Cordoba

Driving between Sevilla and Cordoba, we didn’t find much in the way of fantastic landscapes -

… other than miles and miles, and acres of mostly olive trees -

Another fun fact about Spain - this country produces more olives than any other country in the world, and as much as Italy and Greece combined!

As we wandered in town our first evening, we were treated to golden hour views of the Roman Bridge (this current version built in the 8th century) -

… and the bell tower of the Mezquita -

The Mezquita, or Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba, was the main reason for our visit to this city. This is just a small portion of the outer wall -

The Mosque was originally finished in 785, but greatly expanded in 971.

In the picture above, you can see the lower, yellowish colored stone walls, which comprise the outer wall of the mosque, while the taller cathedral rises in the center. The cathedral was built literally in the center of the mosque.

Inside…

… just wow.

It was hard to stop taking perspective shots -

… and there was no way I could capture the enormity of the space (over 250,000 square feet!).

In the “newer” addition to the mosque in 971, there were gorgeously intricate designs -

… and more neat perspectives -

The ceilings were also beautiful…

… and you can see how the artisans just painted the red striping, and painted in lines to appear to be brick and mortar.

The Renaissance cathedral had a beautiful pipe organ and choir (but it was roped off and I couldn’t get closer) -

… and over-the-top ornamentation, but it did truly looked plopped down in the middle of the mosque.

I’ll close with a few pics of daily life in Cordoba -

,,, my breakfast (olive oil, fresh tomato sauce, shredded Iberico ham on toast) -

… our view on entering or leaving our apartment -

Til next time…