Rhonda, Spain - Must See

Ronda is about 60 kilometres (62 mi) northwest of Jimena in the Spanish province of Málaga. If I were to make one recommendation of a city to visit in this area, it will be Ronda. Captivating and charming. errrh...gorge-ous

Sangria with a view (this one is for you Coley)

Now Carless: travel by train and foot
I took the 12:45 train from Jimena and arrived in Ronda at 1:30. (see Renfe train travel in Spain) The walk from the train station to the old city is about a 30 minute walk. It is easy to find.

It was very hot, so I decided to pop into one of the restaurants along the gorge. I sat and enjoyed the view from my shaded perch and waited until the sun passed overhead.

You pay for the view

My Spanish still isn't that wonderful and I keep mixing it up with Arabic. My conversation with the waiter was a weird mix of Spanish and Arabic. He talked to me in German and oddly enough, we understood each other. Everything that I ordered was presented without a problem. Be warned, you might have sticker shock when getting the bill at these restaurants along the gorge. (e.g. 3 euro for a small piece of bread)

100 metre deep El Tajo gorge cuts through the town, straddled by the Puente Nuevo Bridge

Three bridges span the gorge: Puente Romano ("Roman Bridge", also known as the Puente San Miguel), Puente Viejo ("Old Bridge", also known as the Puente Árabe or "Arab Bridge") and Puente Nuevo ("New Bridge"). The Puente Nuevo is the tallest of the bridges at 120 metres (390 ft) above the canyon floor, and all three serve as some of the city's most impressive features.

View into the Tajo Canyon

Lots to buy in Ronda. Buy local. Always look for made in Spain labels.

The Plaza de toros de Ronda is the oldest bullfighting ring in Spain.

Ronda is known as the birthplace of modern bullfighting.

I came following the footsteps of Hemmingway and found Orson

American artists Ernest Hemingway and Orson Welles spent many summers in Ronda as part-time residents of Ronda's old town quarter called La Ciudad. Both wrote about Ronda's beauty and famous bull-fighting traditions. Their collective accounts have contributed to Ronda's popularity over time.

I came here following the footsteps of Hemmingway and discovered Orson Wells.

Orson Welles said he was inspired by his frequent trips to Spain and Ronda (e.g. Welles' unfinished film about Don Quixote). After Welles died in 1985, his ashes were buried in a well, located on the rural property of his friend, the retired bullfighter Antonio Ordoñez.

I find bullfighting incredibly cruel, but I loved these statues to the famous
bullfighters. Antonio Ordóñez

Antonio Ordóñez Araujo was one of the top bullfighters of his time. As a matador, Ordoñez came face to face with over 3000 bulls.

Cayetano Ordóñez

I took so many photos around this town so it was difficult to chose just a handful. There is a lot to see in Ronda.