martyrs were executed. Some of the castle's ancient defense walls and towers date back to the Moorish era, but most, including the Tower of the Inquisition, were built later when the Christian Monarchs improved the fortress' citadel. The fortress served as one of the primary residences of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon.

Ferdinand and Isabella later governed Castile from the Alcázar for eight years in the 15th century as they prepared to reconquer Granada, the last Moorish stronghold in

Spain

.

It was here that Queen Isabella heard Christopher Columbus' pitch before his historic journey to the Americas.

Boabdil was imprisoned here in 1483, and for nearly 300 years (1492-1821) the Alcázar served as the headquarters of the Spanish Inquisition

Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos is a quadrangular building notable for its powerful walls and three towers: the Tower of the Lions, the Tower of Allegiance, and the Tower of the River.

Typical of Andalusian architecture, the Alcázar is made up of various halls around courtyards filled with exotic flowers, trees, and aromatic plants. The palace contains an antiquities collection including fine Roman mosaics in the Hall of the Mosaics where the items were discovered.

Within the ancient walls on the Alcázar grounds are beautiful Arabian-style gardens featuring ornamental pools, hedges, and decorative fountains. From spring through autumn, colorful flowers bloom throughout the grounds. On summer evenings, the fountains are illuminated.

The gardens of the Alcazar are some of the most beautiful gardens in Spain.

Patios:

We wandered around the town. In summer there are beautiful patios decorated with flowers in Alcázar Viejo district, between the Alcázar and the Iglesia de San Basilio; around the Santa Marina district; around the Iglesia de San Lorenzo; and near the Iglesia de la Magdalena.

Many exquisite patios as well as the Calleja de las Flores (Alley of the Flowers) are found in the old Jewish quarter, the area surrounding the Mezquita.

Though the season was not right we saw some pretty sights too... lending a helping hand here... ha, ha!!

We went to the Jewish Quarter

Jewish Quarter

The statue of the Moorish philosopher Maimonides is in a small square in the Jewish Quarter, an area downtown with narrow lanes and where the Patio Festival is held every May.

This is the Córdoba Synagogue built in 1315 in Mudéjar style...

It consists of a courtyard, accessed from the street, which leads to a hallway, followed by the prayer room.

On the eastern side of the hall is a staircase that leads to the women's gallery.

The gallery overlooks the prayer room through three decorative arches. The prayer room measures 6.95 x 6.37 m.

After the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492, the building was devoted to various functions including a Hydrophobic hospital, a chapel for shoemakers and nursery school.

It was declared a National Monument in 1885

We were in search of the Casa de Sefarad (House of Spanish Jews) museum; on the Calle Judíos along with the synagogue. The Casa de Sefarad has been restored to its 14th-century glory and features five themed rooms that illustrate the history and culture of the Sephardi (Spanish Jews). We were keen on Palacio de Viana also