Let me get something off my chest for starters. Spanish underground car parks. They give me the creeps. Not because they are scary. But because they scare me. What is it will pillars. These car parks weren’t built for todays modern cars. The spaces are too narrow. The pillars. Well they are everywhere. And the turning circles and ramps down. just don’t go there. That’s my whinge. I’ll go round and round looking for a nice space to drive in and out of ~ but not in the car park in Cordoba and I was t even driving in!

Friends were staying in Seville and we arranged to meet up when they visited Cordoba. Never ones to say no to a trip away we arranged to drive to cordoba and stay over for two nights and to meet up for supper. We are so well positioned in Competa. Granada is about 1:5 miles drive. Seville is about 3. Malaga 1 and Cordoba is 2hrs 20. We have done it as a day trip by car. I’ve done it by train from Malaga as a day trip. This time we decided to stay for two nights.

We managed to stay right next to the Mosque Cathedral ~ really central and easy to find. The hotel not the cathedral. That’s well signposted.

The Roman Bridge has been around since 1st. Century and the existing bridge is largely from 8thc. A lot of locations for Game of Thrones weee filmed in Spain and the majestic roman bridge was featured in series 5. Ian told me. He was a fan. I just watched bits when we happened to be in the same room. In the same house in the same country. But I also understand they also used CGI to make it look bigger. I think it looks pretty amazing as it is.

Córdoba Uber. No we didn’t try ~ but there are lots of them.

I have been to Cordoba three times before. This is visit number four to the Mosque cathedral. Almost as many times as I’ve visited The Alhambra in Granada. Both are stunning. But the Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba) blows my mind. I think it’s the subtlety of the Mosque; it’s beautiful simplicity with the stunning architecture of its columns Against the bling bling of the cathedral. To have the two in one building is stunning. Spain has 49 UNESCO world Heritage sites and the Mosque Cathedral is one of them.

We visited at night ~ Saturday night its free entrance so why not. It’s a very different experience at night. The lighting is different as is the atmosphere. Oh. And did I say it was free.

I’d have loved to have heard the organ played. In the cathedral and Mosque I’m sure the acoustics would be amazing. Sat under a stunning ceiling. Stunning plasterwork.

The altar was typically grand as you would expect in a Catholic Church. As a vicar friend of mine one replied when I asked which service I should attend at the church where he was officiating ‘ come to the later one. It’s all bells and smells’. That sums me up. Our local vicar once said I was a a festival worshipper . He didn’t mean Glastonbury ~ he meant Christmas and Harvest festival.

The choir seats were a bit spooky. Each arm rest had a figure carved into it. Beautifully carved. All individual. But scary. The seats are carved mainly out of mahogany wood with a row of 30 upper seats and a row of 23 lower seats, all with these carvings.

At the end of the day the brass still needs polishing. I remember my mother getting the brasso out to polish the brass candlesticks and the knocker on the front door. I can smell it still. I remember it made your fingers black.

I would have thought I’d be used to the narrow Spanish streets after five years. But it never ceases to amaze me how narrow they are and how the cars and vans manoeuvre their way through. People have to stand in door ways like sentries. It’s my nightmare having to manoeuvre my way through these streets. Once in Sentil de las Bodegas I threatened to just get out of the car and get the hire company come and collect it. Just where I’d stopped preferably. I was breathing in as we drove through.

The main reason for the trip to Cordoba ~ although Ian and I never need an excuse for a road trip ~ was to meet up with friends who were travelling in Spain. Five us had worked together over the years and had been friends for over 35 years. Ian and Sarah trained together and are birthday twins. Sane day. Same month same year. Four of us were business partners. Four of us are partners. Confused. Don’t be. We know what’s going on and that’s all that counts. The hotel had recommended a restaurant for supper on the Sunday evening. I’m often dubious about hotel recommendations but this was spot on. Great food. Great atmosphere and great conversation. Don’t ask about the plates. It would take an age to explain.

Who doesn’t go on a bus tour when travelling in a new city. Ok. Not that new to us but it’s always worth the trip around the city. It helps get your bearings. If we hadn’t been on the bus we wouldn’t have seen this place and hopped off. The Palacio Viana. Is a fabulous Renaissances palace with 12 beautifil and very different patio gardens.

It was was the private residence of the 3rd Marquise of Viana until his death in 1980 and was bought by a Cordoba bank on his death. He died with no heirs.

I love a view through a door in the garden ~ this one draws you in from one patio garden to the next. I love the idea of having the gardens like a series of rooms.

How do they get the plumbago to grow this large. Mine at La Casa is pretty poor. If it’s still alive. I need to check when I’m next there but I’d love for it to cover the garage wall like this.

I can’t imagine this going through the streets of Cordoba but it did. How they manoeuvred around the corners on these small often bumpy streets. I’d be happier being carried around in the smaller one.

There was a lot of wandering. A bit of a bizarre evening where we had booked supper at a restaurant which looked good. We arrived and were shown to a table. A table where you needed a lift to get on the chairs and once you’d managed it you immediately started slipping off. We asked to move. We were considering moving restaurants ~ loud music was coming from the roof top terrace. By loud I mean booming. We were the oldest swingers in town.

We were seated in an alcove. Great table. Tucked away in a corner. The best table for people watching. A huge mirror just in view where the young and trendy had camera phones in hand probably for Instagram or tick toc and were taking their selfies as they passed. Unaware we were watching. I never realised the effort you should put into a pose for these photos. Mine are selfie snaps and not that often. Flicks of the hair. One foot forward. Stand kinda sideways. I might try it. Except my pout would be a gurn and my arthritic hip would give out and I’d ultimately fall over. But the service was excellent. The food really good and the complimentary G& T at the end more than generous in size. The entertainment perfect.

We didn’t do the The Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos this time. We tried on the Saturday night. Another free entry but the queue for the queue was huge and despite the British love of queuing , 10pm on a Saturday night was not for me. Oh. And it’s closed on a Monday. We have been before and I’m not sure what the gardens would have been like. It’s been a long hot dry summer in Spain. As they used to say on Blue Peter ( ask your parents if you are young) here’s one I made earlier. On a previous visit. And not with sticky backed plastic and a squeezey bottle.

We have another Spanish adventure lined up. Next stop Bilbao. One thing is guaranteed. There will be pictures. Maybe a blog. But definitely pictures.