Cordoba and Granada

Alhambra Palace and Fortress Complex

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Attraction | "Recuerdos del Alhambra"

alhambra Photo - Alhambra Palace and Fortress Complex, Granada, Spain

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GRANADA must have one of the most spectacular settings of any city in Spain, perhaps Europe, maybe even beyond. It lies on a wide, fertile plan with the permanently snow-capped mountains of the Sierra Nevada forming an impressive backdrop. It's these snow-capped peaks which have guaranteed the city's success - ensuring a constant water supply long before humans had even learned how to conjugate irrigation, never mind put it into practice. Combined with it's relative proximity to the sea which ensured a milder climate than some of the cities further inland, and you can see why this was an area that many different cultures and civilizations coveted over the centuries.Granada was first settl...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on July 11, 2012

Alhambra Palace and Fortress Complex
Top Of The Hill Of The Assabica
Granada, Andalusia, Spain
958 523 929

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Hotel Tryp Alcano

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Hotel | "A TRYP in Granada"

Hotel Tryp Alcano, Granada Photo - Hotel Tryp Alcano, Granada, Spain

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Our main reason for visiting Granada was to see the Alhambra which, although it seems to be near the centre of the city, is much more accessible from the ring roads. We therefore decided on a hotel which was close to the main access routes, yet in a peaceful location.So with that in mind, I booked the TRYP ALCANO (part of the Sol Melia group), just 5km from the bustling heart of this ancient city, but conveniently located on a highway close to the ring road.Just to get our bearings straight, the hotel is 5-6 km from the Alhambra, 40 km from the Sierra Nevada ski slopes and 60 km from the beaches at Salobreña. Granada Airport (GRX) is about 13 km away.The hotel is situated...Read More

Member Rating 2 out of 5 on August 27, 2011

Hotel Tryp Alcano
Ave De Andalucia 130
Granada, Spain 18015
34-958-283050

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Eurostars Maimonides Hotel

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Hotel | "Hotel Maimonides"

Hotel malmaides Photo - Eurostars Maimonides Hotel, Cordoba, Spain

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The hotel is located in the heart of Córdoba's old town. Did I say in the heart? Why it's right there slap bang in the left ventricle. The front door of the hotel is exactly 4m from the wall of the Mezquita. Any closer and we'd have been on first-name terms.As it's so close to the Mezquita, it's almost impossible not to find it first-time, but just in case, it's sign-posted from the approach roads anyway.As you drive into Córdoba from the motorway, it's hard to miss the Mezquita as it dominates the riverfront. A quick drive all the way around the monument and you're right at the entrance to the hotel's underground car-park. I'd recommend using this - one reason being that parking places ar...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on August 27, 2011

Eurostars Maimonides Hotel
TORRIJOS 4
Cordoba, Spain 14003
34-957-741500

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Cathedral-Mosque of Cordoba

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Attraction | "Mezquita de Cordoba"

Mezquita Photo - Cathedral-Mosque of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain

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Cordoba's greatest days of glory came after the Moorish invasion of 711 AD. It was around 780 that work began on the Mezquita, which - after many years of continual enlargements, became one of the largest Mosques in all Islam. The city eventually became the capital of the independent Moorish kingdom of El-Andalus in 929.In the 11th century it was one of the most important cities in Europe (in fact it was more than twice as large then as now), with people of many different cultures - Jews, Muslims and Christians - all living together harmoniously and giving birth to many important philosophers, artists and men of learning - one of these was Ben Maimonides (112-1185), the Jewish theologian and nam...Read More

Cordoba's greatest days of glory came after the Moorish invasion of 711 AD. It was around 780 that work began on the Mezquita, which - after many years of continual enlargements, became one of the largest Mosques in all Islam. The city eventually became the capital of the independent Moorish kingdom of El-Andalus in 929.
In the 11th century it was one of the most important cities in Europe (in fact it was more than twice as large then as now), with people of many different cultures - Jews, Muslims and Christians - all living together harmoniously and giving birth to many important philosophers, artists and men of learning - one of these was Ben Maimonides (112-1185), the Jewish theologian and namesake of our hotel.
When the city was reconquered by the Christians in 1236, the new rulers were so taken with the absolute beauty of the Mezquita, that instead of tearing it down, they built their Cathedral slap bang in the middle of the rows of arches and columns. Thus they created the amazing, and unique church-mosque that stands there today.

To say that the MEZQUITA is impressive is like saying Spain produces the odd bottle of wine. It's quite stupendous. It's the third-biggest in the world with and has been called the most beautiful and original building of all Spain. It's built in the Califal style, which combines Roman, Gothic, Byzantine, Syrian and Persian elements and all the Arabian-Hispanic architecture that followed was influenced by this building.

You enter through the courtyard adorned with orange trees and resplendent with fountains and water channels - a peaceful oasis you might think, but not when it's invaded by thousands of chattering school kids. This courtyard is a bit of a sun-trap, but on approaching the entrance, we were met with a blast of ice-cool air from the building's interior - those Moors knew a thing or two about air conditioning.
We were a little apprehensive of visiting the Mezquita as from our hotel we could see the convoys of day-trippers descending on the city, and we thought it might just be a little crowded. True, it was busy, and there were large numbers visiting, but the place is so incredibly huge that it really didn't matter. Also, because of the large number of pillars and arches - it's almost like a petrified forest - everyone seems to have their own space.
It's hard to describe the magnificence of the architecture, it's simply breathtaking.

I thought the Mezquita might be interesting, but nothing can prepare you for the splendour and the sheer, awe-inspiring grandeur of it all.

To give you some idea, right in the middle of this forest of columns and arches lies a Cathedral which would be mightily impressive in its own right were it situated in its own space, but it somehow seems insignificant within the massiveness of the Mosque. It's not insignificant, far from it.

After the reconquest, the Christians consecrated the Mosque to be a Cathedral and the Royal Chapel was added. In 1523 the Church and the Crown decided to build the Cathedral inside the original Mosque. This took 234 years, so the style transforms from Gothic to Baroque and Renaissance. One of the criticisms of the construction is the fact that most of the doorways of the Mosque were blocked up making it a far gloomier place now than when in its original state. However, the Cathedral IS an imposing building - it's just dwarfed (though not in height) by the Mezquita.
Unusually for Spain, the Mezquita remains open all day (10.00-19.00), foregoing the traditional siesta. Read Less

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on July 11, 2012

Cathedral-Mosque of Cordoba
Calles Torrijos and Cardenal Herrero S/N
Cordoba, Andalusia

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cordoba in general

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Arriving in Cordoba, it's difficult not to be impressed as the Mezquita looms large on the horizon. This magnificent, former Mosque is now the city's Cathedral and undoubtedly, its most famous attraction and landmark. This was probably the main reason we were visiting the city, and we had booked accommodation at the Hotel Maimonides, literally feet from the Mezquita.Of course, there is far more to Cordoba than just the Mezquita.There's the fortress on the river, the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos which was built in 1328 and from where Ferdinand and Isabella governed Castille during their preparation to reconquer Granada. This is where Columbus told Isabella of his plans ...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on July 11, 2012

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