10 November 2022 - Ronda

Miles driven today = 0

Total Miles to date = 3,058

Due to its unique natural defences, Ronda has been inhabited since at least the 6th Century BC when the Celts were here and called the place Arunda.  They were followed by the Phonecians, the Romans, and the Berbers amongst others and it became a hotbed of Muslim resistence against the Christian re-conquest of Spain in the 15th and 16th centuries.

As I mentioned yesterday the old town is protected on 3 sides by sheer cliffs of up to 130 metres.  The fourth side had impressively fortified walls, much of which have been restored in recent years to their original grandeur.  We walked downhill from the campsite and entered via the Carlos V Gate to the South of the town with the pillars of the 13th Century Puerta de Almocabar to the right.

Looking along the renovated walls we could see the newer parts of Ronda which have developed to the north of the old town.

Just inside the gates is the Church of the Holy Spirit.

We came to the Plaza Duquesa de Parcent which is the main central square of the old town.  On one side is the imposing church of Santa Maria la Mayor.

On the other 3 sides the Plaza is surrounded by Saint Isabel's convent, another church and the Ayuntamiento town hall buildings shown here.

Ronda is most famous for the Puente Nuevo.  A phenominal piece of architecture which spans the 130 metre chasm and joins the original settlement to the newer parts of the town.  Although it is called the "New Bridge" it was actually completed in 1793.  This is the bridge viewed from the Paseo de Kazunori Yamahuchi on the west side.

And this is the view from the bridge looking back the other way.

Similarly here is the bridge viewed from the Mirador De Cuenca to the east.

And again the view looking east from the parapets of the bridge itself.

There are two previous bridges built much further down the ravine.  This is the 16th Century Puente Viejo or "Old Bridge".

There are a number of "mirador" viewpoints dotted around the town giving breathtaking views across the surrounding countryside.  This balcony hangs out precariously above the precipice.

And this is the view from said balcony.  Absolutely stunning!

The bullring is one of the oldest in Spain, built in the 18th century.  Both Ernest Hemingway and Oscar Wilde were regular patrons here.

Apart from food and drink, we haven't bought ourselves a single souvenir on this trip thus far.  In a side street near the bridge we found a gallery which specialised in metal plate etchings of local scenes and traditions.  Under an eyeglass they showed us the minute detail involved and how that is then transfered to the final printed version.  So we treated ourselves and bought a small print of the Puente Nuevo, created and produced just a few metres away from the bridge itself.

Here's an example of some of the wonderful cobbled streets which are to be found in abundance all over Ronda.

Imagine waking up every morning to views like that across the rooftops.

This is the "House of The Moorish King".  The house, gardens and terraces are all open to the public and it also has what is reckoned to be one of the best surviving examples of a "Water Mine", which was used to bring water all the way up from the river 130 metres below.  There is a stone staircase hewn into the rock which allows you to descend to see how this was done, but although I was interested in the process I wasn't 130 metres of climbing up and down stairs worth of interested so we moved on.

A little further on is the Palacio de Salvatierra, which isn't open to the public because the Salvatierra family still own and live in it.

We made our way to the Plaza del Socorro where one of the resaturants is famous for the oversized tomatoes which the family grow on their own farm.  

We plonked ourselves down at a tapas bar just round the corner.  We ordered 8 plates which was way too much, again!  A stupid amount of food with beers and wine for a little over €30.  As a penance we forced ourselves to walk back up the hill to the van rather than get a taxi.

We've seen some amazing places on this trip and I really can't say that I have a favourite but Ronda has to be close to the top of the pile.  We are torn at the moment whether to move back to the coast tomorrow or to get the bikes out and explore the countryside around here for another day before we move on.  A decision will be made at some point before we haul our carcasses out of bed tomorrow morning.

11 November 2022 - Just hanging around