Blogs from A Mezquita, Córdoba, Andalusia, Spain, Europe

These early starts wear you down after a while. This time we're up at 6am to catch the 8.30 train to Cordoba, once the capital of Andalusia. The AVE trains are great, very similar to the TGV in France but the Spanish ones are actually running. Its almost 5 hours from Barcelona to Cordoba with numerous stops along the way. For the most part we appeared to be travelling through Olive groves for as far as the eye can see at around 300km/h. The trains are really comfortable and you can charge all your devices while you watch the world roll by. We arrived in Cordoba at 1.15pm, caught a taxi to our hotel, a little over 1km from the old city centre, dumped our bags and headed straight into town via the old roman bridge ... read more

Heading out from Granada was rather more relaxed than finding our way in to the apartment. The narrow roads were less daunting with prior familiarity. We elected to journey to Cordoba via the sea port city of Malaga. Hmm. It seemed rather unwelcoming to motoring visitors looking for a parking spot and a place for a bite to eat. Various road changes meant that sat-nav maps were taking us around in circles also. Disenchanted we headed out without our stop and soon arrived in the city of Cordoba with its rich flamenco culture. Unbeknown to us we had arrived during the Spring Festival - Feria de Mayo - where much street entertainment and party mood were in full flight. Many groups of girls were dressed in either traditional flamenco style or else in brightly coloured attire ... read more

Cordoba lays about a 45-minute train ride east of Seville. Cordoba was once the center of Muslim power in Andalusia until it was eclipsed by Granada. I knew of these cities by word of mouth but I wouldn't have been able to point to them on a map with ease. Having now visited a few I can tell you that each has its own flavor. While Granada is more intimate, having been made over when Ferdinand and Isabel moved their royal court there; Cordoba still retains its old Medina maze of streets just as you'd see in Fes or Meknes in Morocco. The difference being that in Morocco the shops would be selling vegetables and spices while those in Cordoba are doling out high-priced nougat candy and expensive cups of coffee. Cordoba is split by a ... read more

Cordoba Spain 28 Aug 2013 Today we were on the road before 9.00am with directions to a suitable park for campers in Cordoba which was 4 kms away. We found it easily and the park only had 3 other vehicles in it (including another motor home). We immediately saw the old wall which surrounded the old city. We also saw the turrets of The Alcazar which was built by Christian monarchs. We had to walk through the only gate to the city which was built by the Romans in the 1st century AD. As Cordoba increased its importance in the Roman Empire, a Castellum was built on the top of the hill in the 6th century. We walked around the gardens and ducked in and out of the different rooms and corridors as well as walked ... read more

CORDOBA SUNDAY 16TH TO TUESDAY 18TH JUNE It's Monday night (I think) and I'm sitting in the courtyard/bar of the El Conquistador Hotel in Cordoba. Another amazing place! Unlike hilly Toledo, Cordoba is flat and the old town, known as the Jewish Quarter, is compact and quite easy to get around. The train journey from Toledo went well and I was here in the hotel around 1:30pm yesterday. I took a short walk - short because again it was very hot - 38 degrees! - and then sat in the bar until it was time to walk the short distance to the Royal Stables for the 'Espectaculo Ecuestre' (Equestria Show) showcasing the Andalucian horses - dancing flamenco with brightly dressed women, racing in a 'chariot' like rig, and making movements that looked like they were skipping, ... read more