Villafranca de Córdoba

We are at a very quiet site north east of Cordoba - at Villafranca de Cordoba.
We took the bus into Cordoba and took a walking tour of the city. The city is preparing itself for the Christmas festivities and the Christmas market had just opened up.
The walk took us through the historical city where we saw roman ruins (nearly - they are in fact 1950 recreations on the site of the old roman temple), the Plaza de la Corredera, Plaza del Potro then through the arch into the very old city to see the Mosque/Cathedral, roman bridge, Kings Palace (Alcazar de los Reyne Cristianos). We then took in the old Jewish quarter to finish the walk outside the old city walls at an original Roman gate.
Once again we took advice from our guide Maddy and tried the recommended tapas bar. This time it was a very modern establishment - Bar Sancho- the food was delicious. We tried the local Salmorejo which was recommended and very tasty.
The bus back was bedlam - it coincided with the end of the school day and it was full of lively teenagers discussing their weekend plans
We drove into the city the following day so we could see inside the Cathedral and the Alcazar. We parked a short walk from the south side of the roman bridge. The city was more busy with tourists than the day before.
We did the Alcazar first which was very interesting and the gardens beautiful - all very well kept and now owned and maintained by the local council.
We lunched at the 101 Tapas bar which was very nice - a much older establishment - and tried the wild boar stew which is a local favourite, also very tasty.
In the afternoon we visited the Cathedral and took the audio guides. A truly remarkable building with a long and varied history - a must see for any visit to the city.Read more