In February 2025 we spent a wonderful week in Andalusia, four days in Seville and three in Cordoba.
Situated on the Guadelquivir River, Seville offers history, cuisine and joie de vivre. The influence of the Arabs is evident in the Royal Palace, the Real Alcazár. The halls and corridors are decorated in the Arabic Meduejar style. A feast for the eyes! The palace is surrounded by a garden with fountains, benches, orange and lemon trees. The Catedral de Sevilla with its bell tower (Giralda) is in the neighborhood. It was once the largest church in the world. The variety of figures and columns is immense. Highlights include the golden high altar and the tomb of Christopher Columbus. The cathedral includes the 97 metre high Giralda, which offers views over the city, and the orange tree courtyard. Take a break from the bustle of the city in the spacious Parque de Maria Luisa. Seville's city centre is full of tapas bars serving quality food. Our favorite was the small Alfalfa bar in the district of the same name. Not far away is the Metropol Parasol, a mushroom-like wooden structure that extends over several floors. A must-see is the Plaza de España, built for the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition. The semicircular 
building is lined with columns and decorated with azulejos. Also worth a visit is the bullring (Real Maestranza), where you can learn about the architecture, the toreros and the animals. In the Museo de Bellas Artes you can admire Spanish paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries, especially those by Murillo.
The express train will take you to Cordoba in less than 50 minutes. The city's rich history is evident in the Jewish quarter, the narrow, winding Juderia with its flower-filled courtyards. The dominant centerpiece is the 'Mezquita', a mosque with a changing past. Around 800, the Arabs built a flat, square mosque. It is notable for its many columns supported by long rows of two-storey red and white arches. The collection is breathtakingly beautiful and will leave you in awe. We found the later partial conversion into a Renaissance Christian church to be an architectural outrage, permanently disrupting the Arabic ensemble of arches. The mosque has a courtyard with orange trees and a 54-meter-high bell tower. From the Ponte Romano, which spans the Guadalquivir, you can get a good view of the mosque. The neighboring Royal Palace, Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos, is more modest, in contrast to its magnificent Arabic-style gardens. The new Cordoba is a big city with squares worth seeing, especially the Plaza de la Corredera and the Plaza de las Tendillas. The Palacio de Viana is an old mansion with 12 flower-filled courtyards.
