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Trip Start Dec 12, 2008 Previous
Entry Trip End Jan 10, 2009

  Ronda, Spain
Thursday, January 8, 2009

Woke up in my lovely little room right in the middle of the old town of Arcos de la Frontera and climbed up to the rooftop terrace. This must be the only house up here where you can see in all 4 directions. It looked quite bright in the east and cloudy from the southwest, so I decided to go east. Ronda would be a good destination in that direction, a town where I was as a little innocent 16-year-old, on almost my first solo trip without Mom and Dad, and where I fell in love with a very beautiful Spanish girl. Ronda was also the town where years later during another visit my car was broken into and every single thing of value stolen. At that time, Spain was a country of thieves. But that was long ago. So the decision was made, and after breakfast I walked about a mile down to the bus station, and sure enough, the first bus that came along was heading to Ronda. I took this as an encouraging sign for good things to come.

The bus ride took only an hour and a half and it lead me through a beautiful land with white villages on hilltops or hidden under cliffs and it would sure be a great place to come back and explore more. Once in Ronda, I found a lovely small hotel, freshly painted inside out and, most importantly, with a good heater. The temperature outside was definitely in the low single-digits and I went back to my room once in a while to warm up. Only the Spaniards didn't seem to mind, at least the main street was packed as usually and even long after darkness fell.

Ronda is really a spectacular place. It sits high on a cliff that must be at least 200 meters high. The houses are built right up to the edge and there are a few viewpoints that really are not for the faint-hearted, as the balconies are even out there in the open space. A blind man walked there with his wife, the typical white stick in his hand, checking the pavement for obstacles. Not a bad idea in this area, just in case. At the edge, he pulled out his camera and took a picture. So amazing it is! Oh, wait a minute...

The owner of the hotel recommended me a great restaurant just across the street, with home-cooked food, and he sure didn't promise too much. I had my new favourite dish, Fideos con Mariscos, something like paella but with noodles instead of rice and as a soup. Then a wonderfully tender stewed oxtail. The restaurant is only a few metres from the bullfight arena, so it must have been a fresh one. Even the veggies were lovely. A Tiramisu rounded it off nicely and I was well prepared for a few more hours walking around town braving the cold. The sunset was nothing less than spectacular, with the sun breaking through a lot of clouds. Marvellous.

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