Sunday 16th September 2018
Unfortunately, neither of us had a good night’s sleep, Dave had been coughing and I had a cold. Many people seemed to noisily pass by the hotel last night, perhaps because it was a Saturday evening. We also heard quite a bit of traffic down the narrow cobbled street and a couple of very noisy road sweeping vehicles in the small hours. The light directly outside our window seemed to be shining brighter too!
The alarm rang at 7.30am and I suggested we had breakfast and leave as early as possible to hopefully find a pharmacy en route to the bus station.
Dave double checked our bus tickets for the journey to Ronda and realised that the pleasant guy who issued the tickets had dated them for the 15th which was yesterday not the 16th as we requested!
Immediately after breakfast we set off to get the tram to the station. We were hoping that we could change the tickets and of course that there would be seats on the bus!
It was a Sunday and the streets were deserted, all the shops and even the small kiosks were closed.
When we arrived at the station, we went to the Damas Bus kiosk hoping that the friendly guy would be on duty. Unfortunately he was not there and the ‘not so friendly’ lady informed us that there was nothing she could do, she could not change the tickets and we would have to purchase new ones.
Well, that will teach us a lesson! We must check all tickets when they are handed to us! Luckily, there are available seats on the bus.
The two hour journey took us through some lovely scenery. As we neared our destination it became more craggy and mountainous.
Our hotel ‘Hermanos Macias’ is also a bar and a restaurant. It is situated in a small narrow street in Ronda’s ‘New Town’. It’s quaint, we like it! The room’s window which has a wooden shutter looks out into an internal courtyard. Although the room is small it is perfectly adequate.
After quickly unpacking, we headed downstairs and the guy who had checked us in offered us a map and then started to draw on it. He mimed that he had marked where the best views were and also a footpath for us to take. He also pointed to my small backpack and mimed again, this we understood as a warning to be extra careful in crowded areas with our belongings.
Once again we noticed the lack of English spoken in such a popular destination but we were fine and we had fun working things out or attempting to!
We walked to the New Bridge-Puente Nuevo which straddles the El Tajo Gorge almost 100 metre below. Continuing we saw the Old Bridge and the Arab Bridge. Wow, such spectacular views into the El Tajo Gorge and of the bridges themselves.
We stood at the observation points and gazed at the stunning scenery with its majestic mountain backdrop. A placard informed us of the names of each mountain.
Following the map we came to the ‘Ernest Hemmingway Paseo’ and immediately spotted the small seemingly unsupported balconies known locally as ‘Coños’. This word apparently translates to an expletive that many people feel like yelling when they first step on the precariously placed balconies and see the drop below!
It is a Sunday and the small picturesque town is crowded. We assume however, that many of the people here are day trippers.
Having done quite a bit of exploring and unfortunately neither of us feeling 100% (we never did find a chemist!) we decided to return to the hotel for an hour or so.
A while later and feeling better for our rest we set off again. The town’s bullring, one of the most renowned in Spain is situated just a few steps from our hotel. The white and ochre building which was constructed in the 18th century has a capacity for 5000 spectators.
Enjoying the surrounding spectacular scenery we sauntered along the pathway with the ‘Coños’ viewpoints.
Consulting our map again we went into Moorish Quarter to locate the starting point for the walk that we plan to do tomorrow. After doing so, it was time for a drink.
And of course it had to be somewhere with a view, I had spotted just the place earlier today. The restaurant cum bar had terraces which ran alongside the new bridge and overlooked the old bridge.
Dave ordered a beer and I asked for a G & T which was served in what looked like a small goldfish bowl complete with a stem! Perfect!
It was very relaxing sitting there enjoying the awesome views. It was nearing dusk and flocks of birds were enjoying their last flight before darkness.
The streets and squares of scenic Ronda were fairly quiet; the day trippers and their guides had left. Quite a few restaurants that had been open at lunchtime were now closed. Perhaps there is not enough business at this time of year to warrant them remaining open.
For our evening meal, we chose an Italian restaurant in a large square lined with impressive buildings. Loud music was coming from a room above a neighbouring pizzeria where a private celebration was taking place.
After walking back through Ronda’s streets to our hotel we sat in its traditional bar. One of its walls is decorated with photographs. There are shots of the local scenery and portraits of people and also some framed newspaper cuttings. A large photograph of the town’s famed bullring takes pride of place above the bar.
We sat at the bar, just the two of us. We ordered a couple of brandies and sat sipping them while listening to ‘Hotel California’ and other such classics in the background.
An older chap strolled in and also sat at the bar, he ordered a sherry which the barman decanted from a wooden cask and served in a traditional schooner. It is an interesting bar!
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