Cordoba in January Saturday

The weather changes the next morning. It’s cloudy and drizzling and it seems the weather forecasts were rather optimistic. I get up early and am out by 8.15. It’s just a five minute walk to the Mezquita where a queue is starting to form in front of the main door and the side doors for free entry. They open the heavy doors at 8.30 on the dot. It was a short wait, improved by a chat with some other people queuing.

We had already visited the Mezquita during our 2018 extended car trip to Andalucia so I remember it.

This time, too, it doesn’t disappoint, one of the most spectacular places I have ever seen. I spend 50 minutes wandering in awe, things I remembered, things I didn’t, a difficult place to take photos for a beginner like me. We start to be ushered out at 9.20. Wonderful!

I go back to the apartment to warm up. It’s warmer even outside than in the Mezquita. About ten o’clock we go out together to visit the Capilla Mudejar de San Bartolome. This chapel, previously a parish church and now part of the Faculty of Philosophy and Arts, is a splendid example of Mudejar architecture. It was built between the 14th and 15th centuries and still has the original 15th-century floors of brick and glazed tiles, as well as the geometric wall mosaics similar to those found in the Royal Chapel with the intricate Mudejar-style plasterwork decorated with latticework.

From there, it’s just a short walk to the Sinagogue. Entry is free and the visit doesn’t take long because it’s just one room.

On the way back to the apartment we go through the Zoco Artenesia Municipal to look at the patios and the craftwork. By the time we come back out it’s raining, boring on the narrow streets quite busy with tourists and umbrellas. Andrea goes back to the apartment, and I go to Aldi to get some food for the next couple of days. Without Andrea, indecision reigns, and I eventually get carrillada de cerdo iberico. A good choice but for the fact it needs slow cooking and by the time I get back to the apartment it’s already 1.15. We eat at two o’clock. The pork cheeks are hurried but still tasty. After the late lunch I rest a little and write up some of the past days. I want to go out but it’s still pouring with rain. Andrea is feeling better but not in the mood for strolling dripping streets. I wait until the rain is supposed to stop, at 5 o’clock, and since it doesn’t, I go out anyway, along towards the Mezquita and then towards the Alcazar and the Basilio area where there are the most famous patios. I see a couple, despite the rain, but am more impressed by the statues dedicated to the patio festival. At one point it absolutely pours, so I start walking back, it’s enough for today, I think. And sure enough, after 5 minutes, there are some glimpses of sun.