“Discover the Wonders of Cordoba: A Memorable Tour”
I have been coming to Villa Andalucía for the past 18 years, enjoying the peace and tranquillity of its location just above the lovely town of Competa.
Last April Helen arranged a day out for us to Cordoba.
The local Taxi picked us up at 8.00 am and drove to Torrox where Cipriano met us in his Mercedes Vito which is known as the “Olevan”, a few more guests were picked up on the way and then our journey started.
Cipriano drove the scenic route which took us through miles of olive groves, grape vines, and stunning scenery, so different from the area around Cómpeta.
On arrival in Cordoba, we were taken for a coffee and a bite to eat in a very Spanish restaurant before setting off on our guided tour.
Cipriano was full of information and explained some of Cordoba’s history as we crossed the river Guadalquivir and made our way into the city.
It was a sunny day and the narrow streets were lined with colourful flowerpots, May is the month to see houses full of nothing but flowers, we were a few weeks too early. The streets gave shelter on the way to the famous Mosque-Cathedral, which is declared a World Heritage Site.
Cipriano had entrance tickets and we were handed over to a guide who took us into one of the most breathtaking places I have ever seen, made me feel quite emotional, we spent just over an hour walking around and having its history explained to us. We could not take our eyes off the magnificent ceiling.
We were met again by Cipriano who then took us around the ancient streets through the Jewish quarter, to the Alcazar, once again Cipriano had our tickets which meant we missed the long queue, we were taken round and the history of it was explained by Cipriano.
It was nice and cool inside and we went through rooms decorated with lovely mosaics both on the walls and the floors. The ruins of a Roman building could be seen out of one of the windows.
When we came out of the building we visited the Synagogue of Córdoba in the Jewish quarter, and the Gardens of the Alcazar which are stunning whilst in the beautiful gardens the heavens opened (we couldn’t enjoy them that day due to the rain)
We ended up dashing for a restaurant where we were treated to a leisurely typical Spanish lunch, here we tried some typical Spanish dishes, salmorejo and flamenquín and Cordoban Gaspacho the recipe is written in tiles on a wall outside. Unfortunately, I didn´t get the chance to take a photo. (watch out for another blog relating to Spanish dishes)
The restaurant is located in the quarter of San Basilio, the quarter where popular “patios” de Córdoba are located.
The rain stopped and we made our way back to the Olevan and the trip back to Torrox where we had a taxi back to the Villa in time to sit on the patio with a glass of wine and a chance to reflect on a wonderful day out that we will never forget.
The trip took about eight hours, we are so glad we did it in an organised group, we would never have found all the wonderful places we went to on our own.
Thanks to Helen who told us about the trip and arranged it for us from start to finish, and to Cipriano for giving us a memorable day out.
Susan and Anthony x
We can’t talk about a beautiful day out in Cordoba without mentioning it’s beautiful “rincones” of flowerpot covered walls that you will find throughout the city.
‘Calleja de las flores’ has now become one of the most visited spots in the city with a concentration of pots of geraniums and carnations.
The street was designed in the 1950’s as part of a plan to beautify spots in the city by the then mayor, and local architect Víctor Escribano Ucelay designed the arches and fountain which make this such a beautiful spot in Cordoba.
If you would like to go on this trip or any other trips with Oletrips head over to the ACTIVITIES PAGE where you will find what they offer right at the top of the page.
For more details or to plan your perfect day out in Cordoba, click on the email address below and contact Helen.
