We arrived in the Marbella area on Christmas Eve, which is an extremely sacred day for the Spanish. We found a small grocery store that was open and paid entirely too many Euros for what we bought (including 27 Euros, which is about $35, for a pack of diapers). It was pretty slim pickings, but we settled on Mom’s lasagna for Christmas dinner. We spent the next couple days enjoying the beautiful views of the Mediterranean Sea and Sierra Nevada Mountains from our terraces, playing Euchre, and drinking entirely too much Spanish wine and beer. Christmas was uneventful – no tree or stockings, but Kate couldn’t have cared less.
Our first day trip was to Ronda. This amazingly beautiful city dates back to prehistoric times (the Neolithic Age to be precise). Like many other cities in Europe, it has its fair share of war stories and power changeovers. The drive to Ronda in our horrendously ugly Picasso minivan rental was less than pleasant. Ironic that the car model was called “Picasso” seeing as how horrifically unattractive it was. Anyways, back to the drive. Picture steep, winding, don’t-look-over-the-edge-or-you-will-puke roads. It was seriously awful. We finally made it though, and the reward was plenty. The streets were bustling with people enjoying the beautiful weather and lovely stores. While I couldn’t wait to begin exploring the cute little shops, our first stop was at a traditional Spanish restaurant. After a delicious meal and some fine Spanish wine, we walked outside and were standing in a ghost town. Stores were locked up and the crowd that had been there an hour before had disappeared. It was like a bad horror film. Thankfully though, it wasn’t Armageddon. Just siesta time. Whew.
We walked around and found the El Tajo canyon, above which the town of Ronda is perched. It’s about 100 meters deep and overlooks the mountains that surround the city. The view was incredible and the man playing traditional Spanish music in the background added an extra special touch. We snapped some pictures, bought the man’s CD, and walked along the edge of the canyon to the Puente Nuevo bridge that towers 390 feet above the canyon floor. It was spectacular!
Our final stop in Ronda was at the Plaza de toros de Ronda, the oldest bullfighting ring in Spain. Construction began in 1779 and commenced in 1785. We had most of the place to ourselves, as the other tourists were smart enough to get on the long, winding road before dark. Not us though. The ring was amazing. I can’t even begin to describe the feeling of being inside it - the beauty of the 136 stone pillars and 68 arches…the sun setting behind the mountains, the thousands of hand-painted Spanish tiles that lined the staircase steps, the roughly cut wood beams that crossed the ceilings, watching my adventurous 16 month old daughter running wildly and without fear, absolutely loving being in the center of this huge arena…it was completely awesome.
Here’s an interesting little fact about the Plaza de toros de Ronda…it’s where Madonna filmed her “Take a Bow” video. Click here to watch! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDeiovnCv1o&ob=av2e
I survived the car ride home, although I could have done without Doug almost hitting a mountain goat crossing the road. Beautiful day. Beautiful country. And family to share it with. What more can I ask for?
BEAUTIFUL! Looks like an amazing adventure. So glad you got to experience something like this. xoxoxo
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