Day 38 : More Cordoba & Tapas!

It is Wednesday and it is free admission into Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos and everyday between the hours of 8.30 – 10am, it is also free admission into the Mezquita Catedral, both of which are the key main sites in Cordoba. 

Very timely and hoorah for free admissions!

Mezquita Catedral (Mosque Cathedral)

As the name goes, it is a combination of a Mosque and Cathedral.  It is hard to believe, coming from Singapore – a multiracial country, to imagine that a Cathedral can be built on top of a Mosque, but here it is, and it seems to be rather prevalent in this part of the Andalucía region of Spain (elements of it seen in Seville Cathedral, although not as prominent as the Mezquita).

The Mezquita (for short), is declared a World Heritage Site, and is the largest Islamic monument in the west and the third largest mosque in the world.  The building was started in 785 by Abd al-Rahman I. 

Covering an area of 24,000 square metres, its forest of columns with red and white horseshoe arches together with the remarkable Mihrab (prayer niche), with Koranic inscriptions and rich mosaics – a gift from the Byzantine Emperor, gave the whole building and air of magnificence, with its mixture of Islamic and Greek architecture styles.

Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos (Fortress of the Christian Kings)

The former Roman fortress and residence of Christian monarchs was where both the conquest of the Nasrid Kingdom and the discovery of America were planned.

It still hold some treasures and collections, however, this can’t be compared to the Reale Alcazar in Seville. 

The main feature I feel would probably be the gardens, which  are really nice and provided the needful shade from the hot summer weather.

Visited a couple of other sights in the morning such as the Caballerizas Reales (Royal Stables) and the Peunte del Puente (The Bridge Gateway), before heading back to the hostel to get some rest and to prevent a heat stroke from the hot weather of 47 degrees celsius!

And to end of my night in Cordoba, a wonderful meal of tapas!  I have been having tapas almost each meal, and I must say that this meal along with the meal with Jorge in Madrid, is probably one of the best tapas I have had so far in Spain! 

Thanks to a recommendation from a local friend, here’s what I ordered :

• Flamenquin (Bottom right) : Pork coated with some batter and fried
• Bezenjenas con miel (Bottom left) : Fried eggplant chips with honey – my favourite item from the lot.
• Salmorejo (Top right) : Cold tomato soup, similar to gazpacho but thicker, with jamon and eggs
• (Top Left) : As I don’t remember the name in Spanish, my rendition is minced beef balls in tomato based sauce.

The 1st three items are typical Cordobian dishes.  And in case you happen to be in Cordoba and want to know where to go for a good meal, head to Plaza de la Corredera and look for a place called La Taskita!

Disclaimer : I did not eat all of those alone!  Happened to bump into a hostel mate while walking towards the restaurant and invited him to join me for a meal so that we could order more food!  And I think we over ordered :P