Ronda is one of the largest and most visited of the white hill towns - and it's unique in that it straddles a deep gorge that divides the Christian side from the Moorish quarter. This bridge (the "new bridge" - ponte nuevo - it replaced the old bridge that collapsed 300 years ago) connects the two sides, and at one time housed a prison. I hate to think how unruly prisoners were dealt with.
The views from the bridge are impressive -
Almost as impressive as the view from the Plaza Espana that overlooks the surrounding countryside - again, one can appreciate the defensive advantage atop the cliff -
The bull-fighting ring is the oldest in Spain - we skipped the bull fights, but John took my picture with the bull out front -
Notice that I'm not wearing a coat - this is the first day it's been warm enough to not need one.
We took an alternate route back to Grazalema, ignoring the insistent instructions from the GPS, and enjoyed the countryside. At one point we pulled over and looked back at Ronda -
The narrow roads wound through villages, some of which looked like they'd been discovered by Northern Europeans as great places to spend the winter, and climbed ridges that overlooked other towns.
Beautiful weather, peaceful countryside, only occasionally interrupted by by an impatient driver or packs of kamikaze bicyclists careening down precipitous slopes toward us.
