Cordoba, Seville, Malaga and Granada

Stayed one night at Cordoba in this quaint hostal (means budget hotel) called Hostal el Reposo de Baghdad with Arabic/Moorish-type building and decor. It also has a nicely decorated central patio with lotsa potted flowers. Cordoba has lots of cobbled roads in the old part of the city, and actually had a patio contest going on.. where homes decorate their patios and open to public for viewing for free. The main attractions in Cordoba was the Alcazar (Palace of the Christian Kings) and the Mezquita Cathedral (which was built on old mosque land). The Mezquita was built by Muslim, Christians and Jewish masons.. who left their mark on the bricks. There's also the synagogue which is one of 3 surviving synagogues in Spain following the expulsion of Jews ages ago.. the other two are in Toledo.

Ps: there wasnt much to see at the synagogue though.

Next stop.. Seville!
Pretty nice city.. with a lot of shopping for the girls too. Well, main attractions include the Cathedral (possibly 3rd largest in Europe after Notre Dame and cathedral in UK - so I overheard a tour guide), Bullfight at Plaza del Toro, more tapas and flamenco (watched one in a informal bar). I also had one of the best hot choc and churros from Bar el Comercial which was founded since early 1900's.
We saw a bullfight while in Seville.. there was basically 2 type of seating, either in the shade or in the sun. The bullfight had 3 matadors with 6 bulls.. but had to replace 2 because one was "weak" (was falling down early in the fight) and the other injured its horn! It seems quite like artistic, but cruel entertainment.. not quite sure what was happening some of the time.

Malaga was the next stop.. coastal (but pretty touristy) town with mountainous landscape on the busride there. Here's the hometown of Picasso as well.. there's a Museo Picasso here. Other attractions include Castillo Monte de Gibralfaro (the castle) and Alcazaba (fortress at the bottom). Food specialties that I tried: Migas (fried breadcrumbs), rabo de toro (stewed ox tail) and fritas des pescora (fried seafood). Also took a day trip out to Ronda which was northwest of Malaga, on a outcrop of rock in a basin surrounded by mountain ranges. The main attraction here is the Puerto Neuvo (bridge across a chasm/gorge) and Murallas de la Albacara (line of walls from Muslim rule).. it was a long hike to the walls!

Currently in Granada.. main thing here is the Alhambra (booked to see it tomorrow before heading off to Valencia). But there was a great view from San Nicholas square with the Sierra Nevada behind the Alhambra. Also watched a great flamenco performance while in Granada (much better than the informal bar flamenco in Seville). As with other cities, there was a large cathedral in town

Will upload pictures at a later date!

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