Ronda

Ronda is one of the better known, and most visited, of the small hill towns in Andalusia. It is well worth a visit, but a short one. The resat of our trip we had organised on the basis of staying a couple of nights, but here we settled on just the one. Which was about right.

To start with it has a bull ring, and a clearly a bit of a bullfighting theme. Indeed we had lunch in a bull fighting themed restaurant (which was very good).

And then there was the ring itself...

Which for some reason was hosting a classic car show....

And a bull-themed roundabout.

But you don't come to Ronda for the bovine connection. You come for the views...

And especially for the bridges, and in particular this 18th century brick built bridge - a real feat of engineering when you see the gorge that it straddles

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Needless to say Thibault had us climbing down it, and not just sticking to the more or less obvious path, but exploring side bits with the remnants of old hydro-electric works. Rarely seen him happier!

It is a long way down....

Old workings, very overgrown now.

Bliss, back on a proper path again....

And yes there were people abseiling over this. Better them than me...

Having climbed all the way back up, the classic cars were still there...

Now Thibault had been here before, and didn't much rate the old town part, so he left me to explore that on my own, which of course I happily did in rather more meticulous detail than he would have patience for😀

What Thibault especially missed out on were the small museums. Not because the contents were amazing which is why he wouldn't bother, but because the courtyards are beautiful, and offered some of the best views.. So worth the handful of euros admission ...

Pomegranates

And limes

By the evening the storm clouds that had gathered n the afternoon had dissipated.

This is what we could see from our outside table at the restaurant below.

And the town at night on the way back to the hotel...

Yes we had to walk down again, with the aid of phone torches, but yes it was worth doing....