Ronda

Oh what a view! Ronda
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Eventually the effects of the sherry wear off and we arrive at our next stop – Ronda. The first thing I really notice is that we are suddenly not alone. Ronda is close enough to the south of Spain, to attract British tourists on day trips away from the beaches of the Costa del Sol and it’s obvious that it caters for them. Had we wanted, we could have bought fish, chicken, sausages or burgers all with plenty of chips and ketchup. This is the Spain I really didn’t want to visit. It’s got that “kiss me quick” feel reminds me of tacky seaside resorts of Britain.

Puente Nuevo, Ronda
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Still Ronda is popular for a good reason. It is perched high above the surrounding countryside, split by two large gorges. These are spanned by two fantastic bridges, but the most impressive is the new one (Puente Nuevo). Well not so new really, it was built in the 18^th century. It’s just newer than the other one.

After a few false starts we find the bridge and crane over the edge to get a closer look. It’s not for the fainthearted.

Puente Nuevo, Ronda
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We walk up from the coach, dodging road works and building sites. There does seem to be a lot happening in Ronda at the moment. Eventually we reach a park with magnificent views down sheer cliff faces. We spend plenty of time admiring the view before trying to work out how to get to the Puente Nuevo. In theory this should be straightforward, if we don’t fall off the edge we should reach it eventually, however there seems to be a rather fancy hotel in the way. After a few false starts we find the bridge and crane over the edge to get a closer look. It’s not for the fainthearted.

View from the old town of Ronda
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Looking closely at the bridge, you realise it isn’t just a solid stone structure, there are windows in it. I don’t know what the rooms were used for originally, but wouldn’t it make a fantastic place to live!

After looking at the bridge, Susan, Yee and I head back to the old bullring. We had noticed that it was open to the public and can’t resist taking a look inside. In fact it forms part of a museum dedicated to bullfighting. Ronda’s bullring is one of the oldest in the country. It’s certainly not one of the flashiest ones. We wander around inside the quiet ring, hiding behind the heavy boards that protect anyone sitting at the front. As a building it looks quite beautiful. I find it really difficult to imagine the clean yellow sand soaking up the bull’s spilled blood, whilst the baying crowds roar their approval. Part of me wouldn’t mind if it was a truly fair fight. But inside the museum we have seen the pikes used to weaken the bull before the ‘brave’ matador finally makes the inevitable kill.

The bullring, Ronda
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The truth is that bullfighting is still hugely popular in Spain. We’ve seen it on television in several bars over the last couple of weeks. No amount of protest from outside of the country is going to change public opinion. It will just have to happen naturally, driven by changing attitudes. Personally, I hope it happens sooner rather than later.

After visiting the bullring we wander back towards the coach, looking for something to eat. However rather than having something wholesome, we end up having some enormous ice creams. Well food is for wimps!