One fine weekend we took a break from work-life at the molino, and we loaded up the bikes and cycled to Ronda, a beautiful city with an incredible flamenco tablao (venue where flamenco music and dance is performed). A ride to Ronda, approximately 46km distant, didn't sound too bad, and the weather looked to be beautiful, so off we went! We even left our rain gear behind for a change! Ah, sunny Spain!
The first 10km from the molino to the village were scenic, but TOUGH! It takes about 1-1/2 hours for us to bike it ... And that's only about 6-1/2 miles!! Once we made Gaucín it was fairly easier riding, with lots of long gentle climbs and descents. And the scenery:
was fantastic! Huge sweeping views of the Ronda mountains (known locally as 'La Serranía de Ronda'), and numerous pueblos blancos (white villages) tucked in here and there. The picture above shows Jubrique on the left and Genalgaucil on the right (later, we visited Genalgaucil - a beautiful wee village with lots of sculptures around). In the valley below is the river that runs past our molino, the Rio Genal.
Captured above is one of the lovely pueblos blancos - Algatocín - that we passed through the route.
These were some of the best roads we've ridden since leaving the States. They had everything a cyclist dreams of: beautiful scenery, pavement of superb quality, and generous shoulders for easy passing. If you like sweating a lot while cycling up and down mountain roads- we highly recommend this part of Spain for cycle touring!
Look at that shoulder!
We stopped for a quick look around some prospective properties for our future music school and coffee shop, and were quite taken with San Isidoro. It's a wee rough at the moment, but with a little polishing - and a roof - it could be a real gem!
The landscaping needs a refresh, but the views are to die for!
Bringing back fond memories of our bike tour in Scotland, we stopped at a mirador (scenic overlook) for lunch. Olives, boiled eggs, crackers, aged queso de cabra de España ... All the great things needed to fuel two touring cyclists!
Late in the evening we arrived in Ronda, and jostled a couple miles down (and we mean DOWN) a cobblestone road to our hostel. And, don't you know, it was once a molino (mill), too! Up the gorge from the hostel is the Puente Nuevo (New Bridge) of Ronda, and what a bridge! The Puente Nuevo was started in 1751, and is now one of the most recognizable features of Ronda. It connects the old fortified city to the expanded new city.
One can walk from the bottom of the gorge up to Ronda, and up it is! In our short stay at the molino we walked this route several times, and felt it each time!
The bridge took 42 years to build, and fifty workers died during the construction. There's a room in the center, just near the top, that has been used for a variety of purposes. The most notorious use of the room was as a prison, and during the Spanish Civil War both sides used the room as a torture chamber ... And both sides claim to have thrown prisoners from the window to the gorge bottom below.
This is the church of Santa María la Major.
The interior was quite impressive. The wealth displayed in the altarpieces and decoration was extordinary. It brought to mind the richer and more glorious days of Spain's past, when the wealth of their vast colonies in the Americas was pouring in, fueling the once giant empire. Near the entry way of the church a portion of its wall was removed to allow the onlooker a glimpse into the church's long history.
As mentioned in a previous post- churches in southern Spain were often built over and/or from existing mosques. In the photo above, you can see distinctly arabesque patterns that reflect its Moorish origin.
We walked a bit further and came across yet another catholic church- la Iglesia del Espíritu Santo. This church was completed in 1505, the same year that Queen Isabel died. We were able to climb to the bell tower, where we were almost struck deaf by the 5 pm chimes.
Here they are from a little ways away, and about an hour later!
Ronda is a strategically located city. Thought to have initially been founded by the early celts, it was later a Roman outpost, and then was taken by the Moors in the 700's. Being built on a cliff offers a major perk- build fortified walls along the other edges and you have a stronghold against invaders!
This photo shows the remains of such walls. Unfortunately this stategy did not work out so well for the Moors in1485, when they were attacked by Marquis de Cádiz. The Catholic attackers cut off their water supply and forced the thirsty Moorish population to surrender.
Below you can see the remains of the Arab baths of Ronda, reported to be the best preserved in Spain.
We learned that in Muslim culture, cleanliness and personal hygiene are of high importance. One must cleanse and purify before prayer, and routine prayer occurs five times daily. These baths, dating to the 11th century, were thus a very vital part of daily life at that time. These baths are located near the entry to the fortified old city, and travelers would bathe before entering the gates to the city.
boB, being a sweet and witty gentleman, makes friends easily, as witnessed below. A beautiful housecat comes to the window upon hearing boB's curious meows, and a loving friendship is formed.
We trekked all over Ronda and discovered many winding narrow street and a few less common trails on its outskirts. We even made it to the bottom of the gorge in several places.
At the 'secret mine' (not so secret anymore really, and not actually a mine anyways, but that's what it's called), we walked down the dark zigzag steps through the carved edge cliff to meet the waters of the river below. According to legend, this secret military structure was built by a Muslim king in order to secure access to water from within city walls. According to the same legend, slaves would form a human chain to bring water from the river up the 80 meters climb to the village.
Kinda creepy down here ...
it was a relief to meet daylight again.
Having received the recommendation from Francisco, Melinda's most excellent flamenco teacher, we took in two spectacular shows Ronda's tablao, El Quinqué. According to Fransicso, Ronda is 'una ciudad del flamenco". At El Quinqué, the guitarist, two singers, and the incredible dancer all had us at the edge of our front row seats.
We also saw an phenomenal solo flamenco guitar performance by a local teacher-
We were sad when the weekend came to a close and it was time to depart.
On Sunday morning, about 10k outside of Ronda we stopped at a wee restaurant (Venta La Vega) for a second breakfast (pan tostada con aceite, tomate y ajo, por supuesto). And wouldn't you know, the timing was perfect- it had just started to RAIN as we pulled up!
And we weren't the only ones with that idea! The whole cafe was filled with Spanish cyclists dodging the weather in the only restaurant for miles, well, for kilometers!
When we left the Venta, we smiled and gave each other a pat on the back for having had such good fortune: it had stopped raining!
And the scenery was getting better and better! But little did we know what waited ahead!
The clouds opened up and we rode miles and miles in the cold driving rain. With no rain gear. And hardly enough clothing to keep us warm. Cuz, you know, this is southern Spain!!! People don't get hypothermia here, right?
We were greatly relieved to find a small Spanish "lunch box" ~20 km down the road in Cortez de la Frontera. (You might recall from the Scotland posts that we used bus stops for shelter from the rain, and we took to callig them "lunch boxes". Thankfully, they have them in Spain, too!) We picnicked with gourmet wet peanuts and chocolate. It was divine. Ish.
The rain finally did let up and we dried out a bit in the light breeze and a lot of climbing to get back to Gaucín.
Another 10 km down the steep mountain side and up the dirt track and we were sure glad to make it back home to our cozy casita! Soggy bike shorts are simply no fun. But, all in all, small doses of misery make the commonplace seem miraculous! Ah, the bliss of taking warm shower, and of later of sitting next to the wood stove with a little glass of wine- these simple things give even greater pleasure after a bout of cycling ill-prepared through the freezing rain!
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