Welcome to Cordoba

I left Granada bright and early this morning so that I could get to Cordoba as early as possible as I only have two nights here and then I jump on a plane back to London on Sunday morning (25th).

Granada was a great experience, mainly due to the lure of the Alhambra however it is nice to arrive here in Cordoba, a much smaller town that moves at an even slower pace than Seville or Granada.

The three hour bus trip snaked its way through the hills of Andalucia and Jaen province which is the richest olive oil producing region in Spain and possibly the world.

It seemed that every hill and valley was covered with olive groves and the contrast of the grey-green olive trees, so perfectly sown row by row and the pinkish grey soil has a beautiful quality to it.

Thanks to the Roman invaders who introduced the olive (which the locals looked upon very suspiciously at first) and later the Moors teaching based on their greater understanding of farming, this region now produces more olive oil than anywhere else on the planet.

I arrived at the new bus station in Cordoba to the sound of Phil Collins´One More Night' and found my way to a taxi who drove me to my hotel.

One mistake I made was booking into a hotel rather than a hostal. The hotel is nice and comfortable but the best place to stay is in the old Jewish area or ´Juderia´in espanol. Here is where you find the essential spirit of Cordoba where the streets are empty but around every corner is usually a very interesting church, monument or busy bar filled with locals.

My Hotel (booked through lastminute.com) is in the shopping district of the city however it does have its good points as its close to most services such as the tourist office, internet cafes and souvenir shops (though most of them sell cheap crap!)

My first port of call in Cordoba was the Mezquita, the most ambitious mosque built by the Moors which was started in 786 on the sight of a Visigoth Cathedral.

You enter the Mezquita through the Patio de los Naranjos, a beautiful courtyard of orange trees, palms and fountains which was originally used for ablutions by the Moors ...seems a nice place to spend a penny! In one corner is a 16th Century bell tower which unfortunately is not open to the public.

The inside is quite amazing mainly due to its mix of Islamic Architecture and Christian designs. The best views can be seen sitting on the cool floor, though I was told by one of the officials that photos from the floor are not allowed (well thats what I thought he said!)

After the Mezquita visit I found my way to La Cavea, a bar in the Plaza de Jeronimo Paez where I promptly ordered a cerveza and some tapas - a mixed plate of tortilla espanol, the local version of gazpacho and some chargrilled peppers.

It was then that a small group of English ´Senior´tourists entered the courtyard and after establishing that I was not Spanish but Australian, the two blokes of the group from Yorkshire started talking cricket! I´d seriously forgotten about the Ashes loss but these folks were more than happy to remind me of it!

After lunch I continued to wander (quite aimlessly) around the town. The beauty of Cordoba is that is small enough to get lost and then find yourself quite close to familiar landmarks. The other thing I love about this place is its contrasting commercial and shopping area and the old Jewish quarter.

Sitting in the Plaza de Las Tendillas you could feel like you are in the middle of a sophisticated city yet wander two minutes away from it and it could be the sleepiest of Spanish country towns. There is always some way to escape the noise or find it, depending on your mood.

The evening was spent relaxing around the hotel and then back for an early night in my hotel room watching The Castle on Spanish TV. I´m not sure what the Spaniards would think of it, but I certainly enjoyed watching it again!

My patience is currently being tested as this internet cafe (just across the road from the hotel) appears to be home away from home for the local 14 year olds kids playing the latest networked version of a shoot-me-up pc game. Its time to get out of here!

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