Walters Press

Spain 2013 Day 8--Cordoba

After a wonderful sleep at the Hotel Albucasis (recommended by Karen Brown, who has never let me down in all my travels to Europe), we walked across town to the Palacio de Viana, a palace converted to a museum that shows off 12 beautiful patios and architecture.

From Spain Day 8--Cordoba

The Palacio de Viana was across town from our hotel and it was nice walking in other parts of town. We passed more crosses for the Festival.

From Spain Day 8--Cordoba

Our last stop in Cordoba was the Mezquita. Today, the Mezquita is the cathedral of Cordoba but the vast majority of its art and architecture is the work of Islamic architects, who built it as a mosque in the 8th century.

From Spain Day 8--Cordoba

In the middle of all this beautiful Islamic architecture is a baroque cathedral.

From Spain Day 8--Cordoba

It was time to catch the fast train back to Madrid for our flight home the next day. This was a short but fun trip, made even better by having local friends along for the first half!

To see all our photos from Day 8, click here.

Spain 2013 Day 7--Cordoba

We finally woke up to good weather at our b&b in the countryside near Granada but unfortunately it was our day to leave. The wheat fields and olive groves were especially beautiful today.

From Spain 2013 Day 7--Cordoba

We drove to Cordoba and returned our rental car at the bus station. A short taxi ride later we were at the city walls--no cars inside the walls so we had to walk the rest of the way.

From Spain 2013 Day 7--Cordoba

I loved the city of Cordoba. It didn't hurt that we were there on a national holiday and also during the Festival of the Crosses. Everyone was out in the streets having a great time. Cordoba is known for its beautiful patios--interior courtyards that are beautifully decorated with potted plants. One of the best places to see these patios is the neighborhood of San Basilio.

From Spain 2013 Day 7--Cordoba

During the Festival of the Crosses, several floral crosses are placed in squares throughout the city and people gather to eat, drink, dance and socialize around them.

From Spain 2013 Day 7--Cordoba

A nice view of The Mezquita

From Spain 2013 Day 7--Cordoba

That night we walked around the outside walls of the Mezquita of Cordoba.

From Spain 2013 Day 7--Cordoba

For late dinner we had more Salmorejo and other tapas typical of the region. All the restaurants and bars had live music for the celebratory mood of the holiday.

To see all of our photos from Day 7 click here.

Spain 2013 Day 6--Granada and The Alhambra

Today was our day to visit the city of Granada and the most visited site in Spain, The Alhambra. Mostly built in the 9th century, it is now the most significant example of Arab-Islamic Architecture in Spain.

Before we visited the Alhambra, we walked around the city of Granada. I really loved this city. It was a completely different city than Sevilla. Chris' family historian has traced their family (Perezchica) through Mexico and to the city of Granada as far back as 1745. There is record that Juan Bentura Perez Chica and his wife Ysave Lopez de Haro baptized their daughter Francisca Bentura Perez Chica at Iglesia de San Matias on July 24, 1745. How many people can say they have traced their family back this far? We tried to get inside the church but it was locked, but here is a picture of a Perezchica in front of the church where the Perezchica's worshipped as far back as 1745.

From Spain Day 6-Granada and The Alhambra

We went back to the church a few hours later to see a crowd standing outside the door. We were hoping that they were about to go in, but when we asked one of the men he said they had just had a funeral and the church was closed. I imagined the Perezchica's congregating outside this church just like this family was doing on this day.

The Perezchica's walked down this road, Calle San Matias, going to church in the 1700's!

From Spain Day 6-Granada and The Alhambra

The Cathedral of Granada

From Spain Day 6-Granada and The Alhambra

On recommendation from Jeff Webb, the owner of our b&b, El Amparo, we stopped for lunch at Bodegas Castaneda, near the Cathedral. We tried "guiso" a thick stew of white beans and potatoes, perfect on this cold day.

From Spain Day 6-Granada and The Alhambra

We also had a huge plate of meats and cheeses

From Spain Day 6-Granada and The Alhambra

A typical scene in a bar or restaurant in Spain

From Spain Day 6-Granada and The Alhambra

After lunch we walked through Plaza Nueva up the steep hill to the Albayzin neighborhood.

From Spain Day 6-Granada and The Alhambra

On our way up we caught a view of The Alhambra

From Spain Day 6-Granada and The Alhambra

At the top of the Albayzin neighborhood is the Mirador San Nicolas, a wonderful view of The Alhambra.

From Spain Day 6-Granada and The Alhambra

We made our way over to the Alhambra for our check-in. There are a limited number of tickets each day and you buy a pass for either 8am-2pm or 2pm-8pm. You also have to purchase a ticket that is a timed entry into the Nasrid Palace and our ticket was the last entry of the day at 7pm.

The first part we visited was the Generalife Gardens. Chris really liked these stone patterns throughout the gardens.