Ronda: Day five

Situated in the far northwest of Malaga province, sits Ronda on an outcrop of rock in a sort of basin surrounded by mountain ranges.   It is here we are headed for today.

Ronda is one of the oldest towns in Spain and claims prehistoric beginnings.  There is a cave with prehistoric art, the cave of the Pileta (which I don't believe is open to the public) and other prehistoric finds.

  One of the most striking aspects of the town and its surroundings is its muslim heritage which has influence many of the practices and traditions of the area.   The Catholic Kings in 1485 conquered the town and added it's two most significant monuments:  the bullring and the New Bridge.   

We found Ronda after about an hour's drive from Marbella,  somewhat isolated and surrounded by rolling headlands and a beautiful landscape.  After leaving our car we set out for the New Bridge and old town passing by some pristine buildings with the Moorish influenced architecture.

            And here is the amazing expanse that awaits the visitor in the center near the old town of Ronda.

A new boardwalk skirts the view

   And here is the outside of the Plaza De Toros of Ronda which we visited first after a quick tapas lunch.

 I was surprised that my friend, a vegetarian, had for some time followed the Corrida for it's possibilities of beauty and fluidity.... when the bull and bull fighter come together to create a drama of sorts.

 When I voiced my objections to the killing of the bull and the way of doing it she gently pointed out to me the difference between the life of a toro for the bullring and the average steer that we cultivate for meat.

 The first is treated like a king until the last 15 minutes of it's life....the steer on the other hand lives a life of misery, separated from it's mother,   fed indigestible food,  never allowed to graze, bloated with hormones and anti-biotics and finally transported miles to its slaughter.

 I am still considering the ramifications of this but it was so very interesting to then visit the museum and witness the history, lore , props and pageantry surrounding the bull fight.  It somehow reminded me of Opera, which by the way,  my friend studied for many years.  

                            Youngsters pass before the bullring practicing their craft.

     Seeing the stadium and pens still and silent did nothing to diminish my imagination of what the day of a fight must be like with the thrill, dread and excitement and the teasing of all the senses.

 I think I could watch an actual bull- fight were the beast saved at the end and not killed as takes place in Nimes and Arles, France, apparently.

     So many Almond trees in bloom and Spring has come to the valley.  We are many feet above.  Oh, to have my father's 3D camera!

This then is the famous Puente Neuve, the real symbol of the city.  Its interior was a prison and enemies were hurled from the bridge at one time.  The river is very far from the top in a steep gorge.

Crossing the new bridge to the old town, one was struck by how clean the city is and how well maintained.  This buggy is , of course, for tourists.

Well, this is one of the few monuments that we visited in a town with well over 30 listed sites.   This is called the Castle of Rey Moro or a moorish king's palace but it is a deceptive name as no king of any kind ever lived here. 

 The house was built in the 1700's and is more significant for it's hanging gardens and it's water mine.

There was no access to the interior of this ruin (which I understand will be made into a hotel soon)  but the gardens laid out byJean Claude Nicolas Forestier were characterized by lots of running water,  a fish pond and Islamic motifs.  

The most impressive aspect of this visit though is the strangely named Water mine.

   The water mine is a true moorish structure likely done by the moorish king Abomelic.  It consists of a series of interconnecting stairways and chambers starting at the top of the cliff face and winding down to the Guadalevin River.

 In the day, the mine not only provided water for the whole city but was strategic  in helping the city withstand an extended attack from the outside.   The key to a successful siege of the city was to cut off the water supply.

During the time of the reconquest, when the Catholic Monarchs were trying to take the Iberian peninsula back from the Moors, Ronda was frequently under siege.  The steep cliffs around the city ruled out taking the city by force, the only way was to cut off the water supply.

 This did happen in 1485 when the Marquis of Cadiz successfully attacked the fortress at the bottom of the water mine and gave the citizens the choice of surrender or die.  They chose surrender.

  The water mine was restored in 1911 but Slaves built the original mine and 400  slaves daily carried the goat-skin bags full of water 300 plus or minus feet up and down the stairs!    Jeanne and I decided to do about 20 steps in the slime and dark before we beat a retreat!  Got the picture.

Jeanne and Blossom time.  

 A very good day....we finished off the tour by admiring the peacocks in their cage and trying to get the male to show us his plumage in full array.  He never succumbed but we were truly pleased with Ronda anyway.  

Marbella, Day four

Lazy day today...got up early and played with the cats and had a lie in after our long day on the road.

 As much as we loved the Alhambra in all its subtle magnificence,  we have decided Seville and Cordoba will have to wait for another time.

 I decided to take some pictures from the terrace of our apt to give you an idea of Marbella.  I do get the feeling that more than half of these apartments are holiday homes because there are not a lot of people in town, the best time to come.  

This is from the West side terrace looking back at the mountains.

                                             Same view angled down to roof below.



Jeanne is going to do her laps in the pool but now that I have been a guest one day they want 28 euros for another visit.  I decide to spend the day doing what people do on vacation....

    which is sit in the park...

Watch the pigeons bathe in the fountain....

     Walk along the sea.....

    Admire the wide marble walkways.....

     Keep the elephant company from a sunny spot.....

    And pet Bessie....the magnificent Maine Coon and her mom, Maddie.

Tonight we dine at our favorite bar where the waitresses bring by plates of tempting tapas .  There is  succulent cod with red sauce or cod with beranaise sauce,  croquettes with cheese, artichoke hearts with sauce, creamed spinach on toast  in fact all of them are served on slices of good bread.  There are  meats if you wish.   Tapas vary from 1.50 to 2 euros .  You can have two good glasses of  red wine and four tapas for under 10 euros.  My idea of a fun evening meal.

The Alhambra: Granada

The Palace of Charles V, built by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor in 1527, was inserted in the Alhambra within the Nasrid fortifications. 

Today we are heading for Granada to see the Moorish palace built by the last Muslim Emirs in Spain of the Nasrid dynasty: The Alhambra.  

 According to the literature, after 1492 and the reconquest by the Catholic Monarchs, some portions of the Alhambra were used by the Christian rulers and after being allowed to fall in to disrepair for centuries, the Alhambra was rediscovered by scholars and travelers and restored from 1923-1936.  It is now one of Spain's major tourist attractions, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984 and we didn't want to miss it.

It took us more time to get to Granada by car than we had expected, so after about two and a half hours we rolled into what turned out to be a beleaguered city.  Any of you that remember how long and how confusing it was in Nice when we were putting in our recent tramway system will sympathize when we tell you that none of our guidebooks or maps could help us to find the route to the Alhambra from central Granada.  All the traffic had been rerouted away from the roadworks when possible.

 We finally managed to double park in front of the tourist office( in the old town where no parking was allowed) long enough to get the latest advice on how to get out of town to see our Moorish Palace.  Still it took us another half hour of confusion and visiting nearby barrios before we found our bus.

The bus system to the Alhambra is brilliant and once you find it, all is smooth sailing.  It takes you right to the ticket booth and information center where we were given a visit time a half hour hence.  But we were starving and the one restaurant that serves the site could not accommodate us in so short a time. 

So I gulped some over-sweet hot chocolate and corn chips and Jeanne managed to eat a sandwich that looked frightfully like cardboard all from a vending machine.  This may have been the tenth time I have eaten food out of a machine.... which just goes to show that I haven't been on enough adventures!  In any case we were ready when our tour time came up after our 10 minute walk up the hill.  

                                                                  The court of Machua,

 The site of the Alhambra is vast and better information can of course be found online.   I am just going to give you an overview.

    The court of the Myrtles.  All the water features found throughout the palaces were especially effective giving dancing reflections on the surrounding walls.  

  The intricate carving on walls and ceiling of almost every room.
  Comares Palace: Yusef I (1333-1354)

                                                  Detail:  Facade of the Comares Palace

                      

There are 66 buildings or points of interest to the site and we saw more than half of them.   I don't have the labels for each one.  It was more about seeing the differences in the art forms.  As you know, islamic art does not use the human image.   And running water was used throughout for its sound, reflections and symbolism.

                                                 A quiet courtyard within Palace walls .

                                                   Jeanne finds a spot in the sun.

The Partal Palace.  This beautiful reflecting pool was probably the focus for meditation or entertainment. ...no internet, movies or tv but they had hookahs no doubt. 

Looking across from the Palaces at the Generalife, which was a series of gardens constructed to be the recreation area of the Kings of Granada, where they escaped from the official routine.

      Visit to the lower gardens of the generalife.  It will be quite impressive in Spring when more plants will be in bloom.

    Jeanne emerges from an even lower garden with fountains and pools, the court of the Sultana.  

Inside the Charles V Palace is a fine arts museum that was showing a Matisse exhibit so when we had finished viewing the vast grounds we worked our way back to the first building again.  It was well worth the hike as there were about 25 canvases, mostly depicting Matisse's fascination with Odalisks and Spanish and Moorish motifs.  One of the fabric screens that separates the women of the harem was from the Nice Museum.  The paintings were from Russia, Paris, London and other famous collections.  I was thrilled to see things that I have come across many times in my comprehensive retrospective at home.   

We had another two plus hours of driving and so with the light fading we made for the bus.  We got tangled around again in Granada but finally were heading home where we finished the day with a meal of Paella and a good glass of red.

Marbella, Day Two

This elephant serves as a shower on the sand beach.

The second day in Spain we went to THE Marbella gym .

 It may sound a boring thing to do on vacation,  but picture a palace of a place with all the latest equipment including a full size lap pool, separate aqua gym pool,  five separate large jacuzzi rooms with different sprays,  a cold tub,  sauna and steam room.  Picture a snack bar with decent whole grain sandwiches, and fresh fruit juice,  a shower and dressing room area with expensive scent and lotion to use after you take your shower.

 Picture a device for spinning dry your bathing suit so you don't need a plastic bag to take it home in!

Picture a gym with a view of the sea at all times when you are working out and you will see why I wanted to go... and besides, Jeanne had a free pass.

Beach in Winter

After my workout on the state of the art gym equipment and Jeanne's laps in the pool , and lots of pampering in the steam rooms etc,  we sat on the beach for a while looking out to sea.   It was sunny enough for a bathing suit but not bathing itself.  There was a wind that came up at some point most of the week I was there so we took advantage of the calm part of the day.  We enjoyed just doing nothing while we contemplated lunch.

We opted for the Chinese Wok Restaurant...."prepared before eyes" as the sign said.  It is an brilliant idea for an Asian cafeteria.

 For 10 euros ( with the coupon) one selects the raw vegetables and meats you want and it all goes into a wok and is prepared instantly before you.

There were three kinds of mushrooms, broccoli , onions, carrots, asparagus, hearts of palm, three kinds of shrimp , chicken or beef  to name a few of the choices for the Wok.  You are given advice on which sauces are appropriate for your choices.

   There was even Peking duck with crepes and plum sauce or sushi to start the meal. And there were all kinds of rice and noodles to accompany your main course.

 For afters there is a similar array of desserts and fruits to choose from or you can choose ice cream with toppings.

In fact this is not a good place to have in the same building as the gym!  You can easily put back all the calories you erased on the treadmill.  I know I did.

                                        Walking farther down the promenade near sunset

This artist/plasticienne was practicing his craft along the sea while we were there.  He kept referring to careful notes of his design of a dragon.

  He never completed all of his sculpture, but I think he was only getting his technique ready for a contest.

We saw some more of the town after sun bathing and ate tapas for dinner at a little corner bar.  I do so like the idea of tapas.  It is my idea of a great meal, no one flavor for too long and if you really love it , have another of the same.

                    Sunset from the terrace.  Tomorrow is a big day as we are off to Granada.

Malaga, Marbella old town centers, Day One Spain

Here is my first image shot in Spain.  I figured there would be hundreds of churches to choose from but I couldn't resist the light hitting this one in Malaga.  I could not even find the name of it on the outside.  It was just tucked away in an obscure courtyard and didn't even warrant a visitors fee like the huge Cathedral in the same town which was not served by this sublime setting in the sun.

THis was a trip of firsts and it was the first time with my new camera without an extra memory card or means to recharge the battery.  Luckily I didn't run out of juice until I got home and I could have taken more pics but I was busy living it too.  It was also my first trip to Spain outside of the Balearic islands.  It was about time.

Strange characters above the street in Malaga in the pedestrian zone.  Malaga has quite a charming old town where we ate lunch after Jeanne picked me up from the vast airport there.  I had a plate of Russian salad which the Spanish are very fond of and some grilled fish and of course, flan for dessert.

A peek into the entry of an apartment in the old town of Marbella....lovely old tile work.

A very Spanish courtyard in Marbella old town

Couldn't resist this sky, same mystery church in Malaga

                                               A simple chapel open to all in old town of Marbella

We are staying in a ten story building in Marbella with a view from three sides; the apartment of Jeanne's french friend, Phillipe.  The two cats Jeanne travelled down with are pretty well acclimated to their new home and wide terrace.  And we are close to the park, the promenade along the sea, and shops.  It is an ideal location with lots of cozy restaurants serving tapas.   Jeanne has also found the most magnificent gym I have ever seen which looks over the Mediterranean Sea.  I will get to go tomorrow.  Stay tuned.

DCI BLAST! - Bolero de Ravel