We left Malaga behind in sunshine and headed along the Costa del Sol to Marbella. We took the “slow bus” so we could see a bit of the coast. A bit is all you can see really, it is wall to wall concrete from Malaga to Marbella with huge cranes none of which seem to be working. As we passed through the resort towns of Torremolinos and Fuengirola we saw many tourists in short sleeves basking in the sun. We were a bit jealous and not too optimistic that we would soon be sharing the warmth. We were heading to Ronda, one of the white towns high in the mountains cooler and dryer than the coast. Well, at least we hoped it would be dryer!
Since it can be easily reached from the coast Ronda is a popular excursion for visitors from the Costa del Sol. During the day it fills up with tourists bit by late afternoon the streets are empty.
Then in the early evening the main street suddenly fills up with people. Young people pushing baby carriages, old people with canes walking arm in arm with their children...entire families and many small dogs come out to promenade. The children run about playing with each other and the adults call out greetings as if they hadn't seen each other in months yet the whole thing is repeated every night. It is the main source of entertainment in this town.
Ronda is situated on both sides of the El Tajo gorge carved out of rock by the Guadalevin River. On the south side is the old Muslim town, La Ciudad. To the south the newer town that sprang up when it came back into Christian hands in 1485. There are three bridges joining the town built during different periods.
Puenta Romano (Roman bridge but may not have been built by Romans), the smallest and oldest of the new bridges. You have to walk quite far down to see this one as it is the lowest.
The middle bridge is the Puenta Viejo (Old Bridge) or Arab Bridge. In this photo you can see the Roman bridge through the Old Bridge.
The Puenta Nuevo ( New Bridge) was built around 1750 on the foundation of one that had been built in 1735 but fell down six years later. It is one of the most photographed things in Spain.
Note that Bob must be standing on a step!
We only planned on two days in Ronda but that got extended to three because Bob got sick with a stomach virus and spent all Saturday in bed. Poor Bob! He had been looking forward to Ronda.
On Sunday morning we climbed down into the gorge, not an easy feat when you are recovering from a nasty bug. Bob was a trooper and although it was a struggle, made it backup. That was pretty much it for him for the day though! You can see he looks a bit peaked in the photo of the two of us in the gorge.
Our reward for the morning's exercise.... lunch in a cafe overlooking the El Tajo gorge. A beautiful spot to rest.
Professional bullfighting originated in Ronda which has the oldest bullring in Spain. There main Feria (Fair) celebrates the Romero family, the first bullfighters, not a Saint which is more typical in Spain.
I think this guy, looking pretty cool in the background dressed up as a picador, is supposed to be attracting tourists to the bull ring but he looks quite bored to me. I felt kind of sorry for the horse.
From this look off you can see the Serranos de Ronda, beautiful green hills where you can see many olive trees growing.
You have no idea until you walk away from it that there is nothing but air beneath your feet!
Bob managed to do a bit of site seeing and shopping in spite of being sick
Sunset is the most beautiful time of day in Ronda.
Bob looks pretty cool here too!
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