Andalusia Tour 3

Departure for Cordoba, while the temperature rises and we keep travelling through olive groves as far as the eye can see. We stop at the entrance to the city, near the Roman bridge over the Guadalquivir, a mighty feat of engineering 240 metres long with 16 arches. The destination is then the Mezquita-Catedral, the largest mosque in Europe, which could hold up to 40,000 worshippers, the only one with a Christian cathedral inside. Every side of the cathedral preserves the ancient doors; inside, the Patio de los Naranjos welcomes the visitor with orange trees and palms planted after the Christian reconquest to replace the Arab olive trees. The interior offers a spectacle of uncommon beauty, divided into 19 naves along its length and 37 across its width, supported by 850 columns of green or violet granite, embellished with marble.

One of the oldest quarters of Cordoba is the Juderia, the Jewish quarter, where white houses adorned with an explosion of geraniums look out and hide beautiful patios.