The forest mosque

A fascinating (11.5 hour round) trip to Cordoba today, the highlight of which was a visit to the Mezquita, the ancient mosque built on And using Roman ruins , and on a Visigoth site too. In turn the Catholic Church built its own Basillica inside the mosque but Queen Isabella sought to preserve much of the masque.

It is a magnificent mix of cultural styles but the main impression is of the rows of columns and arches. All the more impressive I think because I avoided most of the hoards of tourists. It is the third largest mosque in the world.

Our visit coincided with the festival of the Patios where courtyards are bedecked in flowers, mainly geraniums and pelagoriums. Lovely to see and to wander the winding streets, stoping off for Tapas in a court yard cafe.