Exploring the Rich Histories of Córdoba and Granada: A Traveler’s Guide

The next morning, I took a Renfe train from Seville’s Santa Justa train station (within walking distance) to Cordoba. The ticket cost around 80 RMB (less than an hour), and there were few passengers, making for a pleasant experience; just be careful not to miss your stop.
Cordoba was generally okay, but after visiting mosques in Central Asia and the Middle East, I didn’t go into the Great Mosque of Cordoba.

While walking, I saw a shop with many customers, so I went in and ordered coffee, hot chocolate, churros, and ham tapas? (P5) as brunch, which was very high in calories, lol.
After a walk to digest, I headed to the bus station, right next to the train station. I didn’t expect the trip to end so quickly, and the ticket office was closed, so I couldn’t change my ticket and had to wait for the 3:30 PM bus to Granada (bought the bus ticket on the Alsa website, less than 3 hours).

The scenery along the way was beautiful. In Granada, I stayed at TOC Hostel Granada (which offers paid laundry, a rooftop terrace, and full facilities), and you can check the public transportation options on Google Maps. After checking in, I met some new friends, and we went up to the rooftop to chat and watch the sunset.

Later, we went to a Spanish restaurant for dinner, joking about how unfriendly the Spanish waiter looked, but the food was quite good (P8, P9). We ended the day with drinks at an Irish pub.
I came here to visit the Alhambra the next day, and I bought the tickets well in advance on the official website, with high expectations.

However, it was overcast that day, and the overall visit was just okay. The Islamic architecture was less impressive compared to those in Central Asia, Turkey, and Iran.
After the visit, I went to a nearby viewpoint to look at the Alhambra from afar, and for some reason, I thought of the Amber Fort in Jaipur, India.

I have to say, Indian ancient architecture is indeed more beautiful.
This marks the end of my Andalusia journey, and I highly recommend Seville! The next stop is Madrid, a city that wasn’t originally in my plan. PS: I bought a bus ticket from Granada to Madrid on the Alsa website, 19 euros for a 4.5-hour journey.