Spain, Andalusia, Cordoba: At the Jardin Botánico there is an explosion of colour, of plants and flowers I had never seen before. Here adjacent to the pools which fed fountains and streams, Koi Carp lazily swam, eating the algae and cleansing the water as they went along. And immediately alongside the River Guadalqivir provided its own natural reserve of birdlife, reeds and aromas.