Excursión a Ronda

Ronda is known as one of Spain's "pueblos blancos," or "white towns" for its whitewashed buildings. It is perched on the steep El Tajo canyon, which was carved by the Rio Guadalevín & now divides the town in two. Although the city was first settled by Celts, the influence of Ronda's past Roman & Muslim inhabitants are most visible in the city's architecture. It wasn't until 1485 that the Catholics took control of the town. Today, visitors come to Ronda for the panoramic views of the 3 bridges that span the gorge & the buildings that grasp onto the edge of the cliffs.

Some friends & I decided to take a day trip to see Ronda for ourselves. We caugt a bus this morning & were in Ronda by a bit after noon. The mountain town was charming from our first glimpse at the cliffside buildings. As we crossed the Puente Nuevo & descended to get a better look at the 120 m "New Bridge," the architectural feat became even more impessive. I have never seen the Grand Canyon, but the river cutting Ronda in two achieves a similar effect. While the others were resting, I wandered off along a footpath & found some ruins hidden in the brush. After the hike back up the mountain, we walked to the other 2 bridges, one Roman & one Muslim, which were less massive but also much older than the 18th century "New" Bridge. The last of our time was, of course, spent wandering in & out of shops, looking at souvenirs before we boarded the bus back to Sevilla.

Photos here.

Nos vemos, Le <3.