Dr. Haus's Unsolicited Life Advice: Córdoba

Photo by Dr. Haus

First Impressions - Day 1

It is hard to believe but I am already in the second city of my southern Spain post-farm tour! Córdoba is an amazing city and is now ranked my number 1 favorite Spanish city so far. The old part of the city is beautiful with its winding streets, flower pots, and architecture. I am very lucky as my hostel is right next to the Mezquita-Catedral which I am SO EXCITED to see tomorrow. Below is another quick picture of awesome biking infrastructure in Spain:

Picture of protected bike lanes in Spain

Photo by Dr. Haus

After arriving in Córdoba I decided to walk around La Judería which is the main part of the old part of the city. The views are beautiful along the Guadalquivir River (which I saw a tributary of in Granada) and the neighborhood itself has amazing architecture. The Puente Romano (Roman Bridge) was another highlight as I was getting a lay for the land.

Photo by Dr. Haus

Photo by Dr. Haus

I am most excited for tomorrow when I will be seeing the Mezquita-Catedral which has a color scheme that includes orange which is likely a big part of the reason I am so excited to see it. Looking forward to checking another big item off my want to see in Spain list!

Photo by Dr. Haus

Picture of the outside of the Mezquita-Catedral

Photo by Dr. Haus

Photo by Dr. Haus

Photo by Dr. Haus

Mezquita-Catedral - Day 2

Today was the BEST since I got to visit the Mezquita-Catedral. This was the most beautiful place I have seen on my trip so far. When I arrived at the Mezquita-Catedral it was right at opening time which is 10AM. They do have a mass before opening the building to the public. This meant that the incense was still strong from the mass and the organ was being played for the first 10 or so minutes I was visiting. Here is one of the organs:

Photo by Dr. Haus

I was most surprised by how dark it was inside the building and loved the orange hues. The darkness in the building made sense because in southern Spain they have more of a problem with heat in the summer as opposed to being too cold. There are not too many windows in the building with most of them being high up in the ceiling. I imagine this was important to keeping everything cool during the hot summers.

Photo by Dr. Haus

After exploring the different areas of the Mezquita-Catedral I decided to walk up the famous Bell Tower. This tower is at the main entrance of the Mezquita-Catedral and has amazing views of the Mezquita-Catedral and Córdoba. The Bell Tower is a good old fashioned walk up and the views from the top were wonderful.

Photo by Dr. Haus

View of Mezquita-Catedral from the Bell Tower

Photo by Dr. Haus

Photo by Dr. Haus

After the Mezquita-Catedral I explored some hiking trails and other areas of the city. I found a great place for dinner where I was able to eat some of my favorite Spanish foods (croquetas and seafood). This was also the first day I had sangria in Spain which was a great choice. An awesome Spanish tradition is giving a customer a small free drink with the check which this place did. I think it was a coffee liquor and it tasted great!

Photo by Dr. Haus

Today marks the end of my time in Córdoba and tomorrow I am off to Seville bright and early. The most exciting plan for tomorrow is that I will be seeing a flamenco show! I cannot wait to see what flamenco is all about and enjoy some live entertainment in Spain. I also plan to see the famous cathedral in Seville while I am in the city for two days. Chao for now!