Córdoba Day 2

We'd planned to arise early and get to the cathedral to avoid the crowds; apparently, groups weren't admitted before 10am. Like the best-laid plans of my fellow mammals and most intelligent species on Earth (mice, if you don't know your Hitchhiker's), this went aglay as I'd failed to set an alarm on my phone, and it turned out that the Hotel Córdoba Center has really effective blackout curtains in its rooms.

Undaunted, by 9:30am we had availed ourselves of a good breakfast and were ready to set out, and reached the Cathedral Mezquita in good time. There was a queue for about 5 minutes, which didn't really bother us, as we admired the courtyard.

The cathedral is built on an old site which dates back to the 7th century. It was then taken over by the Moors and converted to a mosque, and extensively remodelled in several stages. At one point, the person ordering the changes had a clear eye for economy, and decided that the distinctive red and beige pattern could be effected through the medium of paint, rather than the more expensive different-coloured bricks. This can be clearly seen in the later additions.

The building is now in use as the main cathedral for the diocese of Córdoba. As well as the display of its architectural and religious significance, there is a museum section, and there are the usual accoutrements of a working church - many of which detract from the building, such as modern light fittings.

After touring the cathedral, we went to the Alcazar de los Reyes Christianos. The interior had some mosaics, but was otherwise fairly humdrum; the gardens were what we'd come to see. There was a set of casacading pools as the centrepiece, surrounded by gardenery of various descriptions. Peons were at work in them.

After admiring the gardens we walked up past the Roman Bridge to the Plaza de la Corredera for a quick tapas lunch of patatas bravas, boquerones and salad; washed down with the inevitable cervezas - it's thirsty work doing all this wandering around.

After a siesta and a swim in the hotel rooftop pool, we felt refreshed to go out in the evening. We walked down into the Jewish Quarter again, this time with the intention of going to more "authentic" places for dinner. Whilst this may seem unlikely in the middle of a self-confessed tourist area, we managed to find a little place that served excellent jamón Iberico, so we shared a plate with some cheese - this time wisely avoiding any bread - before moving on to another small tapas bar - 101 tapas. I say wisely as, the previous evening, the meal was very heavy on bread and potatoes - even those dishes which didn't specifically mention either seemed to be served with one or both. We made a selection and enjoyed them - we managed to finish 6 small plates, which had defeated us the previous evening. We stopped off for a glass of jerez in the hotel bar before calling it a night. Tomorrow, we head to Seville.