Córdoba was less than an hour AVE train ride away from Sevilla.
My hotel was located in the narrow alleyways of the old Jewish quarter. And the Mezquita-Catedral could be reached within 5 minutes. The afternoon visitation time wouldn't be opened until 14:30 so I killed some time by walking in the vicinity areas. Unfortunately the Real Alcázar (similar to the one in Sevilla) was only opened till 14:30 on a Sunday. There went my chances. Luckily the Mezquita-Catedral did open because I only set aside a night in Córdoba.
One of the reviews in TripAdvisor nailed it when the author wrote no matter how many pictures you saw in the web, being present and seeing it for yourself would be priceless. So true!
The sea of 'double horseshoe-shaped' arches and pillars seemed endless -- it's reported there are 856 of those columns. The distinctive red and white striped pattern (or "voussoirs" - thanks to Wiki) is achieved by alternating brick and stone in the arches. The Mihrab was nothing short of spectacular. Too bad the area was cordoned off, so it limited the angles at which we could take pictures.
I bet everyone would have different kinds of perspectives as they walked around. I could only wonder how the mosque was like before the new additions.
I was sifting through my pictures and the pictures of the pillars and arches seem repetitive, although they were taken at various spots. So I've placed other pictures in my Flickr album.
Some little bit shaky-and-out of focus clip...
A clip of the Mihrab
So that's my Córdoba post dear readers. 2 more cities to go, and I'm done. Woohoo! Good thing I don't do this (traveling and blog updating) often. It does take some effort :)
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| Sevilla a Cordoba |
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| The view from my room, as the hotel is inside the Juderia (old Jewish quarter). |
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| The walls of the Juderia |
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| Orange trees are everywhere |
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| The Roman Bridge |
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| Triumph Arch or Gate Bridge (El Arco del Triunfo o La Puerta del Puente) |
One of the reviews in TripAdvisor nailed it when the author wrote no matter how many pictures you saw in the web, being present and seeing it for yourself would be priceless. So true!
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| Orange Tree Courtyard |
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| Torre de Alminar, the bell tower |
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| The outside walls of the Mezquita |
The sea of 'double horseshoe-shaped' arches and pillars seemed endless -- it's reported there are 856 of those columns. The distinctive red and white striped pattern (or "voussoirs" - thanks to Wiki) is achieved by alternating brick and stone in the arches. The Mihrab was nothing short of spectacular. Too bad the area was cordoned off, so it limited the angles at which we could take pictures.
I bet everyone would have different kinds of perspectives as they walked around. I could only wonder how the mosque was like before the new additions.
I was sifting through my pictures and the pictures of the pillars and arches seem repetitive, although they were taken at various spots. So I've placed other pictures in my Flickr album.
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| The section at which you'd come to after you enter the building |
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| Door of the Palms |
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| Remains of the San Vicente Basilica (built before the Mezquita) |
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| How the Catedral is infused into the Mezquita |
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| Arriving at the Mihrab |
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| The Mihrab |
So that's my Córdoba post dear readers. 2 more cities to go, and I'm done. Woohoo! Good thing I don't do this (traveling and blog updating) often. It does take some effort :)
Southern Spain really does have a different feel from the east coast and Madrid. The Moors certainly made their marks, in very good way :)
ReplyDeleteso true! too bad i didn't have more time to see other sides of Southern Spain like Ronda, Cadiz and Tarifa, as suggested by a friend.
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