Cordoba, from magical Mezquita to Cathedral...

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Cordoba is just a short four hours drive from Madrid. This is the best way to discover the reality of the ride outside the huge city of Madrid. There are serious size cities, but very few villages on the way, and even less isolated hamlets around.



The next few days are all about a trip back in time for me. Sorry to sound slightly old, but back in time mean back as much as 30 years for me. I may be already 42 years old, I still have some of these images deep in my mind. I was 12, and it was my first trip on a plane from Luxembourg to Malaga. I did if I remember well, two trips to Andalusia at the age of 12 and the next one around 14 years old. My parents brought me around, and I still had these images in my head....so this week, is all about....let live it again, 30 years later! This time, it's all about sighting...and obviously some night romantic time!



The diamond of Cordoba is the Mezquita. A Christan church that was turn into a mosque from the VII century to the XIII century before being turn into the actual Cathedral by Ferdinand III of Castilla in 1236. There is a mix of Christian and Muslim architecture. If there is one church you may want to visit on earth, it may be this one. The site open at 8am. We were there at the opening. It seems we were even actually too much on time for the cashier to be open, as we only found out after visiting the site that there is a charge of 8 euros per person for the visit. This must be Spain...too early to bother to open the cashiers on time, so too early to charge too! Smile!



The site is simply magic. The groups have only access to the site after 10am. So we spent time going around, and around taking our time. I wish I would be a better photographer to reveal the beauty of the site. I hope you enjoy and you plan your trip here one day. After the visit, we found out that the next climb to the Giralda was already fully booked, so we went for breakfast before the climb. Cordoba Old City is magic to walk around before the opening of any site. We did this from 7am and till well later in the morning. Not a huge site, but small streets, few tourists...just a wonderful peaceful time.



We spent our night at the Hesperia Cordoba, a member of the NH hotels group. This was a first for me, and a pretty good surprise. 60 euros give you a clean big room. After 4 hours drive in the evening, we had dinner at the hotel. I was not expecting a lot, but that grilled octopus was simply delightful, with a nice little white wine.



Late morning, it was already time to get back on the road, for a short ride to Sevilla, and a late lunch. This trip is only starting, but we are only enjoying amazing moments, and slightly short nights. Just get ready for many more blue skies!

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Comments

[Mamy]

Magique
Comme quoi ca vaut la peine de voyager avec ses parents quand on est petit !!! Les souvenirs font que les choses sont encore plus belles que ce qu'on avait gardé à l'esprit... Buen viaje !