Europe 2012 - England/Spain Part 17 - Help Me Ronda, Help Help Me Ronda

This is our last full day at the rental and our plans are to go to the town of Ronda, another well preserved town from the Moorish era with a spectacular setting.  We said goodbye to the Steve, Lady Di, A and Aa group as they are going back from Madrid on Saturday morning and have to drive back today. 

The rest of people in our group have been to Ronda but like it so much and feel there are more things to see that they are going again. In spite of the caravanning experience of Wednesday and the lack of ability to coordinate in Cordoba, we are going to meet up with Cabinet Lady and Dr. Deb for lunch.  And has fate would have it because the town is so small we are bumping into the other four all during the day.

We (our family grouping) were the last group to leave the rental and as we were going down the steep driveway we ran into another car coming up.  This caused much anguish of trying to work our way so they could pass.  Then we were anxious because we didn’t know why any one would be going up to the place and we were leaving it unlocked because we had so many people coming and going and there were only a couple of keys.  If it were the owners we were afraid they’d lock it up and we couldn’t get in.  So after getting all the way down, we decided to go back and check it out.  Everything was fine.  There is a second house up there and we think that was where they were going.

So we arrive until almost the lunch hour meeting time.  3.1 has developed the pattern of avoiding falling asleep in the car until just minutes before we arrive at a destination at which time nothing can wake her – except taking her out of the car.  This has caused all kinds of nap disruption.  So #3 said she would stay in the car after it was parked while the rest of us started to explore.

Ronda is built on a hill as so many early cities were for defensive purposes.  There is a steep gorge with a river flowing on its northern side that separates it from a plateau and high cliffs on the southern side that protect most of it from the plains with one area where there is a reasonable slope up.  Most tourists approach Ronda from the north, going over the new bridge (18^th century) from the new town to the old town.  You can also enter from the south I found out later.  The walls of the city are pretty much intact.  The gorge itself is very scenic and there are multiple sets of ruins including a palace where you can walk down through the mountain to the water level where there is an original well for the palace.  Also down at the lower levels but outside the mountain are remains of the baths and the old bridge that was existing during the Moorish period and may even date back to Roman times (who also had a city at this site).  We ran into Cabinet Lady and Dr. Deb who were having a coffee in a square and we decided to make that our rendezvous point.  Wife went back to the car to tell #3 while 3A and I went to the new bridge to check it out. 

 Shots from and of the New Bridge

WE had our nice lunch in a lovely outdoor cafe.  The weather has been spectacular and we've eaten outside a lot.

 Enjoying eating outside

Croquettas - Not as good as Wife's!  Mostly potato

Mixed Vegetable Paella

Tortilla - Potato bound by eggs.

Revuelta - a dish made with scrambled eggs and stuff, in this case fries and blood pudding.  It was pretty good.

Three lovely ladies enjoying lunch conversation

Two of three lovely ladies paying attention to my request to look at the camera.

"Get with the program Munchkin! "

After our lunch (where I had a second non-comprehension additional course addition of a lamb shoulder when I thought we were just getting starters for us to share), I had the idea that I wanted to climb down and circumnavigate the old town.  According to the map this was possible.  Ronda was on the “Great Tour” of the 18^th and 19^th centuries when the wealthy and romantic would travel to the famous Classic and Moorish sites of Europe.  A picture of the town painted by one in 1823 graced one of the information boards we saw on our way to the bridge.  3A and Wife agreed to take 3.1 so #3 could join me.  The climb down was a bit steeper than we expected.  No One Helluva A Lot Steeper than we expected.  But we made it down fine.  Then as we made our way around we discovered we were at the absolutely lowest point compared to getting back up.  So the majority of our circumnavigation was uphill.  Still it was a good workout and it was neat to get a feel for how it must have felt to approach the city if you were an attacker!

The Circumnavigation in Pictures

Looking out as we are on our way down

Two views of the New Bridge after we were down

We came down from a place just to the right of the upper right corner

I'm not sure why I took this except that I thought it looked neat

Starting our way around the wall

We're at the south side starting north again and we got a view of the newer part of town

While the walls continued on our left

We had hoped to go into the Baths but they were closed because it was a holiday, Spain Day.  Fits in with the rest of our trip.

Looking at the New Bridge from the Old Bridge opposite from where we went down

Final climb back into town

And a final look at the New Bridge as we reach town level again

(And if you look just to the right of the bridge and down a little you will see the outdoor cafe where 3A and I had coffee while waiting for Wife, 3A, and 3.1.  Actually they had gone down to the old bridge and via cell phone contact were able to see each other.)

That night RSM whipped up a meal using most of our leftovers.  We did a pretty good job of managing our food purchasing and not a lot was left.  Even though we all had to pack, everyone was reluctant to go to bed as this was our last night together