Finding Rondo

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We left Seville with only one wrong turn - it seems to take the Garmin a few minutes to orient to the area and get the distances correct for the next turn - can't always blame Ross. Ride to Arcos de La Frontera was smooth 120 kmph on divided highway. On the outskirts of Arcos we headed to the centro since I wanted to buy fruit and get a nice coffee. (Cynthia I don't know how you drove through this town with 2 kids as well without showing total panic). Again the streets were a narrowing maze to trap us and the problem this time was they seemed to go up and up and it's so hard to inch through alleyways and around parked cars (why do they park when an alley is already only one lane) with a gearshift. Going up one tiny road we met a car careeming down toward us - this was a 2 way!!!! It just meant that one of us backed up until the other could pass - we backed up - the other driver just waved us back. Seemed like an everyday occurrence to him. As you pick your way through these streets you never know what's around the next sharp turn. We never did find the Moorish castle although it could clearly be seen on the skyline and we missed the main town square. Getting out of the town seemed to be the priority. We should have just parked and walked. I've never seen Ross sweat like this unless it was sports related. This drive we were doing is called the White Pueblos drive and it is scenic with so many wow spots. I was snapping photos continuously.

All the photos in the blog are from my tablet so I hope the quality is good enough to give you an idea of the places we've seen. I'll try an album site with camera photos when I get home.

Next white town we tried for a supermarket again and after a couple of times around it we found the market, parked and got a shopping bag but the place was closed - didn't open until 4. It was only 2. Back to the route. After a 3rd white town we gave up on the fresh fruit idea and started eating the almonds and dried bread sticks from the day before. Now we just took photos of the towns as we went by. In Grazalema we had to go through the town and there was a free car park right near the centro! Began to sprinkle then pour. Went in to a cheese shop and bought some papagoya cheese mmmmm and some jambon. Outside it was really coming down so we ran into a tea shop (actually I ran in - Ross was quite happy to head straight to the car but he did follow me in). I am always reluctant to order tea in a restaurant but it was cheap and they had a tea menu so there was hope. This must have been the best restaurant tea ever. Perfect cup of Darjeeling made with tea leaves not bags. So good in fact that Ross had a cup and he never drinks hot drinks except cocoa occasionally. Relaxing time.

Not for long. Up around some mountains now with spectacular views but it seems to be a single lane road with a caution to watch for cyclists (I only know 2 nuts who would try this). It's not a single lane - proven when we came around a corner. I left out the part about the edge drop off on my side of the car. They do have cement blocks not quite as solid or tall as we are used to - in fact these seem to me to help you propel over the cliff. Also I wondered about the new pure white ones every so often - did something happen there? While up in these mini mountains it began to downpour just as I had made Ross stop for a photo. The result was that when I got in the car it steamed up so badly we couldn't see out and we were going downhill around switchbacks. Panic - no cloth to wipe windows- undo the belt and reach over and keep wiping while the defrost is going full blast. Rain stopped after a very long 15 minutes. An hour later we are at our destination. Ross wanted to use a Ricky recommendation so I didn't book online. Wonderful we get our bags in the front door, warmly welcomed into a little receiving room where we sign in. Biggest cost yet! Turns out it's a 4 star - we have a window that looks out onto a tree not a wall. And space - you can move around the bed - in fact there's a chair and a sitting area and a window bench. I could stay here for days! San Gabriel Hotel if you ever get to Rondo. Hemingway and a few other stars have stayed here as well as Ross and I. Did a self-guided walking tour, then hit the main street for the locals' nightly stroll, good tapas and Tio Pepe. What a wonderful evening.

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