Salamanca - Cordoba Day Nineteen

Day Nineteen

Date:     18  April  2013

Place:    Salamanca - Cordoba

Weather:   Fantastic:  cool morning to 34 degrees

Accommodation:  Conquistador Hotel

After a breakfast we walked our bags to the parking lot and set off for Cordoba by 9.40am.  It was going to be a long driving day so we settled back to take in the scenery.

Immediately we were in wide open plains with snow-capped mountains in the distance. The whole way was much flatter than we had become accustomed to however the areas though drier still maintained a general green.  I spotted my first poppies since the heading to the Pyrenees over two weeks ago and as we drove along they became more prolific – they are my favourite flower so I was very pleased our visit timed with their short phase of flowering.  There were many other wildflowers along the way giving a purple, white and yellow tinge to the sides of the road.

The scenery was changing....we were on our way to the Analusia Region noted for its bullfights, flamenco and Moorish influences.

 

We spotted some vineyards and much larger fields of olive groves.  We also noticed the change in the style of houses.  We were now seeing white houses with terracotta roofs – whole towns and we had certainly left behind the quaint stone houses of Galicia and the sandstone of Salamanca.

Changing styles of houses.....white and terracotta.

We tried for a food and fuel stop in the middle of nowhere but other than a toilet stop we could not buy fuel or food so we opted for some chips and biscuits.  Not long afterwards  we found a road house (goodness knows where!) and once again bungled our way through to order four salads and drinks.  It was the weirdest salad with cold beans, corn, chopped squid and goodness knows what else!  I’ve now told Team Travel that we will not all order the same thing as we could all end up with food poisoning!!

It took five and a half hours from Salamanca to Cordoba and we could see the temperature steadily rising through the twenties to eventually 34 degrees!  Only a few weeks ago we were excited to see the temperature rise from two to nine degrees so we are certainly seeing the extremes in weather.

We arrived at Cordoba right on 4pm and loved our location immediately as it is right across from the famous Le Mezquita which is described as the grandest and most beautiful mosque in Spain.  We are going to do an audio tour tomorrow morning so we skirted the exterior and walked around the central section.

The courtyard of our hotel.

Standing at the entrance of our hotel....you can't get any closer than this to Lez Meqquita!

 

Armed with a map from the information office we walked the old Jewish quarter (La Juderia) which is a conglomeration of cobbled stoned streets, shops and white houses and buildings.  We all commented how like Mykonos it was….white walls, blue trimmings and lovely pots of flowers on the walls and balconies.  The heat was pretty intense at this stage so we welcomed walking in the shady streets.  As we walked by it was noticeable that cool air was coming from some buildings and after having a peek we saw that the Moorish influence is very evident.  Once entering a hotel or similar there is a grand central courtyard furnished with tables and chairs and plants.  The influence is distinctly Arabic.  Our hotel has an area off the reception which is particularly inviting and after we came back from dinner tonight there were a few couples enjoying the cooler weather in this area.

The Jewish Quarter.

Sangria anyone?

 

 

Que?.....Mapping 101!

 

As the heat retained its intensity it was time for a sit-down and a drink!  The young waitress mentioned Sangria so Desley and I succumbed to our first taste since arriving – it was very enjoyable.  The boys downed a beer and we then set off at 7pm in screaming sunlight to explore the old Roman bridge over the River Guadalquivir. 

The Roman bridge...a very hot walk over this pedestrian bridge.

Dinner anyone?

 

It was then time for dinner so we ventured away from where we were staying to Plaza de la Corredera noted for its colonnaded square.  It certainly doesn’t have the grandeur and size of Salamanca’s Plaza de Mayor however it was certainly abuzz with numbers of people and children playing soccer in the areas which weren’t filled with tables and chairs from restaurants.

After a busy day we made our way back to our hotel via the narrow cobbled stoned streets.  The sun had  gone and the temperature was much cooler.

Night view from our room!  The beautifully lit Le Mezquita which we will explore tomorrow.