{"id":1864,"date":"2023-06-05T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-05T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/?p=1864"},"modified":"2025-06-02T10:31:59","modified_gmt":"2025-06-02T08:31:59","slug":"interrail-13","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/en\/interrail-13\/","title":{"rendered":"My crazy Interrail journey – Chapter 13: C\u00f3rdoba, Seville, C\u00e1diz, Granada, Ronda"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<< Introduction<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<< Chapter 12: Madrid, Segovia, \u00c1vila<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following day I explored C\u00f3rdoba. First, I passed by the Church of San Nicol\u00e1s de la Villa and the Roman Mausoleum, before going toward the heart of the old town. I entered the area from Puerta de Almod\u00f3var and I passed in front of the ancient Synagogue to reach the city\u2019s Alc\u00e1zar. Unfortunately, both the Synagogue and the Alc\u00e1zar are closed on Mondays, and so I wasn\u2019t able to visit them properly. Then, I reached the main attraction of the city, the Mosque-Cathedral. This is one of the greatest works of architecture, not only of Islamic style, but in all of history. Built as a mosque during the eighth century, when C\u00f3rdoba was the capital of the Muslim-ruled Al-Andalus, it was expanded several times over the centuries and then turned into a Catholic cathedral. Now, it hosts artworks from different eras, a strikingly elaborate Christian chapel in the middle, and an intricate system of decorated columns and arches which create an iconic and awe-inspiring sight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After seeing the peculiar Calleja de las Flores, a narrow alley adorned with plants and flowers, I crossed the ancient Roman bridge on the Guadalquivir river to the Calahorra Tower on the other side. Back on the north side of the river, I visited the small but interesting Archaeological Museum before stopping to have lunch. I tried two specialties of Andalusian cuisine: salmorejo<\/em> and rabo de toro<\/em>. The first one is a cold tomato soup similar to gazpacho, while the second one is a dish of ox tail meat, and both were pretty good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After lunch, I passed by the ornate Palacio de la Merced, the large Plaza de la Corredera, and finally the ruins of the Roman temple. C\u00f3rdoba has an unique charm, with the narrow roads of the city center and stunning ancient architecture, and was overall really pleasant. Later that afternoon, I took the train to Seville, my next destination. When I arrived, I stopped at the ticket office in the train station to book some of my next trips, but it was really crowded and slow and I ended up waiting one hour and a half for my turn before finally getting my tickets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Puerta
<\/a>

Puerta de la Luna along the ancient walls of C\u00f3rdoba<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Tower
<\/a>

Tower of the Alc\u00e1zar of C\u00f3rdoba<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Entrance
<\/a>

Entrance to the the Mosque-Cathedral of C\u00f3rdoba, seen from inside the complex<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Decorations
<\/a>

Decorations in the Mosque-Cathedral of C\u00f3rdoba<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Calleja
<\/a>

Calleja de las Flores<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Puerta
<\/a>

Puerta del Ponte in front of the Roman bridge of C\u00f3rdoba<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Roman
<\/a>

Roman bridge of C\u00f3rdoba<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Salmorejo\"
<\/a>

Salmorejo<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Rabo
<\/a>

Rabo de toro<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Ruins
<\/a>

Ruins of the Roman temple of C\u00f3rdoba<\/h4><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I started my visit to Seville the following day by going straight to the heart of the old town and the Alc\u00e1zar, the ancient royal palace. This rich and opulent castle has many adorned halls and is a prime example of Islamic art in the Iberian peninsula, also featuring large gardens. I then moved on to the nearby cathedral, one of the largest and most splendid in the world, which among many artworks hosts the tomb of Christopher Columbus. I also went on top of the Giralda, the tall bell tower of the Seville Cathedral, enjoying a great view over the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I then walked toward the riverfront and I passed in front of the historic Torre del Oro and then the city\u2019s bullring, which is one of the main settings of the opera Carmen<\/em>. After passing by the central Plaza Nueva, I stopped to have lunch again with some montaditos, before visiting the Church of the Divine Savior. Around this area, I stopped at the local Museum of Fine Arts and then I walked through the Alameda de H\u00e9rcules square and all the way to the Hospital de las Cinco Llagas, a historic building now seat of the Parliament of Andalusia. I finished the day seeing the Setas de Sevilla, a peculiar wooden structure over a town square, and trying the traditional pastries known as yemas<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Entrance
<\/a>

Entrance to the Alc\u00e1zar of Seville<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Courtyard
<\/a>

Courtyard in the Alc\u00e1zar of Seville<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Decorations
<\/a>

Decorations on the ceiling of a room in the Alc\u00e1zar of Seville<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Garden
<\/a>

Garden of the Alc\u00e1zar of Seville<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Seville
<\/a>

Seville Cathedral<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Seville
<\/a>

Seville Cathedral<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"View
<\/a>

View of Seville from the top of the Giralda<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Seville
<\/a>

Seville Cathedral<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Torre
<\/a>

Torre del Oro<\/h4><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The next day I took a day trip to the seaside city of C\u00e1diz. I quickly reached the central Plaza de San Juan de Dios with the Old Town Hall, and I visited the Roman theater before going on the waterfront avenue. There, I could finally see the Atlantic Ocean up close, after the short glimpse I got on the train to Hendaye. I immediately got immersed in many thoughts, thinking about how many people departed on adventures across the seas, and those who spent their life just wondering what is on the other side of this huge ocean, without ever finding out. I hope one day to be able to sail the oceans on a ship like an explorer from another era. It was also crazy to think about how far I had traveled during the trip, as just over a month earlier I was in Helsinki, completely on the opposite side of Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After this stop to admire the ocean, I paid a visit to the rich Baroque cathedral and I went on top of the bell tower to get an awesome view of the city and the surrounding sea. I had lunch in a restaurant trying some of the local fish specialties. First, I had an ensaladilla de pulpo<\/em>, an awesome potato-based dish with octopus, and then a choco a la plancha<\/em>, or grilled cuttlefish, ending with a vanilla flan as dessert. This meal exceeded all my expectations and was truly among the best ones of the trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Tunnel
<\/a>

Tunnel inside the Roman theater of C\u00e1diz<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Roman
<\/a>

Roman theater of C\u00e1diz<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"C\u00e1diz
<\/a>

C\u00e1diz Cathedral<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"View
<\/a>

View of C\u00e1diz from the top of the cathedral<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Iglesia
<\/a>

Iglesia de Santiago, next to the C\u00e1diz Cathedral<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Ensaladilla
<\/a>

Ensaladilla de pulpo<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Choco
<\/a>

Choco a la plancha<\/h4><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In the afternoon, I visited the seaside Castle of Santa Catalina, which has a great view on the Bay of C\u00e1diz, and then the Castle of San Sebasti\u00e1n, located on a small island connected to the city by a long bridge. I stopped there for a while to enjoy the view over the vast ocean, and then I walked on the beach and the seafront for a bit before heading to the Museum of C\u00e1diz, which hosts exhibits on local history including a couple of Phoenician sarcophagi and other ancient artifacts. Back in the train station, I got told that the next train to Seville was fully booked, and so I had to wait for the following one an hour later. This didn\u2019t ruin the really pleasant visit to C\u00e1diz, one of my favorite cities of the trip. I like seaside towns and C\u00e1diz has to be among the nicest ones I\u2019ve ever seen. With its white houses and palms everywhere, it almost looks like it belongs more to the Caribbean then Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"View
<\/a>

View of the coast of C\u00e1diz from the Castle of Santa Catalina<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"The
<\/a>

The Castle of San Sebasti\u00e1n seen from the coast<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Castle
<\/a>

Castle of San Sebasti\u00e1n<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"C\u00e1diz
<\/a>

C\u00e1diz seen from the Castle of San Sebasti\u00e1n<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"C\u00e1diz
<\/a>

C\u00e1diz seen from the Castle of San Sebasti\u00e1n<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Phoenician
<\/a>

Phoenician sarcophagi in the Museum of C\u00e1diz<\/h4><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I had one more day in Seville and I started it by taking a stroll through the Jardines de Murillo park, before going to Plaza de Espa\u00f1a. This large square hosts a huge and richly ornate building featuring decorations dedicated to every province of Spain. I also visited the Military Museum that occupies some halls of the building, and the Museum of Arts and Popular Customs located not far from there. Unfortunately the nearby Archaeological Musum was closed for renovations so I left the area to have lunch. After the great fish meal of the day before, I was craving sushi so I looked for a Japanese restaurant but, after reaching one, I found out that it was closed. However, a Chinese restaurant was located just across the street so I stopped there instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Afterwards, I walked around the university area and I visited La Casa de la Ciencia (“The House of Science”), a museum focused on natural history and the exploration of the world. It was a really hot afternoon as the temperature reached 33 \u00b0C (on October 27!), but it was a great day nonetheless. I had an amazing time in Seville, the city was really beautiful and the overall environment was truly pleasant, it was one of the most enjoyable destinations of the trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Jardines
<\/a>

Jardines de Murillo<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Plaza
<\/a>

Plaza de Espa\u00f1a<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Plaza
<\/a>

Plaza de Espa\u00f1a<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Guadalquivir
<\/a>

Guadalquivir river in Seville<\/h4><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I left Seville in the evening, reaching Granada after about two and a half hours by train. I woke up really early the next day to visit the Alhambra, which you have to book weeks, if not months, in advance if you want to be sure to enter. I booked my spot at the earliest possible time, 8:30 a.m., and I was there an hour early just to be safe. I was the first in line. The Alhambra is a stunning work of art that competes with the Mosque-Cathedral of C\u00f3rdoba for the title of greatest piece of Islamic architecture in Spain. Inside the complex there is a lot to see, like the intricate decorations, courts, and gardens of the Nasrid Palaces, the Renaissance Palace of Charles V, which hosts an art museum, and the medieval fortress known as Alcazaba. Adjacent to the Alhambra is the adorned palace of the Generalife, surrounded by a lush park. From various points of the Alhambra and the Generalife some spectacular views of Granada can be enjoyed, especially from the towers of the Alcazaba.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After spending the entire morning in the Alhambra, I went down to the city center to have lunch in a Middle Eastern and North African restaurant. I started with some hummus, which I already knew I liked after trying it in Greece, followed by a traditional soup called harira<\/em>. The main dish was a huge couscous and, despite the large amount of vegetables which I usually don\u2019t like, it was still pretty good. Along with all this food, I drank ayran<\/em>, a dense yogurt-based beverage. Overall, it was a great lunch and makes me want to try more foods from the Middle East and North Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After lunch and a great ice cream, I walked around the city center, seeing the large cathedral and the Royal Chapel where Queen Isabella I of Castille and King Ferdinand II of Aragon are buried. I returned to the hostel in the mid afternoon since I was really tired after waking up so early. Granada was another really delightful city and surely ranks among my favorite destinations of the trip, not only because of the Alhambra, but the city center is truly beautiful too, with a very pleasant atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Courtyard
<\/a>

Courtyard in the Nasrid Palaces of the Alhambra<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Courtyard
<\/a>

Courtyard in the Nasrid Palaces of the Alhambra<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Decorations
<\/a>

Decorations in the Nasrid Palaces of the Alhambra<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"A
<\/a>

A section of the Nasrid Palaces of the Alhambra<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"View
<\/a>

View of Granada from the Alhambra<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"The
<\/a>

The Alcazaba, part of the Alhambra<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"View
<\/a>

View of Granada from the Alcazaba<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"View
<\/a>

View of the Alhambra from the Generalife<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Granada
<\/a>

Granada Cathedral<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"Entrance
<\/a>

Entrance to the Royal Chapel of Granada<\/h4><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The following day it was time for another day trip, this time to Ronda, a town located on a spectacular cliffside position over a deep ravine. The trip from Granada took three hours with a train change at the Antequera-Santa Ana station. In Ronda, I immediately went to the Alameda del Tajo park to enjoy an awe-inspiring view on the countryside of Andalusia. Following the cliffside path, I quickly arrived at the New Bridge, an oustanding 120-meter-tall bridge spanning the chasm the cuts through Ronda. I walked around the nice old town and then I went down the hill a bit to reach a spot with a panoramic view over Ronda and the New Bridge, from which I could also see the river that flows at the bottom of the canyon creating a beautiful waterfall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had lunch in a tapas bar and, among the various snacks, I had some jam\u00f3n ib\u00e9rico<\/em>, the traditional Spanish ham, a chorizo<\/em>, the classic pork sausage, and a skewer of deer meat while enjoying some local wine. Then, I stopped for a while at a small nice park in the old town just to enjoy the breathtaking view. I went down to Puerta del Almoc\u00e1bar, a medieval city gate, and I followed the cliffside road on the east side of the town to the other two bridges over the ravine, the Roman (or Arabic) Bridge and the Old Bridge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After another walk around the town, I went to the train station and then back to Granada. Later in the evening, I went out in Granada just to take an ice cream at the same shop as the day before, I really liked the place, they had many tasty flavors. This ended another amazing day, Ronda was truly extraordinary. The stunning panoramic views and dizzying heights reminded me of Meteora and its breathtaking environment. I was expecting a lot from this visit and it did not disappoint at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Traveling
<\/a>

Traveling through Andalusia<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"View
<\/a>

View of the countryside from Ronda<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"View
<\/a>

View of the old town of Ronda from the cliffside path<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"A
<\/a>

A panoramic spot on the cliffs of Ronda<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"The
<\/a>

The New Bridge of Ronda<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"The
<\/a>

The New Bridge of Ronda and the waterfall<\/h4><\/div><\/div>
\"The
<\/a>

The New Bridge of Ronda<\/h4><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Chapter 14: Zaragoza and Barcelona<\/a> >><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The following day I explored C\u00f3rdoba. First, I passed by the Church of San Nicol\u00e1s de la Villa and the Roman Mausoleum, before going toward the heart of the old town. I entered the area from Puerta de Almod\u00f3var and I passed in front of the ancient Synagogue to reach the city\u2019s Alc\u00e1zar. Unfortunately, both…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3907,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":7,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1864","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"aioseo_notices":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Interrail_13_cover-scaled.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Stefano Cammisa","author_link":"https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/en\/author\/stefano-cammisa\/"},"author_meta":{"display_name":"Stefano Cammisa","author_link":"https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/en\/author\/stefano-cammisa\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Interrail_13_cover-300x100.jpg","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Interrail_13_cover-scaled.jpg",2560,853,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Interrail_13_cover-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Interrail_13_cover-300x100.jpg",300,100,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Interrail_13_cover-768x256.jpg",640,213,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Interrail_13_cover-1024x341.jpg",640,213,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Interrail_13_cover-1536x512.jpg",1536,512,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Interrail_13_cover-2048x683.jpg",2048,683,true],"trp-custom-language-flag":["https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Interrail_13_cover-18x6.jpg",18,6,true],"xs-thumb":["https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Interrail_13_cover-64x64.jpg",64,64,true],"post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Interrail_13_cover-300x100.jpg",300,100,true],"minimalistblogger-grid":["https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Interrail_13_cover-350x230.jpg",350,230,true],"minimalistblogger-slider":["https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Interrail_13_cover-850x283.jpg",850,283,true],"minimalistblogger-small":["https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Interrail_13_cover-300x180.jpg",300,180,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Stefano Cammisa","author_link":"https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/en\/author\/stefano-cammisa\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"The following day I explored C\u00f3rdoba. First, I passed by the Church of San Nicol\u00e1s de la Villa and the Roman Mausoleum, before going toward the heart of the old town. I entered the area from Puerta de Almod\u00f3var and I passed in front of the ancient Synagogue to reach the city\u2019s Alc\u00e1zar. Unfortunately, both...","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["Travel<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Travel<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":"0","relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 3 years ago","modified":"Updated 1 year ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on June 5, 2023","modified":"Updated on June 2, 2025"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on June 5, 2023 3:00 pm","modified":"Updated on June 2, 2025 10:31 am"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1864","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1864"}],"version-history":[{"count":31,"href":"https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1864\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12298,"href":"https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1864\/revisions\/12298"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3907"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1864"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1864"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cosmundus.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1864"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}