Cordoba and Granada

 In the afternoon I went to the Alcazares Reales. Free entry for senior citizens. 

Nice gardens

The 3rd century Roman mosaics were spectacular by

The Granada photos start here

Let's pass on to Friday. After breakfast we walked to the meeting point for the coach. The journey to Granada takes 2 hours, with a coffee break. We were taken straight to the Alhambra.

Spectacular palaces and lovely gardens

Cordoba

 I sing with the Orfeón Jacetano. We've just come back from a trip to Cordoba, Andalucía. Google Maps say it's 844 km away from here. Taking a coach to Huesca we got on the high speed Ave train there. It took us all the way, with various stops, to Cordoba. 

While in Jaca the weather is autumnal, in Cordoba I wore shorts and sandals all the time,  the temperature in the 30s. 

The hotel was in the old quarter, very close to the Mosque; we were told to get a bus which would take us close: it didn't. So some of us grabbed taxis and covered the rest of the distance in them. Our taxi squeezed through very narrow streets; ones you wouldn't think a car could get through-made me hold my breath!

We had to leave our suitcases in a store-room and go to the restaurant where we were booked to eat. It was a nice meal, although the meat was a little tough, the rest was delicious.

The seats in the train are quite tightly-packed-you can't help playing footsie with the person opposite you.

Hotel los Omeyas, rooms around a central courtyard where we ate breakfast. After dinner we were allocated our rooms and had time to do some exploring.

The Roman bridge tempted me

Patio of the orange trees

The following day was free, so I gave in to my temptation and went for a run first thing; I really wanted to run across the Roman bridge.

It's difficult to see without people, but you can if you get up early enough.
My morning project was the Botanical Gardens.

Poor man's coffee

Devil's chickpeas

Something from the Canaries

                  A prehistoric plant

Pomegranate hedge

loofah vine, I thinkThere's more to come.