Our visit in Córdoba was solely centered on seeing La Mezquita, an immense mosque dating from 784 A.D. that was converted to a Catholic church in 1236. The mosque itself was as fantastic, glorious, and colorful as we had read it would be, but there is more to Córdoba than La Mezquita alone. We discovered a city of flowers, incredible food, kind and friendly people, and beautiful light. Its a city where we would have happily spent another day or two, and I hope to go back.
Our hotel
We rented a room in an Airbnb that had been listed as a garden paradise, and that was no exaggeration. Our room, on the second floor, had one wall whose shutters opened up completely to a garden brimming with flowers, vines, and plants of all types. The air smelled like jasmine, and that sweet breeze wafted through the windows all night. We could climb up to the roof to enjoy the sunrise, or sit outside in the morning listening to the birds sing during breakfast. It was perfect. My girls loved it, none of us wanted to leave.
A morning run
Rudy and I woke up early to see the sunrise on a morning run. We took the winding cobblestone streets to the Roman Bridge, which leads on to the Torre De Calahorra (Tower of Calahorra). There were lots of early morning runners, as well as a friendly(?) drone…
You enter the mosque/cathedral through the Patio de los Naranjos, a lovely patio of flowing fountains and blooming orange trees.
Inside the mosque are rows upon rows of arches, walls covered in script, sunlight reflecting rainbows of color through stained glass windows, and a sixteenth century renaissance cathedral. This place is incredible. It is awe-inspiring in every sense of the word.
To see La Mezquita from above, you can climb the Torre de Alminar. We did this and it was really fun, and worthwhile to see down into the courtyard.
A horse-drawn carriage ride
My littlest had seen the horse-drawn carriages. She had pointed out the carriages. And she had asked (and asked, and asked) if we could please, please, please ride in a carriage. After the Mezquita, we had a little time, so finally we obliged. And she had an amazing time. The rest of us had a lot of fun, too.
thecloudsarelowerhere 