Ronda, Spain, Wed, 10/20/21

Cruising as we have been in southern Spain, we're now in Ronda -- a town with a rich cultural, historic and literary tradition.  It's also famous for bullfighting.  (The town was witness to the horrors inflicted on civilians during the Spanish Civil War and is believed to be the setting for several Ernest Hemingway's works.)  Today, our field trip will take us on foot through the charming old town to the spectacular "Puente Nuevo" -- the new bridge, spanning a 300+ foot gorge, carved out by the Guadalevín River.

Beginning our walk at the lovely Alameda del Tajo, loosely translated as the avenue overlooking the gorge.

Heading for the New Bridge.

This is a very old city, with prehistoric settlements from the neolithic age, through the Celts, Romans, Visigoths, Berbers, Moors, and probably others.  All leaving an imprint of one kind or another, I'm sure.

I don't have a professional camera, tho I do have a new one, but still, it hates bright vs dark.  Beneath the arch is a deep canyon.

The walk toward the bridge, along the canyon, was so picturesque.  Lots of steps and lots of stairs, but no matter.  The view was worth it.

Of a sudden, a flock of pigeons rose from their hiding places in the canyon walls.  Mostly that's the only bird I'm seeing on this trip.  Pigeons and doves.

Ibby leads the way down, down, down.

My first glimpse of the New Bridge (Puente Nuevo).  The word "new" is kind of a misnomer, as the building of this bridge commenced in 1751 and took until 1793 to complete!  It's the most famous of Ronda's three bridges.

Ibby beat us to the bridge.  This is tallest of the bridges, towering 390 ft above the canyon floor.  The group would soon be heading up the winding walkway to his right, which was very slick.  These cobblestones and the uneven terrain can be treacherous.

This road (I guess the path could be called a road) led to the Arab Baths.

Partially intact, "Baños Arabes" are found below the city, and date back to the 13th and 14th centuries. Today we could see all the facilities available for its time. They're the best preserved Arabic baths.

Ingenious water system for the baths (three rooms:  cold, tepid, and hot, as well as rooms for other needs and just relaxing.

Taking a rest in front of the Convent of St Isabel ...

... which we entered just to take a picture.

Ronda seemed to be a very clean city (population roughly 35,000), and here above you see why.  A street sweeper with his man-made brooms.

The views were pretty amazing.

Ronda is home to a beautiful bullring, still in use. Dating from 1785, this elegant, neo-classical structure is Spain’s oldest "plaza de toros."

And here we are inside the bullring.

(haha, couldn't find our way out!)

View from our hotel patio!

Really nice hotel.  Hi, Jimmy!

After dinner, we were treated to an-hour long terrific flamenco guitar concert by Celia Morales.  She had everyone spellbound with her playing.

Finally, we closed out our day (over 11,000 steps again) with a fantastico sunset.  Terrific day.  But we were tired and ready for bed early.  Mañana, we head out again, for Granada, and the Alhambra.