Day Trip - Cordoba

I feel this day's been 9 years in the making. Ever since I heard my roommates talk about it back when I was in Seville, Cordoba has been on my list. Now that I'm finally back in Spain, it was nice to work this into the itinerary. This can be done as a day trip, but I'm glad we spent the night. If you have more time, maybe even 2 days, you'd get a better sense of this city.

Today's agenda included some covid testing for my friend and I. Her, a PCR to go back home to Canada, and me, an antigen that I'm not sure whether I'll need to get into Italy (spoiler - I didn't need it). Despite that, we were still able to make a full day hitting all the major spots.

First up, Viana Palace for their gardens and hanging balconies. A gorgeous place I would love to revisit when it's quieter. We happened upon the day it was free entrance, so for the 1st time in our Spanish journey, there were hordes of people. It felt like bus load after bus load of tourists were unloaded and it was a struggle to try to keep distance (even though we were outdoors) and get photos that there was nobody in.

Our lunch stop was the Mercado Victoria, a bit of a trek, but a cool spot that reminds of me Tel Aviv's Sarona Market, but smaller. It's hip and modern, with a good selection of food stalls to order from. We went a little overboard with the amount of food we ordered, but some of the portions were bigger than we thought.

After checking in at the hotel, we went our separate ways for a bit. Myself, it was off to the Mezquita to check out the mosque/cathedral's candy cane arches. It was a little underwhelming, but if you go, make sure you see the current altar space. The Alcazar is also nearby, and my second stop to join my friends. Nearing magic hour, it's great for photoshoots. I think spring would be a better time to go when the gardens are in bloom and not too hot. They were setting up for a concert as well, and the sound checks sounded great. I wish I knew who was up and that we could get tickets.

Another bridge on the agenda, this time, the Roman Bridge of Cordoba. Some might recognize it from the Game of Thrones. I didn't get a chance to walk across it til after dinner, but it was a pleasant stroll and I got to check out the Calle de Flores as well. It's a cute little alley that looks even nicer during the day =)Read more