Day 9: Off to Cordoba

No great rush today, our train to Cordoba was at 12:50 so we planned to leave the apartment around 11:45. Had our leftover pizza for breakfast and then spent a couple of hours packing up and getting ready. Schnitzel got quite restless and barky as he realised we were leaving, and I think he was getting a bit stressed we might leave him behind. Silly dog!

Out the door just on time, after saying a fond farewell! It's been a great spot to stay, right in the heart of everything and with plenty of food & beverage options around. Not to mention good walking and relief options for Schnitzel. Walked down the block and grabbed a cab to the station - only 7 euros this time (half the price) because we started outside the heavily-taxed old town zone. Spent some time waiting at the station and eating a quick McDonalds lunch before boarding the train.

The train itself was pretty empty, not more than a third full I wouldn't have thought. Schnitzel was very well behaved in his new carrier bag, despite it being much smaller than his old crate. This one is at least small and light enough that I can have it on my lap with no dramas, which makes him more comfortable I think.

Couldn't see much out of the train as we zipped along at 220km/h, since our seat didn't line up with a window! At least it was only a short trip, and we arrived in Cordoba just 40 minutes later. 5 minute taxi ride to our apartment in the centre of town, and found it with no troubles, though the housekeeper was still in the process of finishing cleaning and tidying. We went out for a quick wander and came back 20 minutes later, after bumping into another dachshund! The man spoke a bit of English and said that he'd been travelling the world with his dog as well, very cute!

Our apartment here is a top-floor terrace on the main shopping street, again an old building but renovated. It's nice, though the owner apparently has a cat which was driving Schnitzel crazy as he hunted around for it with no luck. It's also a "smoker-friendly" apartment, and though you're only supposed to smoke out on the terrace, the living room which opens out to the terrace also stinks of cigarettes which is a bit of a shame. The other rooms are mostly OK though.

We spent a couple of hours relaxing and letting Schnitzel settle in, before deciding to head out for a walk around 4pm. We were staying in the main shopping district, about 10 minutes walk from the main tourist area which is the old town and also known as the Jewish Quarter. The entire town is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, since it's quite well preserved and has been for centuries.

The main attraction here is a building called La Mezquita, which was a Visigoth Christian temple from 400-800 AD, knocked down for a mosque which lasted until the Reconquista in the 14th century, and now converted into a cathedral. Unfortunately due to the late hour we couldn't go inside (and no dogs permitted of course), so we just wandered around and marvelled at the walls with their Islamic flourishes and impressive buttresses.

Further wandering found us down at the river, the same one that flows all the way from Seville. This is the site of an old Roman-era bridge which has been heavily restored, though the original stones are still standing in parts of it. The ancient road from Rome to the Atlantic port of Cadiz ran directly through here, and near Cordoba was one of the earliest Roman settlements in Spain.

Wandered across the bridge and back, checking out the view of the city before going back and losing ourselves in the alleyways and narrow streets of the old town again. Growing dark we looked for some food, but in true Spanish style most of the non-tourist places didn't open their kitchens until 8:30pm! After a bit of frustration we ended up dropping Schnitzel off back at the apartment, sitting around for a little while then heading out at 8:30.

First stopped at a bar across the road where a small beer and mini baguette with jamon was 1.80 euro, so we doubled-up on that! Further along was a small bodega which had been operating continuously since 1932. We ordered up on tapas, getting a plate of prawns, a plate of jamon, and a plate of potato & aioli plus two glasses of local wine for 10.50. All dishes were great!

Very noisy evening as it was a Friday night, and ahead of a long weekend at that (it's Andalusia Day on Tuesday, where the region celebrates being granted autonomy from Spain). I'm not entirely sure how the political system works, but as far as I can tell "Spain" is basically just a collection of autonomous provincial governments, and the central "Spanish" government doesn't actually have much direct power over each state. Looking forward to exploring the rest of the city over the next two days!Read more