We were determined to get an Internet connection with the laptop today and so we decided to go to the Jazz Café in the early evening. This gave us time to do some chores in the morning and set off after an early lunch for some sightseeing in Cordoba.
Having missed the Alcazar in Seville yesterday, we made the Cordoba Alcazar our first visit. The Alcazar is a cross between a fort and a palace, with thick walls, towers and beautiful gardens. Although there was very little in the rooms of the palace, the views from one of the towers was excellent and we then discovered a number of largely intact and very impressive Roman mosaics on display. These came from one of the squares in Cordoba, which like many other major coastal cities, had Roman origins. The gardens were lovely with, like most of the Moorish palaces, many ponds and fountains. Topiary had been used to great effect and clipped hedges produced maze-like areas.
We moved on to the river bank and found one of the many watermills that had been built across the width of the river. This one was originally a Moorish water wheel taking water in buckets from the river and depositing it in a channel that ran into the gardens of the nearby Alcazar. It was later converted to a watermill and had been restored in that form.
On then to the Jazz Café and as we entered, we were relieved to see four people typing away at their laptops – they did have WiFi Internet! The only problem was that, as seems to be mandatory for jazz cafés, the whole place was lit by a single 5 watt bulb. It was so dark that it was very difficult to make out the keyboard! Still it was free and even with the cost of the drinks it worked out at less per hour than we had paid in some Internet Cafés. Four hours and three drinks later, we left for the campsite. Fortunately, the drinks always came with a small bowl of nibbles and this was our tea!
As soon as we stepped out of the café, we noticed that the road was very busy with people heading to a nearby square and we could hear music. We decided to follow them. It turned out to be a free rock concert and the band were ageing rockers, the overweight lead singer being stripped to the waist and jumping around on the stage. It was interesting but not enough to keep us there!
Photos: The gardens of the Alcazar in Cordoba; One of the waterwheels in the Guadalquivir river – originally used to lift water for the Alcazar gardens, it was later adapted for milling.
Having missed the Alcazar in Seville yesterday, we made the Cordoba Alcazar our first visit. The Alcazar is a cross between a fort and a palace, with thick walls, towers and beautiful gardens. Although there was very little in the rooms of the palace, the views from one of the towers was excellent and we then discovered a number of largely intact and very impressive Roman mosaics on display. These came from one of the squares in Cordoba, which like many other major coastal cities, had Roman origins. The gardens were lovely with, like most of the Moorish palaces, many ponds and fountains. Topiary had been used to great effect and clipped hedges produced maze-like areas.
We moved on to the river bank and found one of the many watermills that had been built across the width of the river. This one was originally a Moorish water wheel taking water in buckets from the river and depositing it in a channel that ran into the gardens of the nearby Alcazar. It was later converted to a watermill and had been restored in that form.
On then to the Jazz Café and as we entered, we were relieved to see four people typing away at their laptops – they did have WiFi Internet! The only problem was that, as seems to be mandatory for jazz cafés, the whole place was lit by a single 5 watt bulb. It was so dark that it was very difficult to make out the keyboard! Still it was free and even with the cost of the drinks it worked out at less per hour than we had paid in some Internet Cafés. Four hours and three drinks later, we left for the campsite. Fortunately, the drinks always came with a small bowl of nibbles and this was our tea!
As soon as we stepped out of the café, we noticed that the road was very busy with people heading to a nearby square and we could hear music. We decided to follow them. It turned out to be a free rock concert and the band were ageing rockers, the overweight lead singer being stripped to the waist and jumping around on the stage. It was interesting but not enough to keep us there!
Photos: The gardens of the Alcazar in Cordoba; One of the waterwheels in the Guadalquivir river – originally used to lift water for the Alcazar gardens, it was later adapted for milling.
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