Trip to Zuheros and Córdoba
, Munich
From November 18 to 20 I went on a trip to Zuheros and Córdoba with a friend.
Zuheros is a village surrounded by mountains close to Córdoba. It is the first time I went to a smaller place in Spain and it is absolutely beautiful.
We were buying the hotels one day before the trip and also wanted to get bus tickets from Córdoba to Zuheros online. The bus companies’ ticket buying page only said they are in maintenance so we were calling and they said we could get the tickets in Córdoba. We weren’t sure if there would be enough tickets left if we buy them shortly before we wanted to go. One month later the ticket page still is not working, which makes me believe that it never works and they cannot afford to get it fixed.
So the next day we went to Córdoba by train so that we would at least be there already. We shortly walked around until the ticket office opened after Siesta and we had no problems buying the ticket to Zuheros at the office. While waiting for the bus to leave we had dinner in Córdoba and for the first time I tried Huevos Rotos which is potatoes (or fries) with ham and egg on top and now it’s one of my favorite foods here in Spain.
Taking the bus from Córdoba to Zuheros took around one hour. They dropped us off at their bus station which is a hilariously small house and which is close to the hotel. Not that anywhere would be far anyway.
The streets already looked cute and beautiful while walking to the hotel. After checking in and dropping our stuff we went out again. It was already nighttime, so we first saw the castle lit up, terraces with a view into the mountains and a great sky full of stars. There were cute streets with lots of flowers and one terrace even had an ivy roofing which brought the atmosphere to another level. Everything was quiet and there were no other people around. No tourists and no locals, just peacefully looking over the village, into the mountains and the starry sky. Maybe some dogs or people sounds in the distance but that’s it.
Going back to the hotel we came by the bus station again and walked up a dark road a bit which led to a side where the light of the village didn’t reach, making the sky even more incredible and revealing the milky way. It was the best night sky I saw since I started Erasmus, even better than in the desert two weeks later because there the moon was too bright. But I’ll write about that the next time.
The next morning it was already too late for hotel breakfast. Online we searched for cafés nearby but there was literally nothing. Only restaurants that opened for lunch so we decided to explore more and wait until lunch with eating.
We went to the castle again and got some tea on a terrace to warm us up. This time during the day we could enjoy the view of the wonderful landscape. Going up the castle is definitely the better view, though, as you can overlook the village and the landscape.
On the way to a restaurant we found a small shop where we at least could buy some water and food if we wanted to. I imagine for actual grocery shopping the locals would go to the nearest town (probably Baena) because there are no super markets in Zuheros.
We had lunch at the restaurant Meson Atalaya. They have an inside area and also a patio. Here we tried Flamenquín for the first time which is typical for the region of Córdoba. It’s basically ham and pork rolled up and deep-fried with breadcrumbs around. There could also be cheese or mayonnaise inside. It tastes great. They also have amazing cheese cake that I definitely recommend to try if you go there. The restaurant is directly next to the bus station so after lunch we went up that same street as the night before, just this time a bit further up into the mountains. There was an animal reserve that was closed for visitors at the time we went there, so we just sat down at a higher place next to the street and enjoyed the view of the village and landscape from above for a few hours.
When the time of the bus to Córdoba approached we walked back to the restaurant and had a tea to warm us up. Right there is also the museum Museo de Costumbres y Artes Populares which is included in the same ticket of the castle visit. We went through it rather quickly and again went into the restaurant until the bus came. They had some good self-made drink we tried.
This trip was my favorite one inside of Spain so far. I would definitely come back to Zuheros even if there is not much inside the village. The views are worth it I think and if you’re into hiking I’m sure you would like it too.
Taking the bus back to Córdoba for one hour was accompanied by a mesmerizing sunset.
After dropping off our stuff again in the hotel in Córdoba we explored the city at night and saw, e.g., the Mezquita cathedral and the Romano Bridge. On the way back to the hotel we came by a fountain where we decided to take a quick swim in so the remaining way was cold but it was worth it because it was funny. We tried drying the clothes with the hair-dryer but in the morning the clothes were still wet. My friend could arrange her clothes for the day but I had to buy some new pants at a vintage second-hand store.
We explored the city, for example crossed the Romano Bridge again and went into the museum Museo Vivo de al-Andalus which is inside the tower Torre De Calahorra right on one end of the bridge. We entered the Mezquita cathedral, saw cute streets with lots of flowers, saw the city walls, and came by a statue of Seneca who was born in Córdoba. In the evening we had beer in a bar with a patio where they were playing some live Flamenco music. Approaching the time of the train back we ended the day in a rooftop bar next to the cathedral. At first we went into one that was crowded, loud, and had no views, but directly next to it was another one where we were the only ones and had a good view on the cathedral.
After some beers we went to the train station to go back to Sevilla. Here we tried out the Italian restaurant Il Ristorantino Dell´Avvocato Sevilla directly at the Setas for the first time. It is now my favorite restaurant in Sevilla as the pizza is literally the best one I had so far in my life (I haven’t been to Italy yet). Luckily it’s very close to my house. My Italian flat mate also approved the pizza. It really is unlike any other pizza I tried and I try A LOT.
If you like to see landscapes and smaller villages then I can only recommend Zuheros. I will definitely return. There is a lot of flats for sale so if you want a rather remote vacation house for isolating and relaxing with a beautiful landscape then you might find something there.