The delightful old town of Cordoba, Spain

*WS 139: The delightful old town of Cordoba, Spain*

Cordoba is a city some 395 km south of Madrid, population: 350,000. It was colonized by the Muslim Moors in the 8th century, became the capital of the Caliphate, ruling over most of Spain. It was recaptured by Christian forces in 1236. The historic old town within the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We were here in 2017. 

The 1st photo shows the Roman Bridge, a masonry arch bridge across the Guadalquivir River, originally built in the 1st century, the present form dated to the Middle Ages. The next 2 show the Alcazar of Cordoba, built in 1328 serving as the court of royals for the Christian monarchs. This is where Christopher Columbus was presented to Queen Isabella to present his plans to discover the New World. 

The 4th and 5th photos show the beautiful Flower Street north of the Mosque-Cathedral, famous for hanging plants and flowers on its walls. The neighbourhood is in fact touristic, selling all kind of souvenirs and curios. The 6th shows the courtyard of the Viana Mansion. The next 4 shows roadside scenes around cobble-stone paved streets, decorations, etc. 

The 11th photo shows the Fosforito Flamenco Centre, with the central decoration shaped like the long gown of a flamenco dancer. Flamenco is a Spanish art form more famous for the dances. Fosforito is a famous dancer, still living and in his 80s. The last photo is a shot of 3 French women taking a selfie in front of the giant poster of Fosforito. I sent the photo to them via email and in return received a long message of love and blessing in French, told by Goggle translate. They were not WhatsApp users.