We left Seville early in the morning with a long day of driving to get to Madrid. We had a stop part way through the drive at the amazing little town of Cordoba. We toured Cordoba's Mosque-Cathedral which was erected in 785. This is a fascinating building which was originally built as an Islamic Mosque but was converted to a Christian cathedral in 1236 during the Reconquista. It is an interesting mix of Moorish inspired architecture with Christian influences.
 |
| We walked across this Roman bridge built in 1st Century BC to get to the town of Cordoba |
 |
| The inside of Cordoba's Mosque-Cathedral |
After touring the Mosque-Cathedral, we had a quick lunch and then spent our remaining time in Cordoba wandering through the narrow streets.
 |
| A pretty courtyard in the Jewish section of Cordoba |
 |
| Callejas de las Flores in Cordoba |
We arrived in Madrid in the early evening and checked into our hotel - The Melia Serrano.
Day 2
This morning, we joined the Gate 1 city tour that took us to Plaza Mayor and walked us past the Cathedral and the Royal Palace. For lunch, we patronized several vendors in the San Miguel Market.
 |
| The Cathedral in Madrid |
 |
| In front of the Royal Palace |
 |
| At Plaza Mayor |
After lunch, we met back up with the tour group for the 30-minute bus ride out to Toledo. We had a local guide for our walking tour of the old town section of Toledo. The tour took us past the Toledo Cathedral and into the Iglesia de Santo Tome to see an El Greco painting. We then continued on into the Santa Maria de Blanco Synagogue before walking through the Puente de Alcantara arch, across the Roman built bridge, to our bus.
 |
| At an overlook with Toledo behind us |
 |
| A street in Toledo |
 |
| El Greco's Painting in Iglesia de Santo Tome |
 |
| Santa Maria la Blanca Synagogue |
We finished the day with dinner at Cafe Botin - the oldest restaurant in continuous operation in the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment