From Malaga
Cordoba
See/Do
From Malaga we took the train to Cordoba, it’s just over an hour away. The bus station is right next to the railway station and for 4 euros per locker, allows you to roam without baggage, only literally. Google tried to confuse us with the location of our major destination – the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba – but we somehow managed to reach there with enough time to see the place before it closed! (Sunday – limited hours)
Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba, a beautiful and relatively peaceful place despite the crowds.
This unique example of Christian and Islamic architectural styles co-existing is a great reason to drop by.
Calleja de las Flores, that D was looking forward to. The first one is a shot with the mosque-cathedral I managed to discover courtesy a tour guide who was explaining it to his clients. This is in the Juderia, where you can also see what must be the tiniest synagogue ever.
A look at the outer walls of the Mezquita, the Triumph Fountain, the Roman aqueduct, and the Alcazar of the Christian Monarchs (which we decided to skip)
One of the many patios that you can see – some free, some paid.
No, this isn’t a patio, and the pics don’t do it justice. This is La Posada Del Caballo Andaluz, and we had to wait a bit before they opened their doors! The place has style!
D had many wins – she found a favourite drink – summer wine (also known by its Malayali name – Tinto), she made me eat artichoke, and for mains, we ordered a Chickpeas and Chorizo stew with pork and calf offals, which, despite all those promising words, bombed. In essence, we chose a lot of wrong things. I got to try another beer on my list – Mahou, which I’d rather not have again.
If you need some quick food, Mercado Victoria is the best place. It’s a food court with a lot of options. Not learning from one’s mistakes is a skill set. With ice creams, we did just that. But these were totally worth it.
On the way to Mercado Victoria and the station. We did all of this by walk, and took the train back at 3PM.
Seville
Stay
Dona Lina is where we stayed, but I’d probably choose differently on hindsight. For one, it’s a 2-3 min walk to the nearest place a taxi can reach. And because we took an Uber, the maps weren’t smart enough to tell us that location. We had to walk 10! And two, they told us that breakfast won’t be available after we got there. That was a huge criterion for us, and it was a 10 min walk to the nearest place which was open at 7AM. We chose a ‘with breakfast’ place because we needed to make early starts. Outside of that, they were helpful enough, despite not knowing a word of English!
See/Do
Seville has quite the old world charm.
This is Setas de Seville. For 10 euros pp, you get to climb to the top along the structure, and see a fantastic skyline, and the sunset if you time it right. If you want to stay for the light and sound show, it will be a few euros more.
Seville Cathedral, beautiful by night. Don’t go by the pic.
Despite having a ticket, you will need to stand in line to get into the Alcazar. But you can shoot pics of the Cathedral while in the line, and the Royal Alcázar of Seville is finally worth it.
Every turn reveals a postcard.
That part on the bottom left was apparently in GoT. And yes, you get a different view of the cathedral at exit.
Spotted on the way to the Plaza de España
If you really want to see grandeur, this is it – Plaza de España. Built in 1928, it is a mix of multiple styles, and it’s difficult not to be impressed.
The Plaza de España is in the Maria Luisa Park, and though we wondered in the beginning if there was anything at all in the park, it turned out to be a pleasant place with its own sights.
In the evening, we set off for Triana, for another highlight of the trip – a Flamenco show.
At the Teatro Flamenco, we were circumspect with the slow beginning, but it turned out to be dazzling by the time the hour ended. Superb energy!
Eat
Our first dinner was at Patanchón Bar de Tapas. D had Sangria, I had rum, and we shared a Sweet Timbale with sirloin, roasted apple, goat cheese and raisin sauce (was a little sweet, but great texture), and a Grilled Pork Sirloin with whisky sauce.
Ordinarily, breakfast pics don’t make it here, but Realcazar was such a lifesaver – opens at 7 and serves a delicious breakfast in quick time – that I just had to show some love! A good time to point out that the machine hot chocolate in Spain is easily better than what most restaurants here serve as a ‘made to order’ drink!
Lunch was at El Libero Tapas. D had wine, and I got a fantastic Marques de Misa brandy, as we enjoyed the quirky decor. We got a deer stew, pork of two kinds, and a paella. And were stuffed! I’d recommend this one.
Since we couldn’t be trusted with gelato, we stopped at De Nata on the way back from the park. Excellent egg custard tarts, washed down with iced tea. Perfect for the weather.
Since we had tired of the Spanish cuisine, we decided to take a break, and went Italian with L’Oca Giuliva. The menu spoils you for choice, and we finally decided on a Tortellini pasticciati (Tortellini stuffed with meat with bolognese sauce and cream) and a Pizza Messicana (tomato, fiordilatte, homemade Italian salsiccia, bell pepper and chilli). D got herself her new favourite Tinto, and I found a beer bottle whose design I totally fell in love with – Ichnusa non-filtered beer (fantastic lager).
The Plaza de Da Elvira is where Dona Lina is. It’s a really quiet space, especially late in the evening. We stayed in Seville for just over a day, but enjoyed the place. The next morning, we were off to Madrid.
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