Ronda

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[vimeo=15712622]

Today the plan was to take a scenic drive through the Sierra del Pinar mountains to the town of Grazalema and then continue on to visit Ronda. Our English host actually lives in Ronda, so she gave us some advice on how to park and where to eat, and sent us off with a jaunty wave and a friendly warning, "I hope you're not afraid of heights..."

Which I'm not. What I am afraid of is being in a car that's barreling around a blind curve on a road that's not wide enough for two cars. With no shoulder. On the edge of a cliff. (That's the whole "heights" part.) The road was reminiscent of the famous/infamous Road to Hana, only to add to my stress, I wasn't looking forward to testing the theory that you have rental car insurance if you book with a credit card. Kevin finally suggested that I just close my eyes because apparently my screaming was freaking him out, so I reclined my seat back and squeezed my eyes shut. I'm relaxed... I'm relaxed... I feel the car jerk to the right and he says "Ooh, good thing you didn't see that one..." Thanks honey.

We finally made it out of the mountains and onto a highway, rejoicing in the fact that there were lines on the road. Our trusty GPS led us directly to Ronda, and thus began our introduction to "Driving in Spain 101".

Lesson #1: Don't.

There's just something about these medieval Spanish towns that says "Um, I was built for horses, dummy..." The roads were barely wide enough to fit one car (though most of them were thankfully one-way)... yet people still park along the side of the road, halfway up on the sidewalk. We circled cluelessly around the one-way streets as the GPS kept helpfully chirping "Re-calculating..." We finally made it to the other end of town where our host told us to park, and my hopes fell when I saw the sign, "Completo". FULL. The car in front of us, who also was hoping to park there, stopped and a woman ran out and then ran back to the car. Kevin, in a stroke of genius, said "She talked to the parking attendant, I'm going to follow her." Just as he thought, she led us right to salvation... the underground parking lot.

After that, the day got measurably better. Our first stop was the bullring and the bullfighting museum. There was no way I was going to see an actual bullfight, but even the thought of my 7 euros going to support the arena and museum of this barbaric sport did not sit well with me. But, Kevin wanted to see it for the architectural value, which I have to admit was quite impressive. The Ronda bullring is one of the oldest is Spain, opened in 1785, and is considered one of the most monumental buildings in the country with 168 columns forming 68 arches around its circular interior.

After the bullring, we wandered the streets lined with shops and restaurants to a park called Alameda that had stunning views of the countryside. The park had a large patio that jutted out over the gorge... we stood there taking it all in and listened to the music of a harp/guitar duet playing in the gazebo.

For lunch, we chose a restaurant that had patio dining with more amazing countryside views through an elegant wrought-iron fence. We drank our wine and just relaxed for a while, listening to the sounds of a street musician playing Spanish guitar. An adorable black kitten made his rounds through the tables, quietly staring at each diner in turn, willing them to drop just one morsel.

After lunch, we visited the Mondragon Palace, a building that hails from Moorish times, constructed in 1314. It has undergone many renovations since then, including renovations by the the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella when they lived there during the 1490s. From there, we headed over to a free flamenco performance, and then hiked down into the Rio Guadalevin gorge to see the famous views of the "New Bridge", which is actually over 200 years old. (But it's new compared to the "Old Bridge" built in the 1600s and the even older Roman Bridge.)

Having done all the sightseeing we came to do, we decided to head back to Zahara for dinner, so we got in the car and braved the streets once again with a unanimous vote to... take the highway this time.

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Photos

Matador Outfit
Only a man truly confident in himself could wear this

Mondragon Palace
Another awesome Kevin photo