It’s probably got the highest average quality of food of anywhere I’ve been in Europe. Every meal I had was good; several were very good; and I felt very confident walking off the street into anywhere. It’s all incredibly cheap, too.
The Catholic architecture is incredibly mediocre. The cathedral in particular is a disaster: a terrible layout, horribly gaudy chapels and altarpieces, and a total lack of aesthetic harmony. Cordoba’s mesquita is another example; the Catholics ruined what was probably once a gorgeous building.
But the Islamic architecture is stunning; some of the best in the world. Importantly, this remained the case even post-Reconquista: my personal interpretation of the Mudéjar era is that it seems even the Catholics realised Muslim craftsmen and designers were much more talented than them.
The synagogue in Cordoba is very beautiful and very moving, too.
The Three Kings parade had much more blackface than I expected — dozens, probably over a hundred, people. It’s disgraceful and embarrassing, and a good reminder of how intolerant much of mainland Europe still is.
It’s a lovely city to wander around, if a little small. The narrow streets are atmospheric, and in orange season it’s really beautiful. Great landscaping, too (thanks to the Moors, of course).
It’s surprising, and a little confusing, how bad Renaissance/Golden Age era Spanish art was. De Vargas, Vazquez, Pacheco, Velasquez, Murillo — all their works felt flat and lifeless to me, and the Museo de Bellas Artes didn’t contain a single piece that moved me. Considering these painters came after da Vinci, Caravaggio, Raphael etc., it’s particularly odd.
Spanish trains are pretty great.
Recommendations
- Eslava
- El Rinconcillo
- Alcázar
- Castizo
- Ceramics Museum
Essayant 