Andalusia, Spain

After taking a quick train ride from the Malaga Airport, we started our exploration of Southern Spain in Cordoba. Originally the capital city of Andalusia, Cordoba’s recorded history dates back over 5000 years! It boasts several Roman era ruins including the remains of the town Forum, a museum with an underground, partially excavated Roman theatre exhibit (sadly, our jet lagged photographer was too tired to remember to take any pictures of this), and an impressive stone bridge over the river which is now a pedestrian walkway. But Cordoba’s shining glory is the Mezquita Mosque Cathedral. Built by Muslims in 785CE, it was then consecrated as a Cathedral by the Christians in 1236. Most Muslim buildings in the area were destroyed during this time, however, even the Christians couldn’t tear down such a beautiful place and ended up expanding it by building the current Cathedral section inside the mosque during the 16th century. Like all tourists, we couldn’t help but take an over abundance of photos.

We always love historical sites, gardens, and piazzas, however, one of the most memorable experiences we had in Cordoba was a visit to the Hammam Al Andalusia, an Arab bathhouse, where we spent a few hours bathing in hot, warm, and cold baths, sauna, and getting full body scrubs/massages. We don’t typically seek out this type of luxury experience when traveling, but considering this was less per person than a one-hour massage at home, we went for it and have zero regrets.

While Cordoba has a rich history and is charming and pretty, we did find the food scene somewhat lacking. We were on the hunt for authentic local cuisine, but each time we had it, for us, it just didn’t quite live up to our expectations. Except that is for the Jamon Shop we stopped into for an aperitif one evening. This style of meat is aged at very specific temperatures and humidity levels for 2-4 years and it was absolutely some of the best cuts we’ve ever tried. The shop owner was also wonderful to chat with and he had the best Pedro Ximenez wine we tried while in town as well.

Granada

Bubion

Malaga