We were up by 7:45a (1:45a back home) to board our tour bus and drive 1hr 45mins to Cordoba. We all slept the entire way and were delighted as we entered into Cordoba with its beautiful Roman Bridge (another GOT filming site) welcoming us.

We met our lovely tour guide Carmen for a 4-hour walking tour of the town center of Cordoba. Our first stop was La Mezquita (Mosque built in 784 A.D.). This was my favorite part of the day. It was a mosque with a christian church in the center of it, making it a unique combination of both religions and architecture. The mosque includes hight arches with a horseshoe arch below, making it a staple icon of the mosque’s moorish features. There is a ginormous cathedral in the center, with a combination of gothic, renaissance and baroque architecture. It was such a beautiful site, accompanied by a massive mahogany choir that was shipped all the way from Cuba.

After, we began the walking part of the tour. Carmen lead us to Callejon de las Floras (flower-filled streets) complete with bright blue flower pots along every wall spilling with beautiful flowers and greenery. We passed quaint family courtyard, quiet cobblestone streets and beautiful little balconies with gorgeous flowers trailing down from the rooftops.

Our next stop was the Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos. Although a beautiful building, the real treasure was the massive flower garden and water fountains that were in it’s center. Perfectly trimmed shrubs create an intricate maze as you weave in-between the shades rose gardens, babbling fountains and of course the the beautiful long looking pool that features a lush flower border and little fountains inside. We snapped as many photos as we could before we continued our walking tour back through the streets of Cordoba.

 

With our tour complete, 6 of us stopped at Lunar nos Patios Restaurante for a fabulous 3-course lunch of a mixed salad, Flamenquin, and an amazing custard-filled donut all for €10. We then zipped back over to the bus for our 2hour 30minute bus ride to Granada.

In Granada, we first unload our luggage from the bus and place it in our rooms before meeting back down in the lobby. A small group of us pre-order our tickets to La Sagrada Familia and Park Güell for Barcelona while we have WIFI. We then head off into the historical district of Granada. We decide not to do any major sight seeing as we’ll be doing a city tour of Granada tomorrow morning so instead, Yesenia, Matt and I after visiting La Plaza Nueva, climb up to the top of the city where we find the cocktail garden at Las Tomasas and find this FABULOUS outdoor bar and enjoy a beer as we overlook the entire Alhambra as the evening sets. This by far was a GREAT find and a pleasant way to top off the now cool day (74 degrees but with a perfect breeze).

We head back towards the direction of the hotel, but first stop at La Mezquita de Granada for its beautiful outdoor patio complete with another incredible view, fountains and a peek into the 2003 mosque.

As we make our way down the side of the city through cobble stone streets, people walking their dogs and children playing in the parks, we stop for dinner at El Doce. We enjoy olives, stuffed potatoes, and Bocadillo (The bocadillo or bocata, in Spain, is a sandwich made with Spanish bread, usually a baguette or similar type of bread, cut lengthwise). It was a great way to relax and enjoy each others company before walking back to the hotel for our early morning tour of Granada.