All change!
Today we moved from Nerja to Ronda – two bus journeys: Nerja to Malaga, then Malaga to Ronda, and a huge change in scenery and temperature. We woke to blue skies in Nerja and, although a little chilly as we headed out of our apartment at 9 am, it was warm in the sunshine, and by the time we arrived in Malaga and had a coffee between busses, we were once again basking in the sunshine. We then headed about 100 km north-east to Ronda, enjoying the scenery of the mountains on our two hour bus journey, and we’ve enjoyed everything about the town, except for the temperature – es un poco frio (a bit cold!) The long trousers have been on, along with fleeces, gillets and snoods! It was about 12 degrees when we arrived mid afternoon, and had fallen to about 9 degrees once the sun had set and we sat outside to dine! (It must be said, however, the food was fantastic – the best of the trip – and we were sat by an outdoor heater)
But it has been worth the low temperatures – Ronda is fantastic. You come for the bridge – the iconic new bridge , completed in 1793 – but for me it has been the breathtaking scenery of the Sierra de las Nieves national park that can be seen from this cliff top town that has been the highlight.
We crossed the new bridge, and then walked the path down from the town so you could look back up at the bridge, and then climbed our way back up the path – quite the ascent, we were shedding layers and reached the top in just our T-shirts! – before crossing back into the town via the old bridge and meandering our way along the most picturesque paths over looking the river gorge below.
We found a public park with a walk way that skirted the edge of the enormous rock formation on which Ronda sits and had our breath taken by the views across the plain to the distant mountains.
But that’s not all the city has to offer. It is the “birthplace” of modern bullfighting (to be fair, not something I’d personally be proud of) with a bullring we may explore tomorrow
and some street art we spotted as we drove in on the bus. We went back to find two of the pieces (at the bus station, where we got off the bus) and there are a few more we may seek out tomorrow.
Given that we’ve spent about 3 and a half hours on busses, we seem to have had a busy day, walked far and seen a lot. Ronda has impressed on many levels.