It’s the 2nd May. After the long day yesterday, and a night spent coughing and spluttering, Lyndal showed a marked reluctance to leave the comforts of the hotel,p so I joined the rest of the group for a walk through the old town.
Our eventual destination was the Gardens of Alcazar but there was plenty to see on the way there . Córdoba is an intriguing place that exudes history in every twisting lane and flower-filled patio of its old centre. With the Festival of the Patios in full swing many of the streets were decorated with flowers and a number of patios were open for viewing.
We passed The Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos (Palace of the Christian Monarchs). With its thick defensive walls, it served both as a fortress and a palace. Roman and Visigoth ruins lie side by side with Arabic remains in this magnificent building. It is almost rectangular shape with its long walls made of solid blocks of stone and four corner towers.
It was once the favourite residence of Ferdinand and Isabella, who united the Spanish provinces of Aragon and Castile in 1469 and were also, incidentally, the first parents-in-law of England’s King Henry VIII, who married their daughter Katherine of Aragon. It was used as a royal residence and as the headquarters of the infamous Spanish Inquisition. The Alcazar was later used as a prison, but it now serves as a centre for Córdoba’s municipal government.
We didn’t go into the main building but stopped to inspect the Roman ruins and then entered the small Baroque chapel, the Hall of the Mosaics (formerly the Chapel of the Inquisition) where a series of Roman mosaics, discovered underneath the Corredera, are displayed around the walls.
Next on the agenda was a visit to the Gardens of the Alcazar. The original gardens comprised extensive vegetable gardens and orchards and were surrounded and protected by the walls of the fortress.
The current gardens are much reduced and are divided into three different levels, all of them housing fountains and big pools, as well as a rich variety of native flora. The garden’s borders have changed throughout history and its current appearance differs a lot from the original.
The Jewish community in Islamic Córdoba played an important part in the city’s life in such roles as administrators, doctors, jurists and poets. On our way back to the hotel we went through the old Jewish quarter, the Judería, which remains a warren of narrow medieval streets – some now lined with gaudy souvenir shops, others remarkably silent and calm.
The rest of the tour was planning to visit Medina Azahara, a fortified palace-city on the western outskirts of Cordoba. The city was built in the 10th century and covers 112 hectares. It was sacked during a civil war and remained abandoned for the next 1000 years. In 2011 work started to restore the city. Only about 10 hectares of the 112 hectares (0.43 sq mi) of the city have been excavated and partially restored, but this area includes the main palaces. A dedicated archeological museum, located on the edge of the site, was opened in 2009 and contains many of the objects uncovered in the dig.
Though it sounded interesting, after the mornings exertion I decided I’d had enough and made my way back to the hotel to join Lyndal for an afternoon of relaxation. Yvonne, a lady we had met on the Victorian garden tour, had managed to get three tickets for the Andalusian Equestrian Exhibition that night, which we were very much looking forward to.
In 1567, the Spanish Horse breed with formalized standards was created by Royal decree of Phillip II and the Royal Stables of Cordoba were established. This was the setting for the evenings performance. It proved to be everything we had hoped for. Yvonne had managed to get excellent seats and we were able to skip the very long queue to get inside.
The 70-minute performance seamlessly combines classical, cowboy, and high school dressage with the passion of flamenco. As the dancer moves in harmony with the horse, the result is a breathtaking display of artistry and precision
No photos were allowed during the performance so we just enjoyed the show. However there was an opportunity to download some photos after the Show.
Afterwards we went backstage to meet some of the stars.
