Polska: Day 15: Cordoba

This morning we took the bus from Seville to Cordoba. On our way to the hostel from the bus station, we walked through this nice park, with duck houses in the centre of the pond!

After dropping off our bags at the hostel, we went for a walk to explore the city. This is the Puento Romano, the roman-built bridge across the Guadalquivir River. On the opposite shore we can see the Torre de la Calahorra, which was a defensive gate during the Islamic rule of the city.

Puente Romano

Puerta del Puente, the gate into the city after the bridge

Torre de la Calahorra, defensive tower

Our next stop was the Mezquita, also known as the Cathedral of Cordoba. "Mezquita" means mosque, and the name comes from the fact that this was originally a mosque. It was built starting in 785, but in 1236 Seville was recaptured by the catholics, who converted it to a cathedral. It still has distinctive arches around the outside, which indicate its origin.

Moorish-style arches in the Mezquita

Altar in the centre of the Mezquita

Evidence of the reconstruction of the Mezquita

After visiting the Mezquita, we had a delicious snack of tortilla - which is not like the tortilla that we are used to! This is sliced potatoes, cooked with eggs and oil. Very delicious!!!

Next we visited the Alcazar de los Reyes Cristanos, the palace of the Moorish Caliph. It has very beautiful gardens and pools.

View from a tower in the Alcazar

Cobblestones in the garden in the Alcazar

After visiting the Alcazar, it was very hot out, so we hid inside until evening. We then went out for dinner and to continue our walk around the city. This is a view of the Mezquita tower from Calleja de las Flores (street of flowers). The city is beautiful at night, many of the building and monuments are lit up.