by Stuart
As my travelling partner, soul mate & best friend, Jan, mentioned in Riding the Sierra, we had left Dehesa del Carmen with many happy memories. We had also left there quite hastily after squeezing in a last hack in the morning of our final day. We swiftly changed our clothes, said our goodbyes to people and horses and 90 minutes later we found ourselves at the ever helpful Helle Hollis Car Rental, in the grounds of Malaga Airport.
Arriving in Cordoba two hours later – which included three unplanned laps of Malaga airport before we found the exit – I dutifully followed the satellite navigation to the car park down narrow & very picturesque streets, with block paving – slightly worryingly it looked very much like a pedestrian only area. The car park was a two minute walk to our hotel, the H10 Palacio, in the Plaza de las Tendillas.
We dragged our tired, dusty and unkempt – and quite possibly a bit smelly – selves into reception, and were met with immaculate marble flooring and an ornate marble staircase that contrasted nicely with our own hobo-like appearance. With a gracious smile the impeccably dressed concierge handed us each a glass of champagne whilst the check in process was completed. I admit to nearly asking if there were free refills as I’d chugged mine pretty quickly, but Jan deftly tipped half of her champers into my glass whilst the concierge was momentarily distracted.
The H10 Palacio was quite grand, immaculately clean, air conditioned – thank goodness – and our room overlooked the Plaza and was a cavernous corner bedroom with high ceilings and a bed the size of which I’ve never seen before. This would clearly be an entirely different two days compared to our wonderfully rustic & rural existence at the finca. Time to don a nice shirt or a posh frock & do normal touristy things for a while.
The temperature was still in the mid 30’s by 7’o’clock as we made our way to the rooftop bar where the view of the plaza was stunning. A couple of cold ones later and we were in the network of narrow streets in the old town, tired and needing food. We chose Casa Pepe, which was decidedly average – although the atmosphere was extremely pleasant. We decided on an evening stroll around the historic quarter of Cordoba, stopping for some refreshment in the amazing Plaza de la Corredera. The historic plaza was buzzing with activity, even on a Tuesday evening. We ended up back in Plaza de la Tendillas with Jan dangling her tired and hot feet into the fountain in the middle of the plaza until someone turned out the lights at 11pm. Taking the hint, we fell into bed, tired and looking forward to the next day
Breakfast was a buffet affair and in addition to the usual continental fayre of fruit, yogurt, meats, breads and the cooked breakfast, there was also an array of cakes and pastries to choose from. You could conceivably consume enough calories here to keep you going all day.
First visit of the day was to a place I have had on my list for a few years now; the Mezquite. You’re well advised to go early to avoid the queues. The historical conflict between the Moors and Catholics from the 7th to 14th centuries is everywhere in Andalusia – it’s what gives the area its undoubted charm – but nowhere is it more starkly obvious than the astonishing Mezquite. I’m not a religious person, but I am fascinated by history & Andalusia is very rich in that.
Originally an Islamic mosque built in the 7th century, extended over the next three centuries and ending up with a Catholic cathedral being built in the very centre of the building – seventy of the famous columns & arches were removed to make way for it. Inside the Mezquite you can marvel at the astonishing architecture, but also view intricate & spectacular religious artefacts and numerous historical finds dating back to the original Roman occupation. Much larger evidence of the Roman occupation is just outside the Mezquite; spanning the Guadalquivir is the Puente Romano – literally the Roman Bridge. It’s well worth viewing this bridge and the Mezquite at night, when it is spectacularly lit.
We emerged from the Mezquite around lunchtime and were immediately greeted by a wall of heat. We had refreshments and continued our walk around the old town, taking in the old part of Cordoba, the Roman bridge, the Alcazar – a Christian fortress – and, of course, the Royal Stables.
That evening, after a short siesta we were once again clean and presentable and headed out towards the Royal Stables. We had tickets for the show at 9pm, which also allowed us entry to the stables from 6:30 to 8pm to observe the training sessions. If you go I wholeheartedly recommend you book tickets in advance. If you are even slightly interested in equestrianism, make sure the tickets you book enable the pre-show visit.
I found the whole experience completely mesmerising. We were able to stand next to the boards of the training ground whilst the horses and riders performed their moves, sometimes within just a few inches of us. We could seemingly wander anywhere, at will. Being close to these amazing Andalucian stallions was very special, and after scratching and stroking a few of them, I came across Apollo who took a great liking to my scratching and started to whinny and stamp if I moved away from him. So I was stuck there for quite a while, fingers aching and covered with grease. The overall impression we got from this open session was that the horses were trained to perform these athletic moves with kindness and encouragement.
The evening show itself was, as you’d expect, stunning. The combination of a flamenco dancer in some of the segments highlighting the grace of the Andalusian horses. Both horse and rider – and dancer – appeared to be enjoying the show as much as we were.
It finished quite late – 10:20pm – and we’d not eaten since around 2pm so we were starving. After leaving the show we headed towards an Italian restaurant we’d spotted earlier that day. On arrival at nearly 11pm we were told the ovens had broken and there’d be no more food. Crestfallen, we wandered the streets for twenty minutes until Jan stumbled upon an alleyway opposite the north wall of the Mezquite with the sign Restaurante above and a menu board that contained the magical word “pizza”.
Desperate, we wandered down the alley and found the Hotel Restaurante Los Patios and were greeted with a delightfully quaint, covered courtyard. The neapolitan pizzas we ordered were delicious, and we very quickly consumed those and the jug of sangria we ordered. We were both on cloud nine after an amazing day full of wonderment, but following four glasses of Sangria it’s safe to say that Jan was a little “happier” than I was. So happy in fact that I had to ensure she remained upright for our midnight walk across the spectacularly illuminated Roman Bridge. We eventually tumbled into the massive bed in the early hours and slept like a pair of logs
The following day we took things a little easier and following a quick visit to the Alcazar fortress in the morning, a walk around the commercial centre of Cordoba we were packed and ready for our long drive south east to Frigiliana via Malaga and stage three of this adventure. We ate lunch at a Spanish service station, and was impressed by the food quality. As we drove further south, I looked back at Cordoba and vowed to return and experience this historic city once more.
