While me and my friends were in Seville, we were told that we should also take a tour to nearby cities such as Cordoba and Granada. There are many packaged tours available. After long thinking and many considerations, we decided to go to Cordoba by ourselves on our last day in Seville.
On Wednesday morning, we headed to Sevilla Santa Justa station to take the train to Cordoba. The station is only 3 bus stops away from our hotel. We already checked the schedule and the prices the night before so we directly bought the tickets at the counter. Thank God the staff, who is an old man, is fluent in English and very helpful.
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| Inside the comfortable Renfe train |
Most of us were very sleepy including me so I slept during the ride and after an hour, we finally arrived in Cordoba! While some of us needed to go to the restrooms, the others went to the tourist information center to get the city map and ask about everything.
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| Auto buses station across the train station |
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| The Roman Bridge |
From the bus stop, we still had to walk for a bit. Then we saw this huge Roman-style gate that leads us to Mezquita. I was confused at first because there was no sign of any church.
Mezquita is a mosque that turns to a cathedral. You cannot miss this place while in here. The cathedral is unique since there are still some remaining Islamic touches. An hour is definitely not enough to explore all of the area. The building is large indeed! I could easily get lost. This place attracts me in some ways. I couldn't describe how amazed and enchanted I was by the charm it offers.
Mezquita
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| Weird and creepy Jesus cross |
At the center of the cathedral, I heard this music that sounds like an intro of horror movies when you enter an empty, spooky house. It definitely sounds like that. I didn't expect that it was live music. It was a piano being played by a little boy!
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| Best view |
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| Spotted the Bell Tower |
Getting outside Mezquita, I was very impressed by the street I encountered. There are some restaurants, cafés, and souvenir shops. We discussed where to go next since we didn't have any particular plans. We tried to find Synagogue so we walked further.
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| Love these colourful plates and their patterns |
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| Jewish Quarter |
As we walked further, I found more interesting things! And I just realised that we were in Jewish Quarter. Oh my, how I love the street so much. More shops and eating places are found at the corners and small alleys. People-watching is quite enjoyable that I met locals and tourists.
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| City Wall |
We didn't find the Synagogue until we reached the end of the street and got out. Accidentally we found these tall walls that covered the area. The view was great enough so we didn't become too upset. We tried to go back by taking different ways.
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| Statue of Sephardic Jewish Philosopher, Maimonides |
The Synagogue
We didn't have much time left since we took the 4pm train. We were tired and hungry so we used the remaining time to eat! Mercado Victoria is the recommended place. It is only a 10-minute walking distance from the City Wall.
This market is perfect for us that we could choose any food we like. It reminds me of Mercado de San Miguel in Madrid. The difference is that the interior is more modern and they provide more international food than local. However, there are so many choices and they all taste great!
From there, we went back to the station by walking. How come it was actually not that far? We were quite surprised.
The mix of Muslim, Catholic, and Jewish history in Cordoba gives me an interesting cultural experience. During the city tour, I feel like I was being taken to the past. It's not like any other cities I've visited before that I could really immerse myself with the history. Hope I could explore more places in Cordoba in the future.
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