Cordoba: Southern Spain’s Hidden Gem
Cordoba in Spring: A City of Fragrance and History
Table of Contents
The first thing you notice about Cordoba in spring is the smell. When the orange trees that line the streets and the jasmines that climb the walls blossom, the whole city fills with their sultry fragrance.
The historic centre of Cordoba is a Unesco world heritage site that bears memories of its roman, Moorish and Catholic past. It’s too much of a cliche to say a place is like another world, but there aren’t many places just three hours from london where you can trace thousands of years and three civilisations’ worth of history in one place.Seville might potentially be the capital of Andalusia but Cordoba fights its corner with all the energy you’d expect from Southern Spain.
What to see in Cordoba
half-mosque, half-cathedral, Cordoba’s Mezquita is an architectural chimera that’s all the more beautiful for its mixed inheritance. It combines extravagant Islamic mosaics and calligraphy, a soaring Renaissance nave and a citrus-scented courtyard. Book ahead to avoid queues.
The Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos is a palace that belonged to Ferdinand and Isabella, the first catholic monarchs of Spain and parents of Henry VIII’s first wife Catherine of Aragon. It’s like a junior sibling of the far more spectacular Alhambra in neighbouring Granada, with all the fountains and flowers but far fewer tourists.
To really take in this cultural mishmash, it’s worth walking over the Roman bridge and looking back at the cityscape. Then explore the Juderia, the old Jewish quarter with windy streets, buzzy restaurants and intriguing shops.
What to eat in Cordoba
It’s hard to go wrong in southern Spain. Afterall,this is the country that produced Ferran Adria,whose El Bulli was regarded as the world’s best restaurant and who introduced a generation to properly adventurous eating.Read more: Former Liberian president Weah to spearhead Fifa racism task force
If that’s your thing,try the chickpeas and trotters at La Cuchara de San Lorenzo. Los Berengueles’ pretty,foliage-filled courtyard is a great place to try Cordovan classics like salmorejo,a thick,cold tomato and garlic soup. For tapas, try vibey Bar Santos just outside the walls of the Mezquita, wich is famous for its giant tortilla.
when to visit Cordoba
The iberian peninsula is one of the hottest places in Europe, so go in spring when it’s warm enough to swim outside but not… (article incomplete).