A side trip to Ronda was on our plate today. It was only 45 km away but the drive took over an hour. That is because it is all uphill on the way there and all downhill on the way back. Add non-stop turns to the trip and there is no lead foot driving. I just got the rental so this is a great shake down cruise to get used to the car and all its parts. We found a parking spot in town and hoofed it from there. First a cup of tea and some cake to get us started. Then down to the edge of town. Edge is an apt description because the town is built on the edge of a cliff with a deep gorge, 400 foot deep, cutting through the middle of town. Seen above is the new bridge. This bridge was started in 1753 and finished it 40 years later. It was a bit chilly up at the altitude, 2600 feet, compared to sea level where we started our day. We had some lunch at the San Miguel restaurant right on the edge. We had almond soup, gazpacho and we split a roasted leg of sucking pig. We wandered through town some more and then returned to Pureto Banus. We stopped off at Aldi's and Sticky Fingers to stock up on supplies.
Rising up from Puerto Banus
The higher up we went the nicer the houses were
Ronda!
Orange trees on every corner
Shoe repair humor
Tile work was everywhere
Cake break! I like the one on the right...cake and doughnut combo
Tea time
The Church in town
With statues
Fountains too
Pedestrian malls to walk down
A taxidermy bull in this store
The matador in the back looks scared!
The edge of town looking sown at the sheep
It looks like they are mowing the vineyards
Walkways down from town
Our road snaked along the ridge line
Looking back at our lookout point
It was a huge effort to build this bridge
It is a good thing that the stone is stable enough to build on
Swallows, pigeons, and red billed coughs were flying everywhere
The red billed chough
They zoomed up and down flying in a serpentine path
Tucking in the wings at the top of the arch
Picking up speed in while descending
Spreading out the wings at the bottom of the arch
Looking over the other side of the bridge
The view from our lunch spot
I wonder how long of a detour it must have been before the bridge
Here the red billed chough is taking a break on the cliff
It is a long way down
Steep sides
Water at the bottom of the gorge
Last of the Red Billed Chough
From our lunch table
The almond soup
Gazpacho !
Crispy and tender
A rock sparrow
Some streets were empty
Some streets were full
A miniature marching band
Sad that a "No Violence Against Women" sign is needed
We made it to Sticky Fingers
The view!
Flowering trees
Crested Tit
