From Belmonte and Alarcón, we traveled to Cuenca, our last overnight stop in Spain before heading back to Madrid for our trip home.
Cuenca is 138 km or 86 miles southeast of Madrid. By train, it is less than one hour, making it a great day trip if you have the time. (This map shows our general car travel route in Southern Spain).
The old town of Cuenca has a spectacular setting, sitting on a steep ridge surrounded by deep gorges carved by the Júcar and Huécar rivers on either side – a very strategic site for a military stronghold, and that is how Cuenca began back in 714 AD. Cuenca has had its economic ups and downs over the centuries and lucky for us, it’s been well-preserved and is recognized as a World Heritage site. The main tourist site is the old town itself. It is a steep climb up into the old town from the newer part of the town below, especially if walking. Cuenca is definitely worth a stop as part of your tour of Spain.
We stayed in the 18th century Hospederia Seminario Conciliar de San Julián, in the heart of Cuenca’s old town, a great location and hotel for tourists.
Views of the Old Town, Cuenca. The lower image shows the exterior of the 12th century Gothic Cathedral (the façade had to be rebuilt in the 1900s’ after collapse from a lightening strike, it never was finished).The Cathedral is one of the earliest Gothic structures in Spain.Left: interior view of Cuenca Cathedral – life sized images of the Last Supper – Christ and the Apostles. Right: View of Cuenca’s old town (Cathedral in right of image), with the newer part of Cuenca in distance.Views of Cuenca from the gorges – there are a few bridges crossing the Huécar River – you get a great view of the town sitting on top of the cliffs from the San Pablo Bridge (in the background).
Casa Colgadas
The houses as shown in these images are “hanging” on the edge of the cliff and known as the “Casa Colgadas” of Cuenca, they are a famous tourist sight, although there’s really not that much to see. They were built in the 14th – 16th centuries and are the only remaining examples in Cuenca. It’s really amazing they’ve survived at the edge of the cliffs for hundreds of years.
Everywhere you go in Cuenca there is interesting architecture – buildings are positioned so compactly in the maze of alleyways it’s sometimes hard to get a good perspective and figure out how to navigate access to various buildings and churches.We enjoyed just wandering around the old town.
From Granada (via Fortaleza de la Mota) we drove northwest to Córdoba (about 200 km or 124 miles). Córdoba is located on the same river (Guadalquivir) that flows through Seville. Seville, Granada and Córdoba form a triangle (of sorts), with Seville in the southwest corner, Granada in the southeast corner and Córdoba in the north. It is common for tourists to visit Córdoba as a day trip (by train or car) from Seville, and this would not be a bad option, except that you would miss seeing little gems like Fortaleza de la Mota along the way.
Although there are many reasons to visit Córdoba, the primary tourist sight is La Mezquita. Since we were covering so much ground in southern Spain on this trip, we were in Córdoba just long enough to visit La Mezquita and spend the night here. Our apartment was on the south side of the Guadalquivir River, right next to the Roman bridge (Puente Romano, which leads directly to La Mezquita) – a perfect location to stay in Córdoba when traveling by car – it offers easy access to the old city and convenient parking.
A view of the Tower of La Calahorra (Moorish origin, heavily restored in the 14th century), the Roman Bridge over the Guadalquivir River, and La Mezquita – Cathedral to the left.Our apartment was less than a 5-minute walk from this location. The Roman bridge was originally constructed in the 1st century AD, and then rebuilt by the Moors in the 8th century. Until the mid-20th century, it was the city’s only bridge across the river!!
Another view of the Guadalquivir River, Roman Bridge and La Mezquita in the distance.
La Mezquita
The history of this amazing juxtaposition of structures, cultures, religions and eras is fascinating – learn more here. There is some debate as to the origins of this site of worship (likely dating back to the Roman and Visigoth eras), but much of the present structure dates from the 8th century onwards and served as a Moorish mosque. In the 13th century Córdoba was captured by the Christians as part of the Reconquista and the mosque underwent some modifications. The present structure of the Christian cathedral (incongruently built into the middle of the mosque) we see today was begun in the 16th century.
Below are images from our visit to La Mezquita, we were there on a March afternoon and pretty much had the site to ourselves – just a few other tourists at that time of year. Allow about 2 hours for your visit. Tickets may be purchased on site. After our visit, we wandered through the old town and enjoyed an excellent good dinner. A very enjoyable stay in Córdoba!
Exterior walls of La Mezquita, some of the gates date back 1,000 years or more.
Views of the vast Moorish interior with rows of double arches of La Mezquita. An interesting side note is that the columns are all different – used from previous (probably Roman) structures. One can imagine a vast congregation of worshippers kneeling on their prayer rugs towards the east and praying here.Additional views of the interior of La Mezquita. On the left, the juxtaposition of Moorish and Catholic influences. On the right is an image looking directly below the current floor – a remnant of a mosaic floor of an earlier (probably Roman) structure on this site.Additional views of the ornate Moorish architecture in La Mezquita. Views above of the Catholic Cathedral choir and relics – set right in the middle of La Mezquita. The image immediately above shows how the Christian Cathedral was built directly into the Moorish arched columns. The difference in architecture and religious focus feels literally like stepping from one world into another in an instant and this is what makes La Mezquita unique – history is complicated!
The beautiful courtyard of La Mezquita, which dates to the 9th century. The earliest known mosque to include trees in the courtyard.Street scenes in old Córdoba.
A delicious meal to cap off a great afternoon in Córdoba!
If you have the chance, visit Córdoba. Even if you have visited many European Christian Cathedrals, I’ll guarantee haven’t experienced one quite like La Mezquita! I am grateful that so much has been preserved of the original mosque, providing unique insights into the Iberian peninsula’s Moorish era.
The Independent Tourist 