May in Cordoba Part 2

Later during the day we went looking for the patios which are open at certain times – something we only found out only after seeing a sign outside one of them stating which times they were open, so we decided to head back to the hotel for some rest and much needed cooling down.

We set off in the early evening to try and get into some of the patios and enjoy some local food. As we made our way over we decided to go inside the old castle. This is where Columbus asked the Spanish kings for money in order for him to embark on his journey to the new world. The palace was closed until 9p.m when there would be a sound and light display so we decided we could see the show later.

As we walked towards the area where there were quite a few patios which by the way do not have an admission and there are about 58 of them across Cordoba, we came across a glimpse of Cruz de Mayo – a festival held two weeks before in which the city’s squares and garden have big crosses made from flowers and plants. Then we saw some patios which were the smaller ones and not very impressive but then again they had not been awarded any prizes. The prize wining ones had queues to get in so we went for dinner
 instead.

Dinner was in a typical tavern of the area where tapas are served and local foods are the most popular even amongst tourists. After dinner and some fino (dry wine) we managed to get into one the patios that had won a prize and also had hosted important guest over the year like the Queen of Spain Doña Sofia.

It was not as large as I expected when we got inside but you could see that a lot of thought had gone into it as it was designed as an old house. All kinds of flowers were being grown and even some strawberries that invited the guests to experience the lushness of the garden. Just next to an example of an old kitchen with is working wood burning stove made from ceramic tiles and mortar out of metal was a small perfume shop that sold perfume which smelt like certain flowers that grew in the patios across Cordoba. Nadia bought one which smelt to orange blossoms and tangerine which is the loveliest smell that I have smelt in a long time.

When we left the patio, the streets were filling up with people as the local bars and tavern opened their doors. With plenty of flamenco and wine to go around people quickly joined the party and some people were dressed up for the occasion.

We made our way to the Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos which is the castle I mentioned earlier but we were a bit late for the show so we went in quickly and missed out on the first few minutes. When we walked into the courtyard you could feel the coolness of the garden with its marble floor and small pool of water - a legacy of the castle’s Moorish past. After a short show on the wall of the castle we were shown the rest of the gardens with grand fountains of water. As we got close, the first fountain it lit up and music started playing. As we watched the water dance to the sound of music I was reminded of how wonderful garden of the Alhambra is with all of its unique water features. The second fountain was the most impressive as the display of light, water and sound all came tighter to produce one amazing and beautiful display that brought the magic of the garden to life. Walking back to the entrance the magic of the garden still had a firm grip on us.

The next day we woke up a bit later as we were out late and we checked out as soon as we could get our bags packed. The only thing that was left to do was to visit el Puente Romano (roman bridge) which is an iconic landmark across the Guadalquivir. The crossing was quite hot and at the end of it there is an old Moorish tower that was used to defend the river. There was a small band playing in the shade of the tower which gave that little bit of atmosphere to a hot day.

Inside the Torres de la Calahorra they have built a small museum dedicated to the Moorish rule of Spain and its many advances in science, technology and art. The best part of it was seeing the interactive models of the Alhambra and the mosque in Cordoba.

We had some lunch and it seemed that in every restaurant we went in we would bring a crowd of people. After lunch we decided to start making our way back to Gibraltar and escape the soaring heat which we had over the weekend.