After our time in Granada, we continued our 10 day trip to Spain with a drive to Cordoba, Spain. This was about two hours by car from Granada. Let me tell you, the historical sites in Cordoba should be listed as “must-do” on your itinerary!
Historical Sites in Cordoba Don’t Disappoint!
The main attraction here is the Mezquita, which is an enormous former mosque founded in 785. In 1236, the mosque was turned into a Catholic church after Cordoba was captured by King Ferdinand III. It is one of the only places in the world where one can worship Mass in a mosque. This is the centerpiece of Cordoba and no trip here is complete without visiting it.
The architecture of the building is unquestionably stunning. Onyx, jasper, marble, and granite make up the many columns here. Similarly, they used double arches, which allowed for higher ceilings, and alternated between the colors red and white. We continued to stand in awe as we gazed at the beautiful building. We hadn’t seen anything like it before.
After our time in the Mezquita, we went through a web of winding streets, including the Jewish quarter and 14th century synagogue. Jews were among the most prominent citizens during the time of Islamic Cordoba, and they left their mark on this city.
Today, the Jewish quarter is a series of whitewashed buildings adorned with colorful flower boxes. Many of the streets had Hebrew inscriptions written into them. It really was a cool sight to see!
Later, we found a fantastic restaurant for dinner. We also had some time to get a few drinks beforehand at a fun rooftop bar. Not surprisingly, the food in Cordoba, like the rest of the cities that we went to in Spain, was delicious. Of course, I had to order some foie gras…
A Narrow “Escape”
Getting our car out of Cordoba was a difficult experience since the streets were too narrow for our van. It took Jon and Joe an hour to drive from the parking area to our hotel to pick us up. And it was only a third of a mile away!
After squeezing through a couple of side streets that left barely an inch of room on either side of the van, we were finally on our way. That is, until Lori realized she left her iPad in the lobby, and we had to go back and do it all again!
After a stressful escape, we pressed onto the next adventure on our 10 day trip to Spain: Seville!