CÓRDOBA, SPAIN

After visiting Évora, Portugal, we plugged along to our next stop, Córdoba, Spain!  We only stayed for one night, so the race was on to see as much of the city as possible.

 WHAT TO SEE:

Calleja de las Flores is a small side street covered in flowers.  Very vibrant!

 The Roman Bridge

The bridge is lit up at night, which is really beautiful.  You can also cross the bridge and go inside the Calahorra Tower museum during the day.

Mezquita de Cordoba:

This was at the top of our list to see!  The original structure was thought to be a Roman temple, then church, which was later expanded in 784 to become a mosque, and lastly converted to a Roman Catholic Church in 1236 with some additions along the way.  If you arrive by 8:30am,  you can enter for free until 9:30am!  Keep in mind the dress code as it is Catholic church.

Mihrab, which is the point closest to Mecca in a mosque
The Court of Oranges
church-within-a-mosque style

 Palacio de Viana This palace began as a family estate in 1492, and opened to the public in 1981.  It is full of nooks and crannies of flowers with 12 extensive patios.  It is so pretty!  You can get a ticket for the palace and gardens, or just the gardens.

reception courtyard

courtyard of the cats
courtyard of the orange trees
courtyard of the columns
courtyard of the gardeners

cordoba door

WHERE TO EAT:

Zumeria El Arbolito serves up fresh juice, smoothies, plus breakfast and lunch fare.

La Libelula is a tiny coffee shop with treats and caffeine.

Salon de Te is a Moroccan tea shop with small bites to fuel up before sightseeing.

tea tea shop

Mercardo Victoria: Lots of food stalls that stay open late with ample outdoor seating.  Ice cream hit the spot after walking around all day!

TIPS:

We chose to stay in the newer part of the city because we needed parking for the rental car.  It was a 15 minute or so walk to the old town and not quite as scenic.  The old part of the city is quaint with narrow winding streets.

According to our AirBnB host, there are a number of free walking tours.  No better way to soak in a city than walking! If we had more time, we would have.

For the gardening aficionado, plan your visit around Patios Festival in May.

You can drink the water!  Steve enjoyed the refreshing public fountain.

And now, a photo dump of the beauty of Córdoba, seen by foot.

cordoba flowers cordoba cordoba

Stay tuned for my recap of Sevilla, Spain!

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