Not only is Seville a fabulous city to explore but it is also a great base to explore all that Andalusia has to offer, which is a lot! The most convenient way of exploring is by train and the Santa Justa Station in the east of the city is an impressive building where you can access regional and inter-city services. It's worth pointing out that you have to pass through security checks to board the larger inter-city trains so be sure to allow time ahead of your departure.
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| Cathedral of Cadiz |
Our first day trip out of the city was a short forty-five minute trip to the nearby Córdoba. The centre piece of the city is the Mosque Cathedral Monumental Site, the Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba. To get there it's a very pleasant walk through the pretty lanes of the old town.
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| The pretty narrow lanes of Córdoba |
The ancient Mezquita was originally a mosque that was later converted into a cathedral and is famous for it's distinctive internal maze of red striped arches surrounding a monumental altar centre piece. It is a stunning amalgamation of Islam and Christianity. The gardens outside, despite the crowds are a peaceful sanctuary of gentle green decorated with an orchard of orange trees.
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| The Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba |
A short walk away is the beautiful Roman Bridge of Córdoba that spans the Guadalquivir River. It's also a very popular with tourists but it's large enough to cope with the early Spring crowds.
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The Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba
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In contrast the river banks are quiet and a welcome source of solitude, and after a short meandering you'll find the Plaza de la Corredera, a very typical Spanish historical town square, which is perfect for a cold beer in the sunshine.
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Roman Bridge of Córdoba that spans the Guadalquivir River
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Córdoba was an important Roman town and in the centre of the shopping centre you can stumble across a large Roman temple with its reconstructed pillars at the centre of the excavated site.
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| Plaza de la Corredera, Córdoba |
Our second excursion was to the coast and the port city of Cadiz. It's a two hour journey from Seville so we opted to stay over for a night so we could explore at a leisurely pace. This turned out to be a good move as we arrived to torrential rain which curtailed any plans for an initial recce.
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| The seafront of Cadiz |
We were visiting in carnival season and the inclement weather didn't deter any of the party goers later that evening. The city is famous for delivering a seriously good shindig and everyone gets dressed up in crazy clobber and hits the streets for live music, parties, frivolity, fairgrounds and fireworks. It's a lovely atmosphere to soak up sat in the bustling streets with a glass of red wine and tapas.
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| Party time in Cadiz |
The following day the sun made an appearance and everywhere looks better in the sunshine. Cadiz revealed itself as a charming city, with a feel reminiscent of an English seaside town that is clinging on to its glory days. It has a promenade that has an art deco feel in places and it runs the full length of the west of the city and beyond, hugging narrow sand beaches that I expect are heaving in the summer months.
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| Cadiz |
The large baroque Cathedral of Cadiz dominates the seafront and looks fantastic. Just past the beach Playa La Caleta is a small peninsula that is connected to the mainland by a long meandering stone bridge. There you'll find the the Castillo de San Sebastian, as well as the Faro de San Sebastián.
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| Faro de San Sebastián, cadiz |
Cadiz is home to the Spanish navy and is a working town which lends itself to a more earthy experience than the touristy Córdoba. But both day trips from Seville offered a unique insight into Andalusia and only made us determined to return soon to carry on our adventures in southern Spain.
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| Art Deco Cadiz |
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