The main reason why I wanted to go to Cordoba was to see the Cathedral (La Mezquita), and I think that's the only reason why I would. A very tiny town about two hours south of Madrid by train, Cordoba makes for a perfect day trip.
The Cathedral was fantastic — I'm very glad that I got to see it. For those who don't know what's so special about the Mezquita (the names can be used interchangeably) is the fact that it used to be a church before the Moors came to Andalucia, then was made into a mosque by the Moors, and once again converted back into a cathedral after the Moors were expelled from Andalucia. So you have a large mosque with characteristic Islamic architecture with a large cathedral right in the middle of it all. It makes for interesting viewing, that's for sure. Check out pictures below.
It was also an interesting experience walking around the small and narrow streets, some of which would go on and on without being intersected by any other streets. It would get mildly frustrating if we wanted to get some place, but we did stumble upon a few interesting windows, houses and restaurants because of that.
Other than the Cathedral, Cordoba was mildly disappointing - especially the nightlife. Everything, and I mean everything, was shut by 10 p.m. In Madrid, we'd go out for dinner at that time, and that would still be on the earlier side. Marissa and I thought Cordoba would be the same, but were sorely mistaken, and barely managed to find dinner before everything closed.
I don't have much to say about Seville other than that I would like to go back there. I only spent 12 hours there (it being my transit between Cordoba and Paris), and would definitely want to spend more time there. It seems to be a very vibrant and lively city (especially after the bore that was Cordoba) and I also really want to visit the Cathedral there considering it was shut by the time I got there and I only got to walk around it.
And there you have it, my trip to Iberia. I think I much preferred it to my week in Italy - far more enjoyable.
3 comments:
aw, despite it being "boring" as you say, the town itself, if you're not expecting a night life, sounds really cool...!
Why can i picture you highly frustrated walking down those narrow, small and endless streets of Cordoba? :P
ps: i am finally viewing your pictures on facebook :D
Looks like it was amazing. It's most def on my must see list.
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