Tapp's Travels

On the way to to our next site at La Guijarrosa, we stopped for coffee at a roadside cafe/restaurant with a huge parking area in front.  Taking turns to watch our caravan, we noticed a very suspicious man wandering around the carpark on the phone.  He circled our car and caravan several times – really closely.  We may seem paranoid, and probably we are!  We have about 150 photos of him and his car.

We checked the tyres several times and even reversed out in case we had had spikey things pushed under the wheels!  We hadn’t

Sad, isn’t it!  Matey boy was probably just trying to convince his wife that he wasn’t having an affair… or arranging a money laundering scheme.

Anyway, Mathilda had saved us possibly the best pitch on the “La Campiña” site.  A little muddy after heavy rain, but a great outlook over the olive plantations which surround us.  We are here to visit the city of Córdoba, about 20 miles to the north.

The trip to the city from the campsite is easy.  Go north.  Join the A4 motorway and stay on it till junction 401.  Find El Archangel shopping mall and park free.  Of course, I managed to get lost on the 100 m between the motorway and the shopping centre.  But we did find some really “cheap” diesel on the detour!  Cheap being a relative term!

The city centre is an easy 20 minute stroll along the banks of the Guadalquivir River.  On the way we stopped for the compulsory coffee – but on this occasion our negotiation for large cups was particularly successful…

From its unique Feria de los Patios to the mighty Mosque-Cathedral (the Mezquite), the city’s cultural and historic offerings mean it deserves a place on everyone’s bucket list. Home to the largest old town in Spain and, apparently, the only city in the world to have four Unesco-protected sites.

It is also one of the few cities in the world that has a near-exact antipodal city (Hamilton, New Zealand).  I guess Hamilton is another!

Walking into the city takes you over the Roman Bridge…

Our first stop is the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos, also known as the Alcázar of Córdoba.  This is a medieval alcázar located close to the Guadalquivir River, near the Grand Mosque. The fortress served as one of the primary residences of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon.

A very friendly ticket seller allowed us in for the price of two children.  They give seniors a 2€ reduction, but have no tickets for oldies!  The formal gardens are superb.  They are laid out with ponds and orange groves and rows of cypress trees all beautifully and uniformly clipped …

… Except just one!

Inside the ancient buildings, there were a number of fabulously detailed mosaics which had (presumably) been lifted from the floor and mounted on the walls.  The largest would have comprised well over 1.25 million tiny tiles.  That would have been a labour of love to design and lay in the first place – and a second one to pick it up and stick it on the wall!

This is already shaping up to be a great city visit…  cheap diesel, free parking, huge coffee cups, Roman remains, peaceful gardens and hilarious topiary!  Our kind of place!

We visited the city on two consecutive days and walked a total of over 8 miles.  We meandered through the Jewish quarter with it’s narrow passages and street cafes.

We admired a number of enclosed Patios.

In early May each year the city hosts the Patio (or Courtyard) Festival.  For two weeks the Patios are open to the public.  But we couldn’t wait that long so we blagged our way into several by telling the house owners we were doing a pre-assessment of their entries!  Well, that’s what we said, although I don’t think they understood.  But they were happy for us to inspect anyway!

I guess one of the highlights (and there were many!) was the Mosque/cathedral complex.  The Mezquita.  Visible from miles away, located on the banks of the Guadalquivir River…

… with it’s characteristic roof-line and tall Bell tower.

And inside… FAB-U-LUS!  The roof is supported by arched pillars – hundreds of the things.  In fact one for every day of the year.  365 arches!

… and not only that, but they are double arches – so that’s really 730 arches in alternate brick and stone.  The combination of original Mosque with the more recent Catholic cathedral is fascinating.  Many of the side chapels (of which there about 40) are very ornate.

And the central transept is magnificent…

… as is the ceiling of the choir…

Córdoba is indeed a fabulous city.  I think we need another day to complete our visit!

Before I end this, I need to tell you a joke that Peter, our new-found Dutch friend told me yesterday while I was eating my fruit salad…

Daughter, “Mum, what’s an alcoholic?”

Mum, “You see those two birds over there?  An alcoholic would see four!”

“But Mum, there’s only one bird!”