Category: Spain – Fall 2021

We’re not necessarily fans of bullfighting but we’re fascinated by the pageantry and the colorful traditions.  The (Museo Taurino Cordoba) Bullfighting Museum was a good way to learn more.

The audiovisual presentations with closeup images of the bull and the fighter were interesting and the costumes elaborate and ornate.  

To the Spaniards, matadors are like rock stars or our American baseball legends.

The colorful posters show flamenco dancers…

…and images of the bull are ever present in the marketplace with straw bull images…

….and in the local Cafe La Gloria.

This evening we made the rounds of a couple of tapas bars and ended at the Roman Bridge.

Cordoba is has been a fun destination with more to offer than we expected!  They are beginning to put up the holiday decorations and it’s going to quite festive in a week or so!

We go round and round about the best time to eat a meal in Spain – it’s complicated and varies by region.  Some say that locals don’t eat out often but when they do, for many,  lunch is the main meal – usually eaten between 1:30 and 4:00.   Dinner begins in the  9:00-9:30 timeframe, and even later on weekends – typically a light meal or snack, like tapas.

To stay with Spanish tradition, today we ate (a big meal) lunch at Taberna Salinas which Rick Steves says:  “seems like a movie set designed to give you the classic Cordoba scene” .

There was a wait – even on a Thursday afternoon.   The menu is printed on a paper placemat and there are many choices – each served one at a time and large enough for sharing.  We researched before we arrived and ordered:

Espinacas con Garbanzos;

Berenjenas Freitas con Miel de Cana;

Rabo de Toro Estofado al Estilo Cardobes (Stewed Oxtail – Cordoban-Style) – not shown, but oxtail meat simmered in a wine, tomato sauce until very tender and delicious.

Postres (Dessert – Tarta de Queso):

Plus, a three-euro glass of local white wine.

On the way back to the hotel, we walked through Plaza de las Tendillas in the modern part of the city.  The square is beautiful with Art Deco-style architecture.  On a quick trip to Cordoba, it’s possible to miss seeing the newer part of the city.

Cordoba is a great city and we still have a lot more things on our list to explore:

• The Mezquita
• The Bullfight Museum
• The Archeological Museum
• Local markets
• …and a list of restaurants we want to try!

More adventure awaits!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first day of travel is exhausting and exhilarating – we’ve just arrived in Spain feeling both!  We flew Atlanta to Madrid via JFK; took a bus to the Madrid Airport Metro/Train Stop; a commuter rail to the Madrid Atocha Station; and then an AVE Train to Cordoba.

The Atocha Train Station is easy to navigate with lush green space inside the huge grand hall.

The fast AVE train to Cordoba took only 2 hours  at speeds up to 267 km (166 miles) per hour!  The train was sleek, spotlessly clean, uncrowded, and everyone wore masks.

The end point of our train route was Malaga and we set our phone alarm to make sure we didn’t sleep through our Cordoba stop!

We arrived in Cordoba and walked 20 minutes to our hotel…the NH Collection Amistad in the Old Jewish Quarter.  The skies are blue and temps pleasant.

A tapas dinner at Bar Santos next to the Mezquita was just what we wanted…potato salad, roasted pork on a stick, wine and beer (tasted better than it sounds!)  The Bar is tiny so we joined others outside to picnic on the wall next to the Mezquita.

Our Spain itinerary is pretty simple:

Cordoba – 4 nights

Cadiz – 4 nights

Seville – 5 nights

Vitoria-Gasteiz – 4 nights

Madrid – 4 nights

If the Internet holds, we’ll try to post a few photos as we go so you are welcome to follow along!

We are fickle travelers – when we’re In Italy, it’s our favorite place, in Greece, it’s the best…but for today…Spain is it!