Córdoba, Steeped in Multicultural History but Overrun by Tourism

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Ronda’s rural vibes and the opportunity to walk in the countryside had been a great recharge for me. On the train from Ronda, I was looking forward to Córdoba. I had visions of flowery courtyards (called patios) in whitewashed buildings and Jewish and Moorish architectural influences. Basically, I was expecting a calmer, less-tourist-filled mix of Sevilla (flat, flamenco-filled) and Granada (multicultural blend, also whitewashed in places).



The weather was perfect both days I was in Córdoba—mostly blue skies and in the 60s and 70s. I arrived a little earlier than I could check into my hostel, so I wandered through the Victory Gardens (Jardines de la Victoria) and over to the old town. I was surprised at how much of the old city walls were still intact and had been well-restored. The free Patios Cordobeses at Calle San Basilio 44 were a nice sample of the flower-filled patios Córdoba is known for.



After dropping my stuff at my hostel, I went for a falafel lunch. Anywhere in Europe, a cheap meal can be found at a kebab shop, and they also often have vegetarian or vegan food in the form of falafel. On my way to one along the river, I came across crowds of people. As I got closer, I saw that everyone was watching a line of horses and buggies coming down the street. The participants were dressed to look like the 1920s (my guess). It was a celebration they have every year in Córdoba on Andalucía Day. I knew that the province of Cádiz is famous for horse culture, but I didn’t know Córdoba participated too. Surprise local festivals are a perk of Spain!



After lunch, I headed over to the Mezquita, probably Córdoba’s most famous landmark. It’s a mosque turned Catholic cathedral (turned tourist attraction) built on the site of a Christian Visigoth church. What it’s most celebrated for is the grand mosque and Moorish construction, and also the way Catholics converted it to a cathedral. On this trip, I was a bit unlucky with the timing. It’s apparently free to enter in the morning for a couple of hours, but not on high religious days. The only morning I was in Córdoba was Ash Wednesday, so that was out of the question. That meant paying 10 euros instead.



The remaining Moorish influences, like the iconic red and white arches, were impressive. The elements of Catholicism were basically the typical things you see in any cathedral in Spain. On the one hand, it was surprising how much of the mosque and Muslim religious symbolism the Catholics had left in place, including lots of inscriptions in Arabic. However, it was also disappointing to notice Catholic shrines built over more beautiful mosque architecture.



The lighting also could have been better inside, and I wish visitors could get a bit closer to the Moorish sections. As the courtyard and the outside walls of the mosque, including some really beautiful doors, are freely accessible, I don’t know that it’s worth 10 euros to see the inside, maybe 6. I’m also thinking this because if you have any choice at all, you should visit the Alhambra in Granada, which although not a mosque, showcases Moorish architecture the best of any place in Andalucía (that I’ve seen).



If you are going to the Alhambra, I would definitely skip paying the entrance to the Mezquita. One additional consideration that I didn’t know beforehand is that the Catholic Church still owns the cathedral (thus as opposed to the government potentially benefiting, the church makes a lot of money). From news I’ve read, Muslims have also been prevented from praying inside, which to me is ridiculous. It’s a place built for people to connect to God, so why is it anyone’s right to prevent prayer there?



After my time reflecting in the Mezquita, I headed across the river to check out that area of town. One of the things I liked best about Córdoba in comparison to other Andalucían cities was the river, which seemed to have a lot of water and supported an ecosystem. The photogenic Puente Romano (Roman Bridge) felt like a bird sanctuary in the middle of a wetland. I did a loop down to the San Rafael Bridge and walked back up to the old town. Again, I was impressed with how well-preserved the city walls are all around the city.



The next day, I wandered around the old town some more. That section of the city still feels like it may have felt 300 or 600 years ago. Most of the roads aren’t wide enough for a car, and don’t seem to follow any pattern. You can spend a lot of time getting lost. I did make it a point not to be lost in order to check out a few smaller landmarks.



The Posada del Potro is a centuries-old inn which Cervantes mentioned in Don Quixote. There’s a free flamenco museum in the well-restored building. It was a nice substitute for not wanting to splurge on live flamenco this trip, and it helped me understand how complex and diverse the music/dance style is.



I also went to see the Synagogue. It was right then occupied by a German tour group, and it seemed like only the main prayer room was open to the public, so there wasn’t a lot to see there. Next door, I happened upon an open-daily artists’ market ("Zoco"), great if you have a bit more money to spend on hand-made souvenirs. But, it was full of a tour group of Koreans, so I didn’t spend a lot of time there either.



The Casa Árabe did happen to be almost empty when I checked it out. I don’t know if I missed something, but the main thing to do was view an art exhibit. There may have been more upstairs, but it seemed off-limits.



Probably the most interesting sight of the day was the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos (Palace of the Christian Monarchs), which you pay 5 euros to enter (worth it if it’s nice weather). The gardens were just so beautiful, with fountains and shrubbery and lots of orange trees. I haven’t mentioned yet that all over Andalucía at this time of year, orange trees are full of oranges. I’ve never seen so many oranges in one city before, but it seemed like no one made use of them, because lots fell on the ground.



It was cool to know that such powerful people had once spent large amounts of time in the same place I was walking around. Sorry to be a Debbie Downer, but generally the Catholic monarchs sucked as human beings. It was ironic to know they had these beautiful places and yet their decisions led to the native peoples of the Americas and Africa getting screwed over. Conversely, they were also probably able to pay for palaces like these because of their plunder of the Americas.



The Alcázar’s gardens were restored really well, so it was a huge disappointment that the palace itself is mostly off-limits. The part that is accessible, basically to lead to a tower you can climb up, is just really ugly. It felt like a school. They have ‘renovated’ it, leaving very little of interest visible. There are a casket and mosaics from Roman times, found nearby and all in stunning condition, on display. The tower does lead to impressive views. I think if you reach the tower around noon on Sunday, you might get to see the horse show that takes place next door.



Walking through the modern area near Plaza de las Tendillas gave me a sense of the city outside the touristy area. It was certainly refreshing to be in an area frequented by locals. Nearby, there are remains of a Roman temple which were really neat. I also liked other areas of Córdoba, which seemed to have wide boulevards with lots of trees. The number of parks, tall, older trees, and plazas made the city feel more livable.



Córdoba is not short on interesting monuments or history. It gives lots of moments for you to reflect on those that came before you—the Romans, Visigoths, Jews, Moors, Castilians, and even the more modern Andalucians/Spaniards and hordes of tourists have all left their mark on the city. There were lots more museums and restored traditional houses I could have checked out as well.



Overall, I have really mixed feelings about Córdoba. It, for example, wasn’t as traditionally beautiful as I expected. I had seen a lot of pictures of beautiful courtyards, but most of them aren’t actually accessible or visible to the public. And the number of tourists, as well as the tourist infrastructure, was staggering. It felt like the Judería had been infected by tourism. Tacky souvenir shops and restaurants competing to have menus in the most languages lined the streets around the Mezquita. I totally understand that people see a market and try to capitalize on it, but the government should limit the number of businesses in a certain zone. It takes so much of the authenticity out of the place.



However, the city does showcase its history relatively well. If you can find a time to go with fewer tourists (probably the middle of the boiling summer or maybe November or early February), I’m sure your experience would be better than mine. I’ve heard great things about the Patio Festival and Feria, but if the tourists I saw in March were any indication, those would be suffocating times to visit.



From Córdoba, I took the train to Sevilla, a bus directly to the airport, and flew back 'home' to La Coruña. Ugh, the end of a trip is always sad!

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Comments

[Kathy and Bill Oxenreiter]

Wow!
We looked at all three of your most recent blogs from Malaga to Ronda to Cordoba. So scenic. It does make me so motivated to come to Spain (and Portugal and Italy) again and spend so much more time exploring as you have done. Thanks so much for sharing these views, both visual and editorial. Makes me want to learn more of history too!