The best way to get from Faro to Cordoba is by bus, changing in Seville.

The first leg -- through tawny green and russet hills studded with bright white houses -- takes just short of three hours. Seamlessly, you're over the border, and the radio starts speaking Spanish. Two hours into the journey there's a 20-minute comfort stop, and those of us who brought picnics (only to discover you weren't allowed to eat on the bus) loafed around the rest area eating them.


Next up, a 90-minute layover at Seville's very busy bus station. And then two more hours to Cordoba.

Perhaps the most curious sights of the day's journey -- because totally new to me -- were the solar thermal power stations we passed.


We picked Cordoba as our base because the accommodation there was way cheaper than it was in Seville (our first plan).

Having decided on Cordoba, the idea was then to do a day trip back to Seville. But we've since canned that idea. By bus it would be a four-hour round trip, and although taking the train would reduce the journey time considerably, it would be really quite expensive (as we didn't book in advance). There would also be a feeling of "going backwards" that doesn't quite accord with the spirit of the journey.

So that is perhaps a bit of an itinerary mistake, along with the 12-hour train journey to Vigo. In retrospect, perhaps we should have bitten the bullet on two nights in Seville, and gone on to Cordoba after that...

Then again, a week in Cordoba is so far proving to be a very pleasant thing. And I'm already planning the Lisbon Loop Mark 2, so maybe we can take in Seville then...

At the end of the day, the PT byline about "not hurrying the journey at all" means that providing you're enjoying what you're doing, it doesn't really matter all that much what it is... There's never going to be time to do everything anyway.

Our Cordoba Airbnb looks out onto the lightwell of a building that we think dates from the 1980s. It's not in the old town, but is not far away (the ideal location, therefore). It's compact, but very nicely turned out and equipped, and exceptionally well provisioned. We like it here.




On a side note (and I'm aware that my blog posts are increasingly taking on a stream-of-consciousness quality), I'm still conflicted about Airbnb. I remember worrying about the side-effects last year, and I recently read another damning report.

Aaaaagh... They're so useful for us. They're so good for our landlords' income. But ultimately...?

Anyway, back to the story.

The most extraordinary thing about Cordoba so far is the temperature range. Truly, this is the Melbourne of the Iberian Peninsula. Overnight and in the early morning it's really quite chilly. Down to single figures, with wind chill making it feel a lot colder. During the daytime, the temperature rockets up to the mid-20s. So you're constantly shedding or adding clothes. Which is a pain. Avoiding this kind of thing is one of the reasons I live in the tropics...

Over the weekend, I have to confess that we have had breakfast in bed... This very unusual treat has been brought about by a rare confluence of circumstances: cold mornings, when you don't really want to emerge from your snug duvet; and the host's generous provision of light breakfast items (and a tray to put them on).

Tomorrow we'll be off bright and early to do a little expedition out of town, so this decadence will not become a habit.

Cordoba, meanwhile, is really beautiful.

The city "was founded by the Romans and due to its strategic importance as the highest navigable point of the Guadalquivir River, it became a port city of great importance, used for shipping Spanish olive oil, wine and wheat back to Ancient Rome."

Classic colonial behaviour... But it was also the Romans who built the famous bridge. And Seneca, a major philosophical figure in Roman circles in the mid-1st century, was born in Cordoba.

The next big era was that of the Muslim rulers. In 756, Abd al-Rahman I, of the Umayyad family, made Cordoba his capital.

"After Abd al-Rahman III proclaimed himself caliph of the West in 929, it became the largest and probably the most cultured city in Europe, with a population of some 100,000 in 1000. Under Umayyad rule, Cordoba was enlarged and filled with palaces and mosques. The city's woven silks and elaborate brocades, leatherwork, and jewelry were prized throughout Europe and the East, and its copyists rivaled Christian monks in the production of religious works."

By all accounts, it was an amazing city.

Alas, this was not to last. The caliphate fell prey to civil war early in the 11th century, and Cordoba became a power centre for a number of mini-states to fight over. It was conquered by Ferdinand III in 1236, and reverted to Christianity.

During the turbulent 12th century, Jewish philosopher and physician Maimonides was born in -- and forced to flee -- Cordoba.


Wandering the old city that still bears witness to some of this history is one of the great pleasures of a stay here.

But you'll not be alone... Over the weekend, the narrow lanes have been pretty packed (although most of the tour groups we've encountered have been Spanish).

As always, if you walk just a little beyond the most famous streets, the number of tourists drops like a stone.

Here are just a few glimpses:















But the newer parts of the city are very striking too, in their various ways (and pretty much devoid of tourists).









Looking forward to taking a closer look at some of this.

POSTSCRIPT 24 February

We realized, having completed yesterday's walk, that the handsome building we'd seen early on was in fact the original railway station. So, after our trip to Espiel, we walked over to take some commemorative photos: