On Wednesday, November 21st, when we got up Anita opened our door to go to the lobby for the advertised coffee, cookies and fruit. She didn’t have to go far. Right outside our room was a little cart with coffee and hot milk in 2 thermoses, hunks of melon, apples, oranges and cookies. The Hotel Ronda has only 5 rooms and is run by 2 sisters. They think of everything. Plus, we’re less than 100 m from the New Bridge, the main site in town. We can have a filling breakfast without leaving our room and without any extra charge. We’re due for more fruit and vegetables after all the delicious but not exactly nutritious tapas we’ve been eating lately.
Once again, the rain stopped for awhile so we walked down to the “Old” or “Arab” bridge and crossed over to the terraces along the gorge that led back up to the New Bridge. We were able to get a few more pictures once the mist lifted a bit. It was still only 10 or 12C but at least there was no wind.
We came back across the New Bridge and went exploring through the old town. Ronda is a typical Andalusian “white town”. All the buildings are white with tiled roofs. The streets are narrow and often very steep. We stopped at a church we came upon near the south side of town and looked over the cliff wall at the farmland beyond. It’s very beautiful here, even in bad weather.
The rain picked up again as we walked back toward the gorge. We came across the “Museo Lara” which we had seen the day before. Since we wanted to be dry anyway, we paid 4 euros each and went in for an hour or so. The museum had an eclectic collection of artefacts from many eras and ended up being quite interesting. There were quite a few artefacts from the Spanish Inquisition.
Afterward, we crossed the bridge back to the new town to find a restaurant. Our umbrellas are proving to be very handy. Next trip I’ll be getting a new one. The shaft on my $10 Walmart umbrella came apart the day before, so I’ve now got it pinned together with a toothpick. It works but it’s not exactly stable.
Just by chance, we came upon the bar/restaurant Las Martirio which had a sign advertising the menu del dia for 8 euros. Anita went in and spoke to the waitress/owner and decided that’s where we should eat. Good decision. We had a typical Andalusian lunch with the usual 1st and 2nd courses, bread, beer or wine and flan with real whipped cream for dessert. Excellent meal. After we ate, we talked to the owner for awhile. Her attitude was that she believed that she would have a more successful business if she treats the tourists the same way she treats the locals and doesn’t try to overcharge. As soon as we got back to our room we wrote a glowing recommendation on TripAdvisor. We wish her well.
The opposite attitude is also present in Ronda. In Sevilla, I could buy a 500 ml Spanish beer for 1.10 euros. At a little shop near the bridge, it cost me 2 euros. Rip-off.
Because of the gorge and the cliffs, Ronda was a defensible position so it has a very long history, occupied by the Romans, the Moors and the Christians. Despite the bad weather, it’s been a fascinating place to visit.
Once again, the rain stopped for awhile so we walked down to the “Old” or “Arab” bridge and crossed over to the terraces along the gorge that led back up to the New Bridge. We were able to get a few more pictures once the mist lifted a bit. It was still only 10 or 12C but at least there was no wind.
We came back across the New Bridge and went exploring through the old town. Ronda is a typical Andalusian “white town”. All the buildings are white with tiled roofs. The streets are narrow and often very steep. We stopped at a church we came upon near the south side of town and looked over the cliff wall at the farmland beyond. It’s very beautiful here, even in bad weather.
The rain picked up again as we walked back toward the gorge. We came across the “Museo Lara” which we had seen the day before. Since we wanted to be dry anyway, we paid 4 euros each and went in for an hour or so. The museum had an eclectic collection of artefacts from many eras and ended up being quite interesting. There were quite a few artefacts from the Spanish Inquisition.
Afterward, we crossed the bridge back to the new town to find a restaurant. Our umbrellas are proving to be very handy. Next trip I’ll be getting a new one. The shaft on my $10 Walmart umbrella came apart the day before, so I’ve now got it pinned together with a toothpick. It works but it’s not exactly stable.
Just by chance, we came upon the bar/restaurant Las Martirio which had a sign advertising the menu del dia for 8 euros. Anita went in and spoke to the waitress/owner and decided that’s where we should eat. Good decision. We had a typical Andalusian lunch with the usual 1st and 2nd courses, bread, beer or wine and flan with real whipped cream for dessert. Excellent meal. After we ate, we talked to the owner for awhile. Her attitude was that she believed that she would have a more successful business if she treats the tourists the same way she treats the locals and doesn’t try to overcharge. As soon as we got back to our room we wrote a glowing recommendation on TripAdvisor. We wish her well.
The opposite attitude is also present in Ronda. In Sevilla, I could buy a 500 ml Spanish beer for 1.10 euros. At a little shop near the bridge, it cost me 2 euros. Rip-off.
Because of the gorge and the cliffs, Ronda was a defensible position so it has a very long history, occupied by the Romans, the Moors and the Christians. Despite the bad weather, it’s been a fascinating place to visit.
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