The rain in Spain stays mainly in ... Cordoba

 

View of Cordoba Mezquita and Roman bridge from near our hotel

 

crossing  the bridge 

 

inside the Mezquita (mosque part) 

 

inside the Mezquita (cathedral part)

 

one of the many beautiful patios in Cordoba

the inner doors are locked but the outer doors 

are left open for tourists to admire the patio

 

another patio

 

typical street

 

barrels of Pedro Ximenez sherry in our lunchtime restaurant

 

street of the flowers - Calle de Las Flores

 

best night view in town (from our hotel roof)

Yesterday we visited the Mezquita (Z pronounced as an S), which Sue insists on calling the Mosquito.  It is a huge mosque built on the site of an earlier church.  When the Muslims and Jews were expelled in 1492 a church was built slap bang in the middle of the mosque.  Fortunately the Christians recognized the beauty of the mosque columns and other architecture and left a lot of the mosque intact - see photo above.

We have had a lot of cool weather and some light rain/drizzle in Madrid, but today we got proper rain in Cordoba.  Graeme retreated to the Haman for a bath and massage while the women retreated to their hotel for lunch, rest and a couple of glasses of Pedro Ximenes sherry ($12 a bottle, tastes like muscat - seriously good stuff).  Prior to the rain we had been to the synagogue, Jewish museum, and an Inquisition museum that showed none of the history but lots of hideous torture instruments. Later after the rain we checked out the less touristy areas, ending up in the modern city to have dinner with the just-arrived Sheards (Judy and John).