Ay Cordoba ! (part I)

I left my heart in Cordoba ! We came back late on sunday night and all day I kept sighing...oh to be in Cordoba again ! I don't even know where to start with. It was too much beauty to take in three days. To sum it up, let's just say, spending the week end in Cordoba was like traveling back into time. The hotel we stayed at was right in front of the majestic walls of the Mezquita-cathedral which we visited on saturday morning. I honestly think I experienced a Stendhal syndrome while we were silently pacing through this amazing and unique place, during the mass hour. The organ music, the smell of incense and of course the abundance of magnificent architectural details....it was so overwhelming I had tears in my eyes. The mosque was built in the course of IXth and Xth centuries by the emirs and caliphs of Cordoba on the site of a former church. When King Ferdinand III reconquered Spain from the Muslim army in 1236, a royal chapel was built inside the mosque. Later in the XVIth century the cathedral was erected in the middle of the mosque, mixing Gothic, baroque and renaissance styles, which makes the mezquita-cathedral a unique place in the world.

That day, we spent most of afternoon, walking in the narrow streets marveling at the gorgeous patios

We entered this leather workshop which creates and produces decorative leather objects, keeping the Cordovan tradition alive : beautiful panels to hang on the wall, books, screens and amazing trunks

This lovely carriage was waiting outside the hotel

Its driver placidly enjoys his reading while waiting for customers
It's the quiet hours of the afternoon....No need to rush to go to work....

And here is our simpatico driver again which we met in action in one of the neighboring streets

See you next wednesday with more pics of Cordoba !

And a big big THANK YOU to my new followers !!