It was a tired bleary-eyed trio who boarded the train from Seville to Cordoba this morning under gloomy skies. We had to be up to catch an early tran but the taxi to the station and the journey to Cordoba both went quickly. Spanish trains are so much more pleasant, reliable and easy to negotiate than ours!! Realising that we were only a short distance from the station to the old city centre we opted to walk down through a beautiful park, stopping for coffee and tostada on the way. It was soon time to dive into the narrow alleyways of white buildings that tumbled down to the Guadalquivir and La Mezquita, Cordoba's cathedral. We entered via the Patio de los Naranjas, an encloed courtyard with lines of fountains and orange trees. From here we entered the vast interior. Surrounding the Christian cathedral, which has been shoe-horned into the centre of the huge complex, is the mosque consisting of open space with lines of beautiful cream and red Moorish pillars and arches, many with fabulous decorative plaster work. These are an extension of the lines of orange trees outside from which they are separated by trellised arches. The huge cathedral in the centre is typical with a massive, very ornate altar and a towering beautifully decorated roof.
To view large, click on an image.
From La Mesquita we wandered over the river via the Roman Bridge for some photographs. Sadly the clouds were still looking ominous. We did see our first swallows of the year, however. Next it was time for a lunch in a Moroccan restaurant, smaller than but similar to one wed visited in London. Excellent. After lunch the sum began to emerge so we decided to visit the gardens of the Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos, the palace of the Christian Kings. These were formal and beautiful with wonderful rectangular pools, fountains and waterfalls. Sadly it was now time to head back to the station and the train to Seville.
No comments:
Post a Comment