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

Welcome to Cordoba

Hello everyone, thought I would start sharing my photos of our recent wonderful time in Al Andalus.

A picture tells a thousand stories so they say....

Some of the sights that greeted us on our first day in the beautiful city of Cordoba...

 Bell tower of the Catedral, this used to be the minaret of the Grand Mosque...

 The Catedral (this was the Grand Mosque)

 Reflecions...

The local Tourism office

Old minaret in downtown Cordoba

 The Roman Bridge

Looking back towards the old town...

 Beautiful Andalusian sky

Views across the river, unforgettable...

Sunset..

Night views....

This was just a taster of what awaited us during our 2 and a half days in Cordoba, a place we had always wanted to visit together since we met back before the olden days (according to my 3rd son when he was little, the olden days started in 1989.  And we met way before then...).  It did not disappoint!  Back soon with our visit to al Mezquita.

Helenxx