Just shy of two hours outside of Madrid by train, there is a city by the name of Córdoba. Córdoba is most famously known for its mosque that is now a Catholic cathedral, but not only that, this city is undoubtedly stunning. From the old Jewish section full of stark white homes adorned with radically colored flowers, to the Islamic construction of the mosque/cathedral, and to the old stone and brick buildings dating back to the sixteenth century, the town is dripping in beauty.
Our tour guide today had so much to share with us, like the fact that Córdoba is known for their production of silver, and there are a lot of craftsmen in the area. Local dishes, we were told, are fried eggplant with honey, oxtail in sauce, and ratatouille with fried eggs, yum. We tried the eggplant and oxtail, of course they were both delicious.
The mosque-turned-cathedral spans six acres within Córdoba and is filled with arches, mosaics, paintings, marble, stone, mahogany, and much more. Also in Córdoba is the Alcazar, where kings used to live. Most of the outdoor grounds are taken up by massive gardens and fountains, which gardeners maintain throughout the year.
The Jewish quarter of Córdoba. The city used to house thousands Jewish people and now there is only about twenty.
I couldn't stop photographing the white buildings and small roadways. Córdoba is absolutely gorgeous.
There were a couple Spanish men playing traditional music throughout the streets as we walked around in the morning and it was so peaceful. This guy was also easy on the eyes...
Pots hanging off the sides of the buildings is a popular trend, it was awesome.
The mosque turned catholic cathedral from the outside. Now remember, this takes up six acres so this is just a tiny portion of the outside. The cathedral is right in the center of the entire mosque.
The inside has around 800 columns and arches.
A portion of the old mosque, all mosaic.
Palm trees are not native to Spain and have been imported. They are everywhere!
Roman bridge that leads to the city of Córdoba. It was built in the early 1st century BC.
View of the Alcazar from the gardens.
On the left are artichokes growing! On the right are cypress trees, one of which is carved to make a little house.
More of the gardens. All the cypress trees are cut to look like columns.
They began excavating around 2000 and found these remains of the Roman wall. They realized they didn't have the money to excavate any further so this is where everything is at the moment.
To the right of this picture is a restored piece of the Roman wall.
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