Cordoba’s Calahorra Tower & Roman Bridge

Cordoba is only a one hour train ride through farmland from Seville. We caught the 12:18 pm train and were in our hotel room, Hesperia Cordoba, by 2 pm. Easy peasy. The train was full with people going to Cordoba and Malaga for a little holiday, as it is Andalusia Day.

Our hotel, Hesperia, is in a great spot and the view of the river and the Mosque/Cathedral, that we have from our room is beautiful. It’s a 5 minute walk over a 1st century Roman bridge to the historical centre.

It was a gorgeous Spring day when we arrived so as soon as we dropped off our bags, we headed to the bridge. But first, we stopped in at the Calahorra Tower. Due to the holiday, the entry fee was waived.

The tower’s fascinating museum really brought 10th century Cordoba to life. Muslims, Jews, and Christians all lived peacefully side by side in this city, freely sharing spirituality and learning with each other. Wouldn’t it be nice if the modern world could live like that?

The museum has a collection of detailed miniature models that do a great job to help visitors visualize what life was like in the city way back when. In one room, there are scale models of both the original Mezquita Catédral and the Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos. It was a good intro prior to our upcoming tour of the Mosque.

The bridge was first built in the 1st century A.D., but has been rebuilt many times since then, and in its present form dates mainly from the Medieval era. It is 247m long and has sixteen arches, four of which are pointed and the rest semi-circular. For 2,000 years, it was the only bridge that crossed the river.

Halfway along the railing on one side is a 16th century statue of San Rafael, the patron saint of Cordoba. Apparently, in 1578, the Archangel San Rafael appeared to a priest and swore that he would protect the city and its inhabitants. Now, people light candles and place flowers at its base.

It was a pleasant walk on the bridge with musicians playing and vendors selling trinkets.

We returned to the hotel and sat on the rooftop mirador with a cup of tea as the sun set.
We think that we are really going to enjoy this city.Read more