Big sights day yesterday...

The Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba is a most extraordinary building. The original mosque was built in the 8th century. Extensions in the subsequent two centuries made it one of Islam's largest sacred buildings. Since 1236, when Ferdinand III's forces took the city from the Moors, it has been a Christian cathedral. The ramifications of this dual identity are not always without controversy.

Of course, we've all seen many photos of this iconic building. But it absolutely does not disappoint.

On the contrary, several things leap out from a real-live visit that you don't really appreciate in a photo:

1. It is phenomenally big...






2. The juxtaposition of Islamic and Christian art forms is really intriguing.










3. The multiplicity of arches and pillars (more than 850 of them) is absolutely mesmerizing. As you walk, the angles change, constantly offering new perspectives.



If you visit at 8.30 am, you have until about 9.20 am to look around for free.

And while you wait for the gate to open you can observe the major logistic feats involved in restocking the old city. (There are obviously restrictions -- whether legal or just physical I don't know -- about getting your delivery van up some of the narrow streets. The answer? Trolleys, pulled by strong guys who presumably don't need to go to the gym in their spare time.)

The courtyards (patios) of the Palacio de Viana make a wonderful afternoon visit. The oldest courtyard goes back to the 15th century; the newest was created in the 20th.

I love walled gardens, and glimpses through openings into spaces beyond.

So I was truly in heaven here. The plash of the fountains; the song of a stalwart chorus of birds; the play of light and shade and shadow; the tiles, the arches, the shutters, the decorative stone flooring -- everything was a delight.

The walls and the serenity inside them (even with fellow-tourists beating a regular path through) impart a strong feeling of protection and order. The big, cruel world is out there. But in here, it seems, everything is beautiful and at peace. You are wrapped around, cocooned. Even the "garden" (the biggest of the enclosed spaces) is divided by bushes into a further series of enclosed spaces.

It's hard for words to do justice to this beautiful place. So I'll just let you look at the pictures:


















From 2 pm to 5 pm on Wednesdays, you can visit the patios absolutely free.

I'm really glad we stayed a week in Cordoba, even though it meant we missed Seville. Having spent time at two significant sites yesterday (and exhausted the camera), today we were in the mood for just kicking back.

The sun was still low and it was super-cold this morning when we set out on our post-breakfast walk. None of this, however, deterred the otter going about his business in the river.


Back on our own side of the river, we stopped off at a little bar for a coffee and a read of the local newspaper (uh-oh -- Andalucia's first coronavirus case, just down the road in Seville...)

We had a vast lunch (more on that later).

And over the course of today, and in the interstices of yesterday's visits, we've paced out more of this lovely city's fascinating streets. The tourist-heavy bit is actually quite concentrated. There's lots that's just really, really ordinary, but in that charming Cordoban way. And the shadow effects created by the amazing Andalucian light just make you want to take pictures of everything.







Tomorrow we move on again, but this has been truly memorable.