Today we decided to take a day trip to Córdoba to visit the Mezquita/Cathedral -mosque that was built on the site of a visigothic church, and then converted into a catholic cathedral. Originally we'd decided to skip Córdoba as we didn't want to be moving from place to place, packing and unpacking all the time. The fast trains here are so easy and quick that we decided to day trip from Sevilla which was only 45 minutes each way.
We were very pleased with our decision!
We walked from the train station into the old town and through the narrow streets to the Mezquita.
Inside it is stunning with the signature red stripes in the arches, the best use of terracotta tiles ever!
The space is absolutely huge with arches as far as the eye can see and then in the centre an incredible, over-the-top, cathedral rises above the archways. There are also some smaller chapels around the edges with an interesting mix of Christian and Islamic imagery.
The beautiful mihrab (prayer niche) in the qibla (wall that faces Mecca) was kept with its solid gold mosaic tiles.
Outside the courtyard was planted with orange trees and there were some cute little fountains.
We also went for a walk around the outside walls as some of the detailing from the inside is carried through to the exterior walls.
The Mezquita is just by the Guadalquivir river in Córdoba, so after a cold drink we headed out across the bridge to see the view. The bridge itself is spectacular with a fortified gate at one end. There were also the remains of several mills in the river and a large water wheel.
Back in Seville we had an amazing dinner - tapas again - at a restaurant where we'd made a reservation the night before. Dishes included an aubergine-cheese-salmon-tomato stack; duck with a sweet and spicy sauce; squid ink spaghetti; and pancakes stuffed with black pudding and covered with a red capsicum sauce. Yum!
After dinner we went for one last walk through the old town. Late at night everyone is out walking, as it's so much cooler than during the day, and the atmosphere is amazing! The buildings look beautiful lit up too.
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