Andalucia - Cordoba

The Roman bridge at Cordoba with the mosque/cathedral at the far side.They cleaned the bridge a year or so ago and it is difficult to believe that it is nearly two millenia old.

The Jewish quarter, a maze of little streets and a lot of tourists. Not surprising when you see the flowers everywhere hung on whitewashed walls.

This is the mosque which has been converted into a cathedral. This is what you come to Cordoba for. Absolutely stunning and artistically wrecked by the insensitive insertion of a Baroque cathedral in the middle.

The mihrab - decorated by Byzantine craftsmen.

It is difficult to express how beautiful the mosque is - even with hordes of tourists.Photos do not do it justice. It is said that the pillars and the overhead arches were intended to represent an oasis of palm trees. You do have teh feeling of being immersed in a peaceful forest. A video might capture that feeling but a photo is static and can't do it.

After visiting the mosque with a guide, we were free to do what we wanted for a couple of hours.We walked all over the Jewish quarter again and then found the city centre where we sat at a cafe in the sunshine and commented on the passersby. Conclusion Spanish women are very elegant and their style is not that of the UK. 

We should be at Seville today but opted out. There have been thunderstorms there since midnight. They are forecast for the whole of today along with 10 cms of rain. I can do without that. So I am writing things up, making lists of jobs I need to do at home and will continue designing drafts based on Moorish tiles.