Monday 10th September 2018
We travel to Cordoba today; our plan is to get the midday bus which means we will arrive in the city just before 3pm.
The Hotel Navas has been more than adequate for our three night stay and is situated in a central location.
We took the local bus to the bus station and joined the large queue in front of the row of ticket machines. Staff members from the ALSA bus company were assisting at the machines. When it was our turn, we were dismayed when the Spanish man shrugged his shoulders and simply said ‘completo’. Oh no! The bus was full! Our only option was to book tickets for the next one which unfortunately wasn’t departing until 3pm and therefore wouldn’t arrive in Cordoba until 6pm!
Making use of our unexpected waiting time we checked the bus timetable on the internet for our next journey Cordoba to Seville, and then I returned to the ticket machines and booked the tickets. We could not book the following journey to Ronda as it is operated by a different bus company so we will have to wait until we arrive in Seville but we will book it immediately we arrive as we don’t want to be caught out again!
The bus ride was very pretty, blue skies, sunshine and silvery green olive groves as far as the eye could see. The olive groves were occasionally interrupted by the odd corn field. There were a few fields of dead sunflowers, their now dry brown faces waiting for their seeds to be harvested. We spotted a couple of forts and castles high up on the hills and some white painted villages.
As the bus approached Cordoba we saw grassed areas with flower beds, and squares with fountains, everywhere looked very pleasant. Then we saw a magnificent scene, across the river was the Mezquita – the reason we are visiting this Andalusian city.
We took a taxi from the bus station which took us through a myriad of narrow streets until the driver finally stopped and pointed at a doorway where a group of youngsters where congregating. This was Hotel Boston, an old building which overlooked a large square with a seemingly obligatory statue in the centre of it.
Our room is lovely and spacious with a great view over the traffic free square. Photographs on the internet are often deceiving and not as the rooms really appear but this room is as shown. It is also half the cost of the last hotel, an added bonus! A fabulous location too!
After quickly unpacking and freshening up, we headed out; we had some catching up to do!
Our hotel is just a few minutes walk away from the magnificent Mezquita, the mosque-cathedral as it is often referred to nowadays. We walked its perimeter admiring its architecture, a mix of Islam and Christian, some of which has been restored. This beautiful religious site has been a place of worship for both Muslims and Christians throughout the centuries.
We walked across the historic ‘Roman Bridge of Cordoba’ which spans the Guadalquivir River. The pedestrianised bridge appears to be a focal point for people strolling or jogging, one or two skateboarders and a few buskers. It was a pleasant walk and we stopped to listen to some young buskers. ‘Los Niños Del Puente’ was the name of the three teenagers who were drawing quite a crowd playing their drums and guitars. Their name translates to ‘Children of the Bridge’.
We continued walking around the interesting streets until we decided to stop for dinner. For a change, we chose an Italian restaurant.
When we returned to our room, we sat at the opened window for a while watching life in the square below.
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