We had a pretty train trip from Granada to Ronda. Lots of rugged rocky outcrops. Chris and Anne met us at the train station. After checking into our hotel, we went to look at the Tajo gorge which divides old Ronda from the newer. Gorgeous! We had beer on a nice square and later had dinner in a restaurant in the old town. Very tasty. We two had veal (or beef) which we cooked ourselves on a hot stone placed in the middle of the table.

Day 2

All Saints Day was celebrated as a public holiday on Monday, Nov. 2 so we bought a picnic lunch for our hike from one of the few places open for the holiday. Then we set off on the Smugglers Trail which goes from Ronda to the town of Benaojan. We should have known by the name that it was going to be a goat track halfway up a mountain. Well, we made it after a stop for our picnic. Frances doesn’t like heights though - walking on a narrow trail with a drop on one side was scary. At Benaojan we had a refreshing beer at the train station (again, one of the few places open on the holiday Monday). We had planned to take the train back to Ronda, but a bus was running instead due to track replacement. And we thought we could walk back if we took the easy lower route. Well, it got dark much sooner than we expected! Even with the full moon, it was still very dark, especially in the valleys. We needed to feel our way with our walking poles.

Finally we reached a government facility just off a highway, so we decided to call our hotel to have them send us a taxi. But the hotel didn't know where the transfer facility was! Luckily a staff person arrived soon after and we managed to ask him in French (our only common language) to order us a taxi. We thought he said he would do it and after what seemed long a long wait, he came out to tell us a taxi would be there in 10 minutes. We were soon back at our hotel. After licking our wounds (showering and soaking our feet!), we went out to eat some supper feeling very lucky. Chris says our hike was about 20 kms and it was about a 5 km taxi ride.

Day 3

Today we started with a visit to the ruins of the Arab baths and two old bridges (the new bridge was built in 1751) and an old minaret. The baths were interesting, the best preserved on the Iberian peninsula. They used a heating system like the Romans but it only heated the air since they had steam baths plus cold plunge pools.

We had our lunch on a pretty square with a good guitar player busking nearby. We had a soupy stew called coccido made with chickpeas and veggies. Then the waiter brought us the meat for the soup separately - chicken, beef and fatty bacon. Take what you want!

We visited the municipal museum after lunch. Quite a bit about local prehistory and geology. It was located in a lovely old mansion. After that, we decided it was time to walk to the bottom of the gorge. The path was wide but paved with cobblestones (small ones) and had quite a slope. Good view of the main new bridge from the bottom. A breath- taking walk up again! Rest time in the hotel before dinner.

Day 4

Our hotel Morales (1 star) didn’t have Wifi (it has a computer for patrons to use though) but for the price of a cup of coffee, you can get 30 minutes at McDonalds!

We went for a hike along country roads and tracks to see the remains of a Roman aqueduct. Not much left except 3 arches but still interesting, with great vistas along the way. We brought a picnic of serrano (mountain) ham and manchego cheese.

The views everywhere were quite lovely. Not sure whether our photos do them justice!

Day 5

Our last day in Ronda and we needed an early start the next day for a 7am train to Malaga. We picked up some odd flat cakey biscuit made with olive oil for breakfast on the train. We were assured that it was sweet.

We visited an old church that had been built over a mosque. It was a little disappointing, except that it took so long to build that the prevailing style had changed during the time that the two ends were built.  There is a clear divide between the gothic and Renaissance parts of the church. We also visited Don Bosco house, a rest home for the Salesian order, which has lovely views over the chasm.

We had a long lunch today at Casa Maria restaurant. No menu! A card explained that they cooked what was best at the market. We were offered a choice of salad or tapas starter (we shared 1 of each). The tapa was soft warm goat cheese covered with pear jam. The salad had marinated salmon and some sort of fish roe. Both were yummy. For main course, we could choose between meat or fish and we all took fish - poached cod dressed with balsamic vinaigrette. Again very tasty. We didn't choose the specific wine, just the colour. The server did show us the label before she opened and decanted it. After coffee, we were offered a complimentary sweet liqueur called Miura. It smelled of aniseed, like black balls, but tasted of cherry and was served over ice. All in all, a very nice meal. And remarkably good value, too.

After lunch we went to see a public garden with a great view (again!) over the gorge near the "new bridge". We had a stroll up the main shopping street (pedestrianized as they all seem to be) but most shops were still closed for siesta. (They close from 2-5pm and are open again until 8:30 or so.) We had a tapas dinner on a small square and in spite of the chill, we sat outside in order to avoid the cigarette smoke. We didn't need a lot of food after our long lunch. But we did drink a whole bottle of wine!