Mezquita and Patios

Yesterday I said we were going out of the frying pan - Seville and today we went into the fire - Cordoba.
Both cities are found in depressions which make them the hottest cities in Spain. 29 degrees C today but a few weeks ago it was the high 30s and even touched 40!

A beautiful city with a most remarkable cathedral or Mesquita which means mosque as that is what it was under the Moors from the 8th century. There were several extensions through to the golden age in the 10th century and then with the arrival of Fernando 111, in 1236, the moors fell and the mosque became a Christian catholic church which it remains today but retains much of the Moorish architecture.
It is one of the most remarkable places of worship I’ve ever visited, we first came in 2003 when, I have to say, it was a lot quieter! You can see the the coloured arches in the extra built with alternate limestone and brick to allow flexibility. You can also see the juxtaposition of the Moorish arches which abound and the Christian additions.

The bell tower is adapted from the original minaret as in Seville. You can see it here at the bottom of the Callejon de las Flores which is famous for it’s flowers decorating the walls in pots.

The other thing Cordoba is famous for is it’s Patios. Inner courtyards which are cool in the heat of the day. We ate in one this lunchtime and it is almost identical to the Riad we ate in in Essuaira, Morocco last November. Again Moorish influence.

We are now in Granada. In the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains so it should be a little cooler.
Tomorrow we will take a look at the city and then have a timed tour of the Alhambra in the afternoon.
Granada was the last stronghold of the moors. They were here until 1492!