Crazy idea for Spain
 

Hello,

Is it crazy to get an AVE train from Madrid
to Cordoba just for the day? We are going to Toledo also as a day trip. We are spending a total of 4 days in Madrid and
then we fly to Barcelona and spend 4 days there. natjgc

No , it's not crazy :) It's easy to do , just a bit expensive :)))

Not a crazy idea at all - I did this several years ago. I love the Mezquita there, it is a very unique site. There is also an alcazar with lovely gardens and some nice restaurants. It should be a great day trip.

And while you're in Cordoba, I'd highly recommend El Caballo Rojo for dinner--it's not far from the Mezquita and is fabulous!

Please tell me more. How expensive is it to take the AVE train? How long does it take. We wouldn't be spending
the night there. Does that make a
difference??

This site gives timetables and prices for various train systems in Spain (Ave, Talgo):

http://horarios.renfe.es/hir/ingles.html

The price for the Ave from Madrid to Cordoba is 50 euro for Turist class. It goes up from there.

Madrid-Cordoba via AVE is about 2 hours and $62 each way.

This really sounds do able. Thanks.
What about Segovia? Is it worth it? Also, what are the highlights of Segovia- there's so much to see I don't think we'll get to do it all. Guess we'll just have to go back to Spain if we like it.

If the choice is between Segovia and Cordoba, go to Cordoba -- even if it costs much more.

There is nothing like the Mezquita anywhere in the world, and El Caballo Rojo (already recommended; very close to the Mezquita; anyone will be able to direct you) will give you an Andalusian meal you will remember for a long, long time. (I know; I ate there in 1990 and I could still tell you exactly what I ate.)

Eloise,

What kind of food is Andalusian?

Whats' Mezquita???

OK.

The Mezquita was, at the time, the largest mosque in the Arab world; I think it's still among the largest, although it is no longer, of course, a mosque. Hundreds and hundreds of different columns of different kinds of stone; painted horseshoe arches by the hundreds; a mihrab (the part of a mosque that faces to Mecca) with splendid mosaics; a Renaissance cathedral plunked down in the middle of it; wonderful walls around it with beautifully patterned portals. Totally
unique; nothing like it in the world, that I know of.

Andalusian cuisine: Cuisine that still reflects the Arab influence, i.e., sweet and salty combined in the same dish. I had gazpacho blanco (almond soup with an apple and raisin garnish), a lamb dish that I forget the name but not the taste of, and for dessert, pastilla cordobese (sp?) with a pumpkin filling. If you haven't tried it, you can't imagine how good it is.

And the service at El Caballo Rojo is superb. I was there alone, and the service could not have been kinder.

I've also found the address: Cardenal Hererro 28, within steps of the Mezquita.

And no, I do not get a commission either from the Cordoba Tourist Office or El Caballo Rojo.

Mezquita is the name of the building where muslims pray. The Mezquita of Cordoba is not used for that now. It's really beautiful.

By the way, I'm curious about the "Andalusian meal" too :)

oh, sorry, seems we posted at the same time :)

I understand now what you meant with the "Andalusian" food. It was strange to me maybe because most of the food we ate here, in Valencian Community is also from arab origin is the way it is cooked so I don't think of it as something regional :)

Kerendina: I may be wrong, but I don't think the Arabs ever got as far north as Valencia. They did have important centres in Sevilla, Granada and Cordoba in Andalusia.

Kenderina: My sincere apologies for getting your name wrong!

Eloise, I am Spanish, live near Valencia, I know what I'm talking about. And arabs arrived here as they arrived at almost the whole Spain except the northern provinces (the ones at the Cantabric Sea). Their time in Spain expanded for 8 centuries and the places where they stayed most of the time were the mediterranean coast, Toledo and of course, Andalucia. If you look at a map of Spain you will see that most of town and villages names in the mediterranean are from arab origin (names that begin with al- or beni-) :)