Costa to Cordoba

Tues 10^th

Back into the built up Costa del Sol and a stopover at Camping Cabopino for a laundry day and to meet up with Jonno Badminton who lives in nearby San Pedro to collect our new Honda generator from him. We had decided to buy one as a backup for when we go skiing. I don’t particularly like the noise, but the Honda is very quiet and I will definitely try to be as considerate as possible if we have to use it.  Jonno had work to finish that evening so we went to the Indian right next door for a very nice curry. Lovely.

Weds 11^th

Jonno was with us at 9am with the genny so we of course had to have tea! It was great to catch up with him over a couple of hours, he had to go and work we had to get off site by midday.

Next stop for us was to be Cordoba about 130 miles away, a very easy drive through very different landscapes. From a twisty river valley to miles and miles of olive trees. We found the municipal campsite easily enough, it was ideally located 2km from the centre. Scoot out, we joined the mad traffic for a quick explore. The scoots and cars treat every traffic light as a GP race, so I of course joined in!  I however did not join them in blatantly ignoring red lights. Absolutely mad.

Thurs 12^th

Alarm clock set we had tea at 7.30am ish………….  Still dark for heavens sake! We had been given free bus tour tickets by kind neighbours Eddie & Rhona so wanted to make the most of the day. We scooted into town and parked by the hospital right next to the old city wall. We walked down to the river as the sun appeared in time for taking pics of the Roman bridge. The views from the river are impressive of the city skyline. We hopped on the bus and enjoyed an hour tour, including going down some impossibly tiny streets. Several badly parked vans had to move as our double deck bus squeezed past.

city wall

alcazar

Roman gate

old waterwheel

Roman bridge

We had a tasty tosado and coffee before going to the Mezquita. This is a wonderful building which is a mix of Islamic & Christian architecture over a period of hundreds of years. The majority of it is Islamic with a cathedral built in the centre.  The arches seem to stretch for miles in every direction, creating a very serene atmosphere. For me the Islamic detail and structure is more appealing than the OTT Christian statues and the inevitable gold. It has to be said that the cathedral is very beautifully crafted, the wooden carvings on the choir stalls is very intricate and there is so much of it. Fantastic craftsmanship.

very tasty

Mezquita - beautiful arches

cathedral roof

After 2 hours wandering about we emerged into the warm sunlight – it had been very cold inside. We sat and took in the scene inside the orangery before walking down to the river. We then took the long way back to scoot via the maze of streets in the former Jewish quarter (the Jews were expelled in 1492). Lots of tapas bars, cafes and small shops all quietly going about their trade.

door detail

We really liked Cordoba as it is very relaxed with a very open feel to it. There are lots of historical buildings and also many new avenues with lots of green spaces to seek shade if required.  A very nice, impressive place.