The Flowering Patios of Cordova Spain -- A Crossroads of Culture

There are always regrets with travel.  Mine frequently involve two categories...  the roads not travelled. .. and the stays too brief.  Oh and one more has to do with timing.  So it was with Cordova, there were roads untraveled, the stay was way too brief and yes timing was off by just a day or two.  Nonetheless, in the 24 hours more or less we spent in Cordova, we did manage to catch the flavor of an enchanting place - a crossroads of culture, a capsule in time, a cornucopia of scenes, smells and sensations.

 And while we missed the critical window of the opening of Cordova's patios at the beginning of May (I thought we would be catching the end of this event, but we missed it by one day), while winding our way through the ancient narrow pathways of the city's historic district, it was hard to miss the Andalusian windows overflowing with geraniums and other colorful flora.

Too, as we wandered through the lanes too narrow for autos, it was easy to casually peak behind the wrought-iron gates of the endless little courtyards to see flowering blue pots pinned to white walls and pebbled floor patios decked with various pots overflowing with colorful blossoms and to listen to the trickle of lovely centerpiece fountains,.

Almost by accident we happened upon one of the most  photographed streets in Cordoba, Callejon de las Floras,  a cobbled narrow alley between whitewashed houses.  The balconies and walls are covered with vividly colored blooms in terracotta pots. The street literally bursts with pink, purple and vibrant red in a theater of color.

The origins of the patios are said to go back to when Rome controlled the city and houses were built around open areas.  The Moors augmented the courtyards adding fountains, arabesque arches, and flower beds.   What's a bit puzzling is that the patios are primarily in what is labelled the "Judica" section of Cordoba, where the Jewish community lived in the middle ages during the time of Caliphate rule when Cordoba was the largest city in Europe -- said to have had over one million residents.   Yet, there is no mention of the Jewish involvement in the design or promulgation of these lovely spaces...  That said, this earthly paradise has obviously been touched in one way or another by each of three major cultures.