The boating season of 2023 began with familiar spring chores on Suwena and various maintenance tasks. However, before starting the hard work, we decided to embark on a four-day road trip to the gems of Andalusia. Just a few hundred meters long walk from Suwena, and we were already at the car rental picking up our vehicle, ready to start our journey on a beautiful, sunny Monday morning.
Our route plan is to drive first to Ronda in the morning, then continue to Cordoba. Tuesday was reserved for the wonders of Cordoba, and in the afternoon, we’d continue our journey to Granada. We have reserved more time for Granada and in addition we want to make a tour in the Sierra Nevada mountains before beginning our return journey. These four days turned out to be a truly memorable trip, with about 800 kilometers added to the car’s odometer.
We drove to Ronda along a fantastic scenic route, over the mountains and canyons. We were not alone on the road, as numerous motorhomes and cyclists were going in both directions. The cyclists certainly got a great leg workout uphill. Occasionally, we stopped to admire the breathtaking views, such as the stunning panoramas from the viewpoint in the village of Gaucin.
These historical cities in Andalusia can also be reached by bus or train, so all the cities were really crowded with tourists.
Upon arriving in Ronda, we first parked our car in the underground parking garage and set out to explore Ronda for the few efficient hours we had planned for our visit.
Right near our parking place, we spotted the bullring, so we took the opportunity to explore this Spanish cultural tradition. It turned out that Ronda has ancient bullfighting traditions, and here you can find one of the oldest bullfighting arenas, Plaza de Toros, which was completed in 1785. Attached to it is also the Real Maestranza de Caballería de Ronda, the stables of the royal riding school founded in Ronda in 1572, which turned out to be a very interesting find.
The biggest attraction in Ronda is the Puente Nuevo bridge spanning the El Tajo gorge, which we set out to find next. We leisurely strolled around the city and stopped at viewpoints to admire the breathtaking views from the hilltop.
No wonder the bridge, completed in 1793, is so important to the people of Ronda. The Puente Nuevo bridge, 66 meters long and built over the 120-meter-deep gorge, connects Ronda’s two neighborhoods: the newer El Mercadillo and the Moorish-style El Ciudad old town. We also visited the bridge’s museum that was built into the arches of the bridge to learn about its history and construction phases.
After enjoying lunch, our journey continued towards Cordoba.