Córdoba

Córdoba is a medium-sized city in the middle of Andalusia, the most southerly region of Spain. It is best known for its amazing 9th century mosque and the old quarter, with its maze of cobbled streets and whitewashed houses, and there are many remains of Roman and Arabic buildings.

However, there is definitely a mix of old and new in Córdoba, and there are more modern parts of the city too, with shopping centres, bars and cinemas etc.The weather is generally warm and dry for most of the year, although temperatures can drop between November and February, (2-12ºC) and June - September are extremely hot (35-40ºC).  

Córdoba is a relatively quiet city – teachers usually like Córdoba because they are interested in the beauty and the history of the place. The city is at its liveliest in the spring, with local festivals such as Holy Week (Semana Santa) in March/April – with very moving candlelit processions down the (often narrow) streets carrying religious images. The Crosses Festival (Cruces) in May includes Sevillanas dancing and street bars and the Town Fair (Feria) – also in May - is a huge open air fun fair with Sevillanas dancing which lasts a whole week. The festival of the “patios” (courtyards) is when traditional houses in the old quarter open their doors to the public and show off their impressive collections of flowers.

Córdoba is a small city and you can generally get around everywhere on foot. The cost of living is still quite low compared with big Spanish cities. For a small city, there is a wide variety of shops and there are very good sports facilities for anyone interested in keeping fit.
There are interesting villages around Córdoba to visit and beautiful spots in the countryside in the nearby sierra (mountain area), some of which are only twenty minutes away by car.    
If you want to get away at weekends, Córdoba is very well connected by the AVE High Speed Train to Seville (25 mins) and Madrid (under 2 hours).

More information about Córdoba

You can find lots more information about Córdoba in English (translated by the school!) on the Córdoba Tourist Board website:  http://english.turismodecordoba.org/index2.cfm and at the following sites:

http://www.andalucia.org.

http://www.cordoba.es (Local Council website in Spanish only).

http://tienda.andalucia.org (Pamphlet you can download with general information about Córdoba in English).

You could also read John Haycraft’s books on his experiences in Córdoba. The most detailed being "Babel in Spain", the other being "Adventures of a Language Traveller".