Flor.

Flor.

Flower.

Córdoba was my first solo stop, as Sarah and Katherine returned to Catalunya after Granada, while I ventured on. According to other axuiliares who have visited the city and even my Telegraph cut-out guide (thanks Dad), Córdoba is smaller and less showy than Granada and Sevilla, but all the more enchanting for it.

And they were right! 

Córdoba is home to the Mezquita-catedral, a mosque with a cathedral inside. The Arab Moors built the mosque but when the Catholic Kings drove them out of Spain, the realised they couldn't out do the splendid architecture of around 850 pillars, so they put their cathedral in the centre. To this day it is a Catholic church, not a Muslim Mosque as it was originally. Handy tip, it's free and quiet every morning 8:30 until 9:20.

Córdoba is also famous for its patios; houses are designed around a courtyard, which are traditionally decorated with flowers. I took a tour of some of patios that have won annual awards. I entered one and was greeted by a woman on the phone who poured me a glass of water in a waiting plastic cup, and gave me 2 sheets of paper detailing every plant there and her family heritage. She wandered off into the house and left me trapped in the patio. After a long few minutes, she reappeared and asked me if I wanted to dress up in a traditional dress, posed me and took lots of photos of me. I was effectively (and semi-enjoyably) kidnapped for 15 minutes. 

I visited the Alcazár, a Moorish Palace originally, until, you guessed it the Catholic Kings arrived and made it theirs! There were Roman mosaics and a wedding photo shoot going on. The Gardens are the show stealers though with long fountains, flower beds and neatly manicured trees. 

I also visited Palacio de Viana; I didn't go inside the stately home/palace bit but walked around the 12 patios. I was lucky enough to see part of the exhibition 'Lo Impossible, Lo Alcanzable' there. It was a collaboration between local school children who helped design the pieces and artists who created them. One of my favorites was the patio covered in giant straws! 

I was sad not to be able to enter one of 3 Medieval synagogues in Spain (restoration work), but I did tour the Casa de Sefarad, a Jewish museum about life, the inquisition in Córdoba and the life/teachings of Jewish philosopher Maimónides, who lived there. I popped into the royal stables and ate amazing tortilla in Bar Santos, famous for its massive tortillas the size of cheese wheels! I walked along the Roman bridge and went up the gate bridge/arch of triumph as well. 

I took a classic tourist photo in Calleja de las Flores, where a flowered walled street frames the tower of the Mezquita. Another interesting street is  Calle del Pañuelo, which narrows to 74 cm, as wide as the handkerchief in its name. I also saw the Plaza del potro, Foal's square, that features in Cervantes' novel 'Don Qujote'. 

The only downside to the trip was the failure of the Spanish football team on their World Cup debut, after nearly every bar had made the effort to drag their TV set out onto the street. 

La Roja, what a poor show....