Day Trip to Ronda....

We took an early bus ride to Ronda, a small little town, located in the area known as the "White Hill Towns" It is located right on top of a gorge that a bridge spans across with spectacular views all around. This was also a Moorish town before the Spaniards took over in 1485, and it is best known for the oldest bullfighting ring, its back streets with the beautiful balconies, flowerpots, and views. We were able to get into out hotel right away, which was an old Andalucian house.... which was pretty cool! Our first stop was the bullfighting ring. It is the birthplace for Modern bullfighting, and the first and oldest great Spanish bullring (built in 1784). We were able to explore the bullring, see the stables, and there was also a museum. Before we entered the ring, there is a chapel, where every matador would stop and pray to Mary for safety and hope to see her again. The museum had many of the saddles worn in the 18th century, along with posters and costumes. It is pretty amazing that such a sport still lives today in Spain. We then walked along the bridge that goes along this gorge... talk about being afraid of heights! Haha! But some beautiful pictures of the houses and restaurants that are right along the edge, and then on the other side of the bridge is the beautiful country sides with little cottages along the way. This town was so charming....I can't even describe it. I read that the town only has a population less then 30,000 and nearly 70,000 tourists come to stop by a day! It was definitely true! The streets were crowded with people. And the small cobblestone roads are so narrow, I don't know how the cars squeeze through! And most of the tourists seemed to be from Europe (Italy, Germany, France) because I heard barely any English spoken if any.... Once we walked around we made our way though the area called "Old Town" Every street had shops with lots of things to buy... Ronda is known for their ceramics, and every cafe was filled with people either enjoying a "cafe con leche" or a delicious scoop of ice cream..... especially in the nearly 80 degree weather..... I absolutely loved it. We explored a little through town, stopping here and there at various churches or plazas. The houses have the most beautiful patios, just filled with colorful flowers that really look great against the white houses. There is also a Moorish Palace right along the cliff built in the 14th century. It is quite interesting in a lot of these towns in this region of Spain, there are many buildings from the when the Moors were here, and then you have a lot of buildings that were built after when the Spaniards and Catholics took over... either buildings right next to it or right on top of the old Muslim buildings. Such as the "Church of the Holy Spirit" This church was created by the Catholics on top of an old mosque to commemorate the day when the city was taken over in the late 15th and early 16th century. It was so beautiful inside, and we were able to climb up to the bell tower and overlook the city. At sunset we then walked to a famous lookout point, and sat enjoyed all the people around, the music, the of course the beautiful view and sunset....it was a great way to end the day! Of course by then I was starving and dinner doesn't start until after 9pm... so we actually stopped by a place and got a pizza and salad! I know not Spanish at all...but it was fabulous....and I must say.... the BEST sangria EVER! My mom and I drank our pitcher in no time ! It was truly a beautiful day...I am definitely thankful for it!Next top....train to Cordoba for a couple of days....