Day 17 - Saturday 14th July – Cordoba. We walked to the Plaza del Torros (City Bullring) this morning, not really worth the trip as it was modern in style and all closed up. So we consoled ourselves with a "cappuccino con nata" this is a shot of coffee with aerated cream squirted about 4 inches high over the top of the cup and dusted in cocoa. Looks impressive but the coffee is still unpalatable and we long for a real coffee like home. The shops are all open so we venture into the new part of town and window shop for a while. There are plenty of people around and lots of young students and kids keeping cool in and around the fountains in the central square. The main department store in Spain is “El Corte Ingles” and the windows all bear the word “rebajas” which is sale! We are told that the government regulates the sales in Spain and you can be fined if a certain % of your stock is not reduced if you display this sign. Also sales cannot begin before 1 July, already a lot of the stock is well picked over and in some cases the smaller shops stock is very low. I picked up a dress and a bag today so I guess the rebajas are a success (for me).

We went to a great restaurant for dinner that we visited 2 nights ago, once again a success so we will review on trip adviser. After dinner we walked down to the Cathedral and bridge and the lights were on all the monuments and looked fantastic. It was a perfect evening.

One thing you notice in these old towns on hot days is the occasional 'waft' from the drainage system - it can take you by surprise both day and night. It' almost as though you can smell the history......