Day 6: Ronda

Today was the best yet!

Pilar and Luis decided to take me on a trip into the mountains to see a town called "Ronda". They told me about its rich history and the many American Greats that have lived there for brief periods, including Washington Irving, Orson Wells, and Ernest Hemingway.

FUN FACT #8: Orson Wells' ashes remain in Ronda to this day.

The drive to Ronda was a short hour or so- but on twisty and winding roads cut deep into the mountain sides. It was a wild ride, which we had to stop once as the kids got a little car sick... whoops.

As soon as we arrived, I understood the appeal.  The views of the mountains and olive fields were everywhere! Ronda itself was a mash of gorgeous white houses on either side of a large canyon with a number of bridges connecting them.

When we arrived, we took a quick tour of the local church: the Santa Maria la Mayor (The church of the Virgin Mary of the Incarnation) It was giant with huge vaulted ceilings, monstrous chandeliers, golden alters wooden sculptures, and giant wall paintings. In truth, the church was more of a museum, with all its artwork on display as well as a basement turned display area for old relics.

Following the church, we met up with los Abuelos and Pilar's brother and nephew. Abuelo explained a bit of Ronda's rich history to me as we walked to the New Bridge.

FUN FACT #9: Placed within the mountains, Ronda was in the ideal location for travelers. As a busy city throughout the years, it was also a prime hot spot for bandits. Conquered and reconquered by the Arabs throughout the centuries, it was taken back as a Christian city in 1485, but many Muslims continued to live there. After the Spanish Inquisition, many Muslims fleeing central Spain took refuge in Ronda, as it was on their way to the coast and possibly back to North Africa. In 1566, after a Muslim rebellion, Phillip II ordered the murder of all Arabs in the area, and that was the end of that.


We continued towards the New Bridge of Ronda.
FUN FACT #10: There are currently three bridges in Ronda; The Roman Bridge, The Old/Arab Bridge, and The New Bridge. Aptly named, it gives us a little perspective on when exactly these bridges were built. Each bridge is at a higher level of the canyon, called El Tajo.  What truly blew my mind to find out, as Abuelo told me while taking pictures off the bridge, is that although the "New Bridge" may appear to be recently built, it was actually constructed in 1751... Which when I come to think about it, is 25 years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It is truly humbling when I think about how young our country is, and yet how many great things we have accomplished in such a short time.


We continued on to a restaurant outside of the bull fighting arena that Luis insisted we go to. All of the men of the family say that whenever they are in Ronda, they HAVE to eat the local delicacy. In this case, it was the "Tail of the Bull." And no, I'm not bull shitting you. (pun intended.)

Truthfully, it was quite good! Once I got over eating around the tail bones, it really wasn't that bad! It kind of tasted like pulled pork. Really though, I actually enjoyed it.

Following the lunch, we went to the Plaza de toros de Ronda!

FUN FACT #11: Built in 1784, this is the oldest bullfighting ring in Spain!

It was pretty fun running around the arena with the kids. Underneath the bleachers was a museum dedicated to the history of bull fighting. The Romero family of Ronda supplied three generations of toreros here, and their history remains at this museum. Included next to the museum is a small chapel, which is still used for the matadors and their families to pray for themselves before the bull fights.

FUN FACT #12: The most famous Pedro Romero, fought 5,600 bulls without being injured before retiring in 1799. When he was 80, he fought and killed multiple bulls in a bull fighting ring in Madrid. Way to go out with style...

Standing inside the bridge arch

Anyways, after the Plaza del Toros, lost Abuelos, Uncle Feliz, Cousin Feliz, and our Lucas left to go back to Marbella. Myself, Pilar, Luis, Paloma, Marta, and Jaime stayed to see a few more sights. We paid to go down into the inside of the New Bridge which was pretty cool. When we returned to the top of the bridge, we walked towards a restaurant. The kids were tired, so Luis showed me to a path that would lead me underneath the bridge and into the canyon.

The New Bridge

"We will stay here for ice cream with the kids. Go explore!! Come back in about an hour?"

He didn't have to tell me twice.

So off I went to hike down El Tajo (the canyon of Ronda) to see the New Bridge and its waterfalls up close and personal.

well thats comforting...

It was 101°F, but I didn't mind a bit. I walked down the steep sandy track for about 10 minutes and continued under the bridge. In honesty, pictures have a hard time displaying how truly enormous this bridge is. No wonder it took them the better part of 40 years to build it.

The track I walked on underneath the New Bridge

The path I was on was not exactly wide- probably only 2 feet or so, with nothing but the rocks and a deeper canyon to catch my fall. I passed by an iron ladder that would lead me on top of a huge boulder. And, classic Dee, I just HAD to go up.

Keep in mind, I had my camera around my neck, my useless American phone which would never work here, and no companions with me. But I felt like I should try anyway. So I climbed up the ladder, only to find that at the top, I had to take hold of grass and use the foot holds carved out of the rock to pull me another 10 feet up the boulder face. Seeing as I was already a solid 20 feet above the ground, with nothing but a 2 foot wide track and a canyon below to catch me, I considered my options. Already hindered by my chunky camera, I looked at my shoes.

Although highly fashionable, my $13 TJMaxx sandals my Mom bought me were not exactly the apparel I would have had in mind for a climb such as this. With the full knowledge of the lack of tread, my inner Muriel (my grandmother) told me I should probably climb back down. In actuality, Grandma probably wouldn't have condoned me even attempting to climb up there in the first place, but I digress.

After I returned to the bottom, I walked back under the bridge to take some more pictures. I came across a very lovely couple taking pictures of each other in front of the bridge. Curious about whether or not they spoke English, I figured I could pantomime well enough to tell them I would be happy to take their picture for them. I took the chance, and they happened to be fluent in English! They were on vacation in Andalusia, originally hailing from Hungary. They even had the same camera as me, so it was easy as we took pictures of each other on our way down the mountain.

The view as I walked down below the bridge. I took this picture with my phone.

At one point, we came across a band of women taking photos of themselves. I kid you not, it was one of the most hilarious scenes ever. Three women took photos- one on a phone, one on an iPad, and one with a camera while a fourth held the purses. The woman posed with her hat on, with it off, scarf on, scarf off, looking at the camera, looking away... etc. After she finished, the Hungarians and I attempted to move to the ledge for our turn. BUT NO NO NO... Each single woman needed to have her turn. I almost cried from the absurdity of it all.

The aforementioned fashion show...

View from under the bridge

The Hungarian man looked at me and said, "I hate to break up the fashion show, but I've had enough of this crap," and grabbed his girlfriend and stepped straight into the picture. The women scattered like pigeons and we got our photos.


When we had finished, I said goodbye and wished them well as I trudged back up the hill. I met up with Pilar and Luis and the kids and we set off for home. I took a few pictures of the mountains on the way while the kids slept, and we were quickly back in Marbella as the sun set. It was a magnificent day.