Tuesday - To the Hills

Sorry for the late publication, but we packed quite a lot in yesterday and by the time the photos had downloaded it was too late to start writing the text.

The plan for the day was to take a bus trip up into the mountains to visit Ronda.  Ronda has a fascinating and extremely varied history, being ruled at various times by such notables as the Romans, Visigoths, Arabs and Christians.  A quick look on Wikipedia is recommended.

It is most well known for its bridges across the deep gorge around which it has developed, but there's much more to see than that and one day is definitely not enough.

The 09:30 to Ronda will arrive shortly

All started well. We managed to squeeze in a spot of breakfast before getting a taxi up to the bus station. Yes, I know we could have walked, but it's over a mile away and if we were to catch the 9:30, we would have had to miss breakfast which you may recall is not served till 8:30.

As it worked out we arrived at the bus station in plenty of time and had our tickets sorted with 20 minutes to spare.  9:30 came, and went, but no bus.  At 9:35 Eunice went to check what was happening and was told it would be here in a few minutes.   It seems that Spanish minutes are, however, a bit like Lucy minutes, as it was getting on for 10am before it actually arrived!

Still, the journey went well, with no more time lost.  The route climbs nearly 3500 feet up a narrow twisty road and the views are spectacular.  Arriving in Ronda we noticed this roof top nursery where the staff were encouraging the children to wave to the people on the bus.  It seemed the staff were enjoying the game much more than the kids.

In Ronda we found the tourist information office, got a map and a went for coffee while I worked out what we could pack in before our planned departure at 4:30pm.

The route started at the bull ring and immediately led us to the gorge.  Photos can't convey how spectacular this place is. I'll include some in the web album, but there are much better ones on the internet if you're interested.

There are many view points scattered around, this one proving quite popular.  It's only when you see it from a distance that you realise what you have been stood on.  I know there are more extreme platforms (Grand Canyon for example) but this was built by the Spanish, remember, so the danger element is much increased - I'm sure it was level when it was first built!





Moving on into the old town, one of the delights of not following a too rigid plan is coming across the unexpected. In this photo you might just be able to make out the old fella at the bottom. He was filling a bucket from this tap.  Now either he was on a water meter and was looking to save a bit of money, or more likely, these older houses still don't have running water.







After a wrong turn, we stumbled across the Jardin de Forestier y Mina Secrets.  The best description of the mine I've found its shown on the information sheet we were given on arrival, so I'll included a photo of that in the web album. The information sheet also included a history of the gardens, but it was difficult to reconcile what actually exists with the description. The gardens and mine reminded me very much of Lord Leverhulme's gardens at Rivington - a fantastic achievement in their day, but one you have to work quite hard to appreciate nowadays due to years of neglect.  Fascinating nonetheless.

Way down - all smiles

The 200 steps circular staircase down to the gorge floor proved quite a challenge, but not as much as the journey back up. 200 steps may not sound much of a challenge, but when the rise of each one is at least one and a half times the going, it makes it quite a stretch for little legs (Eunice's, not mine!).

It all proved worthwhile,though, as the views from the bottom were fantastic









On the way back, we came upon the old city walls, a good portion of which were fairly intact and accessible to all who were brave enough to tackle them (me but not Eunice) without the benefit of all the health and safety add-ons that would be required back home!











Our last port of call before a parting coffee was a house belonging to Eunice's patron saint Don Bosco.  Although he started out poor, he seems to have done alright for himself later in life.  The house backs on to the gorge and has fabulous views and and a very tasteful garden.
   



The bus left Rondo dead on time.  Now I've never really given it much thought, but to me, a bus driver is a bus driver, nothing more, nothing less.  All that changed yesterday.  When your driver gets into the cab and puts on his aviators AND his seat belt, you know you're in for something special.  I've mentioned above that the views on the way up were spectacular, and so they were on the way down.  But there was something else, something exhilarating, something, yes at times, terrifying.  This was not a bus ride, this was a ride around Monica on-board with Alonso, brushing the barrier, riding the kerbs with consummate skill ...  

Ok, maybe that does sound a little Top Gearish, but I can honestly say, that I have never been that impressed with anyone's driving before.

I've included the Strave trace below (ignore the Ice Skate reference in the title - just a tactic to get Strava to accept the data).  If you click on the map it should take you to the full version.  Zoom in two or three times and you will get a good feel for the terrain.  The decent actually begins after about 17miles.  The road drops nearly 3,500 feet in just 13 miles along a road which has vitally no straights to speak of.  On the way up, the drops down into the valley were mainly on the other side of the road.  When you're sat on the right hand side of the coach on the way down, they are in many places no more than 6 feet away with just a flimsy barrier between you and, well, most likely oblivion.  And the average speed, 32 mph.  Respect!!

Right, that's more than enough from me. There are quite a few more pictures which I'll put into the web album.  I'll let you know when that's available if you fancy a look.  I'm afraid they are all snaps.  Most of the time I'm not able to see what's in the viewfinder because it's so bright and I haven't had time to make any digital improvements, so they are what they are, but I hope you'll find them interesting.

Thanks again for the comments.  I'll try and answer a few after doing today's blog. Keep them coming.