Tuesday 11th September 2018

The Mezquita: Chapel of St Bartholomew:

Calle De Las  Flores

Our first stop of the day was the magnificent Mezquita. We spent a while wandering around the ‘Courtyard of Oranges’ with its ablutions fountain where worshippers would have once performed their ritual washing before prayer.  The minaret, however, was replaced by a bell tower in the 13th century.

Immediately you enter the interior you see the impressive sight of the arches.  There are more than 850 arches constructed from jasper, marble and granite.

Wow, the sight is amazing.

The horseshoe-shaped mihrab and the colourful patterned domed ceiling above it are also breathtaking sights.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have seen one or two religious buildings where a minaret has been built to replace a bell tower and then the construction reversed over time. Perhaps, however this place is unique.  The interior has grilled catholic chapels around its perimeter, the Islamic arches are throughout the building and at its centre is an ornate catholic chancel close to carved wooden choir stalls and a beautiful stained glass window. This area is known as the cathedral in the centre of the mosque.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We wandered along the river and then back into the cobbled streets to a large arcaded square which promised a daily market.  Today, however there was no market; and although we stopped for coffee we both agreed that the square lacked atmosphere. It was in need of buskers!  Perhaps it comes to life in the evenings …

The synagogue was the next place on our list; it is one of only three in Spain that has been restored in the Mudejar style. However, when we reached it, a notice declared that it had been closed for restoration since late 2017 and would remain so until the works were completed.  There was no promise of an opening date.

Just a few steps away we came across the Chapel of St Bartholomew.  The chapel is just one small room but its interesting Mudejar decor makes it worth a visit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was a long queue outside the city’s alcazar so we decided to visit it the following day.

A nearby kiosk was advertising an equestrian show at the royal stables for just three nights; it sounds tempting! It was called the ‘Passion and Spirit of the Andalusian Horse’.

For lunch, the warm weather allowed us to sit outside a tapas bar.  We chose a variety of dishes: potatoes bravo, cheeses, gazpacho (a traditional cold soup made from tomatoes) and roasted peppers with tuna.  We were not at all impressed with the potatoes, described as ‘served with a spicy sauce’, they arrived with tomato ketchup and mayo squirted all over them!

Calle de Las Flores is a popular stop for photographers; this narrow alley has many pots of ferns and also geraniums hanging from its walls.

Obviously the place is much more colourful at certain times of the year.

The photograph many moons ago (if cameras had existed) would have included a minaret but of course now (and for hundreds of years), it is of the cathedral’s bell tower.

 

It was now time for total relaxation.  A few weeks ago I had searched the internet for spas or hammams in the places that we were visiting.  I found an hammam with a traditional Arab Bath system. This system involves entering different pools of varying temperatures. There was a large warm pool, then two smaller hot pools and two small pools that were very cold! There was a steam room too and we had also booked a kesse treatment and a massage – pamper time!

It was heaven; the baths were decorated in the Moorish style which added to the ambience.  There were burning candles and beautifully shaped Moorish lanterns of various sizes, some were quite huge. Large glass bowls contained floating candles and colourful flower petals. A rule of silence was requested to be observed to aid complete relaxation.  We both felt totally pampered when we left the hammam.

We went to the restaurant ‘Patio de la Juderia’ (which translates to ‘Courtyard of the Jewish Quarter’) the eatery promised a complimentary flamenco show with dinner.  We were extremely lucky to get a table as most were pre-booked.

Two of the dishes we ordered were traditional Sephardic dishes; we enjoyed the tasty lightly fried slices of aubergines which were drizzled with honey.  The second dish was a meat course served in a sweet wine sauce; the wine had been made from the family’s own grapes.

The flamenco show was very good; there was a male and female dancer and a guitarist and singer. They all gave a passionate performance and we thoroughly enjoyed watching them.

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