We really enjoyed Granada, but this morning it was off to Ronda. Ronda was not originally on our list of stops, but my sister, Margaret, said that it was worth a visit, so we added it to the list.
The journey continued through fields of olive trees almost all the way to Granada, and despite being high in elevation, the outside temperatures reached 33 degrees. The train was modern and very comfortable, but we are definitely in an area less travelled as the stops were in very small places, and we had to wait for passing trains several times. Speed was also somewhat lower than on the main lines. But we arrived in a Ronda on time at 3:45 pm and while all the locals were napping, we trudged the kilometre or so to the hotel in the heat.
Ronda is a town of about 38,000 people, 62 km west of Malaga, and is Andalucia's fastest growing tourist destination (hence all the bus loads of English speaking people in the streets in the afternoon). People have been living in Ronda sine the 5th century BC, and was a city under the Romans. It was taken over by the Arabs in 713, and by the Christians in 1485.
The most striking feature of Ronda is El Tajo, the 100+ metre deep canyon which separates the two parts of town and is spanned by the "new bridge" built in 1793. The canyon is not wide, but it certainly is deep.
We did an initial wander through town, and whilst getting some shade in a small plaza, an orange fell from one of the many orange trees in the plaza. Randy took this as a sign from above, peeled it, and not being able to get me to eat the "forbidden fruit", took a bite. The photo below tells how much he enjoyed it. Most of the oranges grown in Spain are Seville oranges which are used for making marmalade, so not too sweet.
Towards dusk we walked up the Calle Espinel, a long car-free street with lots of shops, cafes, etc. we stopped for tapas and a drink before exploring further.
After dark we went back to the new bridge for some night time views.
We only have one full day in Ronda, so tomorrow will be a busy one.
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