If you’re lucky enough to get to Cordoba, I hope you can go during the Patios Festival in early May.   I have to be honest, this was no great planning on my part, I got lucky here.  Didn’t realize the festival was happening until I arrived in Cordoba.   But wow.

It’s an interesting history behind the festival.  The Patio contest is sponsored by the Córdoba City Hall.  It began in 1918.  There is a hot dry climate in Córdoba.  Most homes were built with a central patio – as far back as the days of the Romans. This layout exists in many homes today.  Filling the central patio with plants and water fountains is functional – it’s a way to keep local homes cool.  However, patio decoration ended up becoming a hobby for some residents.  Luckily for the rest of us, the town realized that these patios were just too good to be kept tucked away behind doors.  So, once a year, the residents open their patios, or courtyards, and everyone is invited in to see the patios, and some mad gardening skills.

Here are more vacation pictures than anyone should post, ever.  I just loved wandering through all these homes’ courtyards.   I probably should have filtered them, but…  enjoy the slideshow!

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I tried to capture some sky in each one, these are all indoor courtyards in the middle of peoples homes.  How lucky are they?

When not looking at flowers and peering into homes, there is much more to do in Cordoba.  Like eat.  Starting with cake for breakfast.

After coffee, and before touring the patios, if you’re willing to get up early, you can tour the Mosque for free.  Between 830am-930am, while the Mosque is being cleaned and prepared for the day, the doors are open for visitors. No tour groups, but individuals can get an early, less crowded peek at this beautiful building.  And, you can go to Mass.  Yes, Catholic Mass, in a Mosque!  More on that, and other things to do in Cordoba, in a later post…