Real Alcazar Gardens

Hello again, hope your week is going well so far.

In my last post I mentioned the hugely impressive gardens of the Real Alcazar - what a treat they were, I really wish that I could share the scent of the myrtle and the orange trees along with these photos - it was intoxicating.

Palm and orange trees against the blue sky of Al Andalus...

Sweeping vistas...

The building on the left is a wedding pavilion, built by the King for his bride...

It was a very warm day, 21 degrees Celsius, so a shady part of the garden was a very welcome place for a little sit down and a rest...

These beautiful fellows are really quite tame...

Some amazing flowers and plants...

Running water everywhere, the engineering of supplying water to the population of a large city was something the Moorish designers put in place a thousand years ago, amazing...

Truly an amazing place to visit, absolutely magical - probably the best gardens I have ever visited (and that is saying something as I have been blessed to visit some very special gardens).

Hopefully back soon with our visit to the Catedral and our climb of the Giralda Tower!

Helenxx

Alcazar and Gardens in Cordoba

Hello again, hope those of you in the UK are enjoying the much more spring like weather we have had today.  A balmy 17 degrees centigrade!  The daffodils are starting to bloom, as as the crocus and primroses.

OK, as promised last week, I would love to share some photos of our visit to the Alcazar and it's beautiful gardens in Cordoba.  So - here we go!

 A formidable looking building, but with the most amazing gardens...

The sound of running, bubbling water is everywhere...

Oranges, some being picked from the trees - the scent was fabulous...

 Topiary...

This statue reminded me of the Lord of the Rings for some reason...

A Narnia-style street lamp, but in very un-snowy conditions!

Lots of colour from plants and flowers...

Reflections...

...and shadows of DH and me in the pool...

Views from the ramparts - a birds-eye view of the gardens...

The Spanish Horse Training School...

Al Mezquita in the background...

 Palm tree loveliness...

The Square and a glimpse of the old town in the distance...

these views made the climb to the top more than worthwhile! And also helped to wear off the delicious Andalusian breakfast we had enjoyed at our hotel!

Hope to be back here soon with a walk around the Old Town of Cordoba.

Helenxx

The Impossible Beauty of Al Mezquita

We visited al Mezquita (the Grand Mosque of Cordoba) early each morning during our stay in Cordoba as our hotel was on the same street (how great was that!  Thanks Sue for recommending it to us).

I cannot find the words to describe how I felt when I walked into the building, I was moved to tears by the beauty and the history of the place...

While the rest of Europe was in the Dark Ages, this absolute gem of a place was being built by the Moors of Spain...

The direction of prayer for the worshippers in the Mosque:

Some historians have said the design of the columns and arches represented palm trees, one of the trees of paradise...

...and that the design was meant to give an idea of infinity to those that worshipped there....

The detail on the Mihrab was astonishing....

No words can truly describe how I felt actually being there, so many different feelings...

On leaving the building the old Minaret loomed out of the morning mist....

we headed back to our hotel for breakfast, both lost in our thoughts.   What a privilege it was to actually see the Mezquita for ourselves.

Back again soon I hope with our visit to the Alcazar.

Helenxx