Cordoba, Spain

During my stay in Sevilla, I have decided to take a day trip on the high speed AVE train to the City of Cordoba which has been declared on the World Heritage Site and is a city rich in history. Here I will get to see some great Moorish architecture, ancient palaces, beautiful parks and gardens, monuments and beautiful flower-filled courtyards.

High on my must see list is of course the famous Mezquita. I read that the Mezquita is considered to be the third largest mosque in the world. And what is so unique about it is how the Christian Cathedral was actually erected inside the walls of the Islamic mosque after the Moorish invaders were ousted from the City in the 13th century. It actually took almost 250 years to build. The result of this is a mixture of Moorish architecture combined with Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles. As soon as I saw photos of the interior with its Moorish influences and colorful arches, I knew that the opportunity (albeit brief) to see it should not be missed.

If all goes well, I will catch an early train and spend the entire day in Cordoba so in addition to visiting the famous Mezquita I will have enough time to visit the Synagogue (one of only three in all of Spain) which was built in 1315, the Alcazar and also the magnificent and beautiful flower filled patios and courtyards. It is said that in early times, family and social life in Andalusia revolved around the courtyard or patio. And rooms were built around this space. Very cool!

Here is an absolutely cool video that showcases some of the things I want to see during my visit and the music is so lively that it was partly responsible for my decision to visit Cordoba during this trip . . . how could I not!