X.     CORDOBA

 

Cordoba – Overview and Terrain

 

Many travelers bypass Cordoba.  What a mistake!  It’s small scale is perfect for easy, leisurely exploration, it features the Mezquita mosque, one of the world’s masterpieces of Islamic architecture, the old neighborhoods are delightful and interesting, the people are welcoming, the regional cuisine delicious and the prices reasonable.  The sense of history is ever-present:  Cordoba was an important Roman provincial capital and later capital of all of Roman Spain, the first capital of the Islamic caliphate in Spain, the birthplace of Maimonides, and, for hundreds of years, one of the world’s most renowned centers of Islamic and Jewish culture and scholarship – religious, scientific and literary.

 

The charming Juderia (ancient Jewish quarter) and white-walled neighborhoods around the Mezquita are a delight to explore. Many buildings have courtyards and patios with geraniums and bougainvilleas; we were in Cordoba during a festival week and the building doors were open to display the patios.  The streets are narrow and some are moderately steeply sloped, but getting around in Howard’s electric wheelchair was easy.  Access would be difficult for a solo traveler using a manual wheelchair; assistance would be required in many places.  The small streets don’t have sidewalks, which eliminates the issue of curbs.  Fortunately, there are few cars on the small streets. 

 

The walkway outside the ancient Moorish city wall from the Almodovar Gate toward the Alcazar of the Catholic Monarchs is level and easily accessible, affording an enjoyable ten-minute stroll.  

 

Cordoba – Transportation

 

Because the city is compact, we didn’t use public transportation.  We saw no buses in the old city center.  In the modern section we saw many buses with retractable wheelchair ramps at the side door; they appeared to have the same design as those in Barcelona.

 

Cordoba – Hotels

 

Where We Stayed

 

Hotel Maimonides.  Three star.  Torrijos, 4.  Phone 011-34-957-471-500;  fax 011-34-957-483-803.   www.hotelmaimonides.com.

 

We stayed here because the only hotel in Cordoba that told us it has an adapted room was booked.  The Hotel Maimonides told us its rooms and bathrooms are not adapted but are large, so we took a chance.  The hotel is perfectly located across the street from the entrance to the Mezquita.  While not elegant, it’s well maintained and bright.  The staff was attentive and gracious.  One important feature is the garage in the basement, which is accessible via the regular elevators.  This was quite an advantage for transferring and unloading.  The room rate was very reasonable.  (Hotel prices in Cordoba are generally cheaper than in Granada and Seville.)

 

There is one high stair into the building and one high stair from the vestibule to the main lobby.  A large rubberized ramp with good traction was set out for the vestibule stair, but no ramp for the first stair.  As is typical in the old neighborhoods of Cordoba, Granada and Seville, the entryway is flush with the street, not set back.  A portable ramp would have protruded into the street.  The café entrance has only one very small step from street level, so Howard went through the café and restaurant most of the time.  This was not inconvenient because the café entrance is only a few feet from the main entrance and the café is open late.  There are two elevators, both a bit larger than those at most other hotels. 

 

We stayed in Room 202, a standard room (perhaps, judging by the floor map, slightly larger than the average standard room).   The décor is plain but the room is quite large, has nice white marble floors and generous closet space, and is quiet and extraordinarily well lit.  There is plenty of maneuvering space for a wheelchair; in fact, this was the largest hotel bedroom on our trip.

 

The bathroom is fairly large.  Hotel personnel removed the bathroom door; with the door removed the bathroom entrance was easily wide enough for Howard’s wheelchair.  It probably would have been wide enough even with the door on, but removing the door afforded extra space to maneuver.  (If the hotel makes the bathroom adapted in the future it should widen the doorway.)  There is a bathtub with no grab bars.  There is a bidet next to the toilet.  The shower hose is very long and easily reaches the sink and bidet, so it is possible to wash one’s hair in the sink.  There is no transfer space next to the toilet, but there would be if the bidet were removed.  There are no grab bars near the toilet.   The sink is large, with plenty of space for toiletries.  The bathroom could be made accessible if the bidet were removed and a few other modifications made. 

 

Even without modifications, we highly recommend the Hotel Maimonides for anyone traveling with a companion and who doesn’t need to transfer to the toilet. 

 

Other Hotels to Consider

 

The following parador told us it has one adapted room on the ground floor.  We don’t know whether or not there is a roll-in shower.  The parador is on a hill four kilometers from the city center.  It advertises a terrific view of the city but, because parking is scarce and daytime traffic heavy in the city center, the location is not desirable for touring the sites or enjoying the atmosphere of Cordoba.

 

Parador de Cordoba.  Four star.  Avenida de Arruzafa.  Phone 011-34-957-275-900; fax 011-34-957-280-409.  www.parador.es; cordoba@parador.es.

 

The following hotel told us it has an adapted room:

 

Hotel Hesperia.  Four star.  The hotel is located just across the Guadalquivir River from the city center.  Avenida Fray Albino, 1.  Phone 011-34-957-421-042; fax 011-34-957-299-997.  www.hesperia-cordoba.com; hotel@hesperia-cordoba.com.

 

Hotels Without Adapted Rooms

 

We visited the following hotel; it is inaccessible because the entrance is up at least four stairs:

 

      NH Amistad Cordoba.  Four star.  Plaza Maimonides, 3.  Phone 011-34-957-420-335. www.nh-hoteles.com;  nhamistadcordoba@nh-hotels.com. 

 

                  The following hotels told us they do not have adapted rooms:

 

      Hotel el Conquistador.  Three star.  Magistral Gonzalez Frances, 15-17.  Phone 011-34-957-481-102.  www.hotelconquistadorcordoba.com.

 

                  Hotel Maestre.  Romero Barros, 4-6.  Phone 011-34-957-472-410.   www.hotelmaestre.com.

 

     Hotel Mezquita.  Two star.  Plaza Santa Catalina, 1.  Phone 011-34-957-475-585; fax 011-34-957-476-219.

 

Cordoba – Monuments, Museums and Flamenco Music

 

Mezquita (Mosque).     One of our highlights, this stunning masterpiece of Islamic architecture is worth a trip to Cordoba.  For travelers unfamiliar with Islamic architecture, reading about it before your trip will be well rewarded.  The audioguide is sketchy and a cathedral has been superimposed on parts of the mosque; imagination and background knowledge are helpful in appreciating its combination of grandeur and simplicity and the air of contemplative serenity it must have had in its heyday. 

 

Access is excellent.  There is one small stair from the street to the courtyard at the main entrance (near the tourist office and the Maimonides Hotel).  There is a ramp at the main entrance door.   Inside the mosque there are several changes in level, but all the stairs have been removed and the floor permanently ramped.  Some areas have moderate slopes and a few are fairly steep but short.  Lighting is dim and there’s much above you to delight the eyes, so watch out for the changes in level.  There is a clean, large, accessible bathroom inside the building; ask a guard for the key.

 

Synagogue.       This modest synagogue, which dates from the early 14^th century and is among the oldest surviving in Europe, is accessible via one or two moderately sloped ramps.  The Hebrew inscriptions on the stucco friezes are still legible.

 

Archaeological Museum of Cordoba.  This small museum has artifacts from prehistoric times through the Islamic era, with particular emphasis on the Roman periods.  Only part of the ground floor is accessible, via two gentle ramps.  It’s necessary to ask the guard to set down the ramps.  There are two courtyards, of which only the one toward the front of the building is accessible.  Many of the exhibits are up one flight of stairs, so most of the museum is inaccessible, but the accessible part is worth a visit.  The staff was very accommodating and extensive construction is going on.  We wouldn’t be surprised if access is improved in the future.  The inaccessible section of the main floor is up three stairs from the accessible section, so it’s possible to be lifted if several people are available to do it.

 

Roman Sites.  Cordoba was an important Roman capital, first of the province and later of the entire Roman Spain.  Recent excavations have uncovered significant sites, including an amphitheater near the archaeological museum and, in the modern section of town, a beautiful Roman temple currently under reconstruction.  These excavations and reconstructions are in the early stages, so travelers can look forward to increasingly complete and well-documented sites over the coming years. 

 

Alcazar and Gardens of the Catholic Monarchs.  This palace and its garden and baths are inaccessible.  The entrance to the Alcazar is down a very steep stair in an area with little room to maneuver.  The garden entrance is up several high stairs. 

 

Flamenco Performance – Tablao Cardenal.  This stirring, soulful, passionate performance – singing, guitar playing, dancing - was one of the highlights of our trip!  Although the crowd was mostly tourists, the performance was not touristy, and each performer gave his or her all.  Cardenal is located near the tourist office and Hotel Maimonides.  There are one or two ramps, and one stair in two or three separate places.  The accommodating staff was happy to lift Howard’s wheelchair.  Reservations are required; when reserving, it’s advisable to mention that you use a wheelchair.  Because it was cool, the performance was in a room upstairs; there is an elevator.  When the weather is warm, performances are held in the ground level courtyard, which is easier to access.

 

Cordoba – Stores and Restaurants

 

Several of the stores are up or down several stairs and hence inaccessible.

 

            Two of the best-known restaurants are inaccessible.  Casa Pepe is down a very steep stair into a narrow entrance area.   El Caballo Rojo is up several stairs. 

 

El Churrasco. We ate here several times, enjoying delicious steaks, fish, roast lamb, stuffed fowl, artichokes and gazpacho blanco (with liquored raisins and apple).  Service was excellent and we ate in the courtyard with abundant flowers.  There is one medium height stair at the front entrance.  From the front room one can access the courtyard without any stairs.  If the front room is crowded, the courtyard can be reached through a passageway with two small stairs spaced well apart. 

 

We also enjoyed El Faro de la Juderia, an excellent seafood restaurant near the archaeological museum, where we had fresh seafood paella and crisp, meaty fried sardines.  There is one medium height step up to the stoop in front of the entrance and one more at the entrance.  The entrance also has a steep but short ramp.

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