Andalusia Trip 4: Córdoba and Route of the Caliphs

From Granada, we made our way to Córdoba. The drive itself on the Route of the Caliphs is noteworthy.

First of all, it should be noted that we did not always follow the original route and towards the end, we covered several kilometers on the serpentines-free highway. But initially, we drove on country roads through numerous olive groves on sometimes adventurous roads. Once, we even encountered a whole flock of sheep on a very narrow road - fortunately not on a slope. The landscape was quite charming, but the extreme dryness was noticeable, not least because of a partly dried-up reservoir. We drove through several smaller towns, passing by some of them, and enjoyed the views of the green wooded hills/mountains of the Sierra Subbéticas as well as the views of the town of Priego de Córdoba located at the foot of the hills.

We also made an unplanned but very worthwhile stop in Alcalá la Real, where you can visit the fortress castle of Fortaleza de la Mota. The entrance fee there is €6 per person, and the huge old city complex is absolutely worth the money. Much of it is preserved or reconstructed, and the German audio guide, which works with a QR code on your phone, is very well done and descriptive. We were able to get a good sense of life in this castle over the countless centuries! We also enjoyed the views of the city and the surrounding area and observed squirrels. Before we knew it, we had spent nearly 3 hours in the complex! Another advantage of this castle compared to the complexes in Granada and Málaga is that it's simply not crowded at all! In my opinion, a stop here is really worthwhile.

Julius and I both liked Córdoba very much. Compared to Granada, it's less crowded and somehow... just more beautiful. We enjoyed strolling through the streets of the new city center, admiring the narrow streets of the Judería, stumbling upon old churches at every corner or green parks just outside the city, and encountering beautiful smaller and larger squares with fountains. Not to mention the flowery courtyards hidden somewhere.

Naturally, we also visited Córdoba's main tourist attraction, the Mosque-Cathedral of Mezquita. It's really impressive, I've never seen anything like it. The large courtyard itself is already beautiful, but inside there is an old, very large mosque with the famous red and white arches. It was built on the walls of an early Christian church with Roman and Greek elements, some of which can still be admired, such as the floors. On the outer walls of this mosque, there are (with a few exceptions) Christian chapels, and in the center of the mosque, there is a real Christian cathedral, which is impressive in its own right! But what fascinates me even more than the building itself is the fact that different rulers of different religions and cultures did not destroy the buildings here, but simply modified them, and that even in the dark Middle Ages, it was possible for Christians, Muslims, and Jews (mostly) to live peacefully side by side in a city.

Another attraction is Medina al-Zahara, a Caliphate city about 10km outside the center of Córdoba. There is a museum with numerous exhibits, an informational film, and the archaeological sites can also be visited. This is also impressive, although we couldn't fully enjoy the outdoor areas due to the extreme heat.

The whole days in Córdoba and also before in Granada were very oppressively hot, so we often spent the afternoons at the hotel pool (if there was one). During this time, many shops are closed and only open again in the evenings. It was also new for us that you actually don't go out to eat before half past ten here, and in many restaurants, you can't get anything before that.

Of course, we also tried local food here, some of it as tapas, like the olives. We also tried sandwiches with local ham and cheese, various grilled and fried fish dishes, the popular croquettes, and much more. Julius often didn't necessarily like the meat dishes because we have a different understanding of 'the meat is cooked' than the local chefs... Overall, though, we ate a lot and well.

Now we're driving back to Málaga with the rental car, and from there we'll fly home via Madrid. Let's see if we'll visit anything in Madrid - actually, we're pretty exhausted from all the sightseeing and really need a vacation ;)