Córdoba – The Mosque, the Cathedral and the Bishop

Taking the bus into the city is certainly an easy option and we arrive at the bus station with a short walk to get to the sights and the old town. Córdoba is a city but has the feeling of a large town with open boulevards and pleasant green spaces. Once in the old part of the city though you feel very much in an Andulcían town with the strong Moorish influences that come from its position as capital of Al-Andalus.

We headed for the Mezquita which was founded in the 8th century and enlarged over 200 years to become the largest mosque in the world. After the re-conquest a cathedral was built in the very centre of the mosque which even a Catholic king of the time was forced to admit had ruined a wonderful building.

As we entered the courtyard and looked for the ticket office we were in for something of a disappointment as the Mezquita would be closed for most of the day because a new bishop was being installed and services were planned in the cathedral. So undeterred we enjoyed the large courtyard of orange tress and wandered around the outside walls to get a feel for the sheer size of the building. Touring the city we visited the roman bridge and spent some time in the local museum which focuses on the roman remains of the city. On to the Museo Julio Romero de Torres and Museo de Bellas Artes where were able to enjoy art from Andulcían artists. The rain had started to fall but we were still able to walk the city via the Posada del Potro and other pedestrianised plazas, that are a feature of the city, to finish up at the Casa Andalusí. This house is quite extraordinary and gives a real sense of what it was like to live in a house in this region over 800 years ago – it was beautifully restored and had many interesting features.

Back to the Mezquita where there was a hope that it would re-open around 3pm but this did not happen until nearer 4pm and by the time half of Tokyo and most of Berlin had got in with their tour kids and we had joined the end of the queue for “solos” we realised that we would miss our bus. We reluctantly headed off for a browse round the shops which were re-opening after the lunchtime break, and the English standby – a cup of tea.
The bus took us back to the campsite and we agreed that, although we may have missed the main act and the weather could have been better, Córdoba was worth the visit.