The Mezquita

Today we want to visit the Mezquita and the Alcazar

A fountain in the Mezquita's large courtyard 

From the outside the Mezquita appears huge, relatively low-rise and understated. Once inside, the building is huge, it appears to go on forever. 

There are clearly three distinct styles within the Arabic portion of the building, but in reality the building had been extended many times. 

Cathedrals normally induce a sense of awe through their height, the Mezquita does this through the simple square meterage of the floor area

Fortunately the mosque building survived the christian conquest of Cordoba, but did result in the insertion of a whopping great renaissance cathedral into the centre of the building. It is a testament to the grandeur of the original mosque that this complements rather than dominates the building

After a short coffee break at a nearby taberna we go and buy tickets for the Alcazar. The ticket office is showing a film of the riding show put on by the nearby equestrian school. No it isn't possible to get tickets for this, they are sold by a colleague who will arrive at 5pm.

So we visit the Alcazar. Originally a Visigothic fortress, then the seat of power for the local moorish administration - including the largest library in the western world at the time. It subsequently became a royal palace and then HQ for the Spanish Inquisition.

The gardens were a big surprise, extensive and full of colour

We discover a fish trapped in this stone column. 

It was obviously got in through the pipework but is probably too big to get out. Vera goes off to organise rescue efforts by the staff. These are not successful, the water in the column is deep and contains a lower chamber. More complex equipment will clearly be needed.

Angel told us on our walking tour that the Alcazar is used by the archeological museum as an overflow area. The mosaics from excavations elsewhere in the city are impressive

We return to Moriles Ribera for lunch, but only ordering half of yesterday's quantities.

Two hens and a duck wander amongst the tables. They belong to the carpenter next door, whose family have owned the site for far longer than the restaurant has existed. We suspect that the duck self-identifies as a hen after some early imprinting

After a short siesta we wander back to the city centre to see the equestrian show in the previous royal stables

This is another first for me, and I have to confess the skill of the riders and horses was impressive. The horses not involved in the display could be heard stomping their feet at various times, obviously wanting to be in the arena. No photography was allowed 

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