Ronda
On March 16th, I finally set off for one of the white towns of Andalucia with Will. We'd been planning to go for a while and decided to make a full day of it, catching the bust at 7:30 am.
Ronda, one of the most popular visitor destinations in Andalucia, is known for having one of the oldest and most important bullfighting rings in Spain as well as its spectacular views from the top of a massive rocky plateau. A plunging river gorge known as El Tajo runs through the center of Ronda and is connected by three bridges. One of the first things we did was to look for the famous bridge called "puente nuevo" which is seen in most photographs of Ronda. Completed in 1793, the bridge is built over a nearly 330 foot gorge. The architect of the bridge actually fell to his death from the top and many others were thrown from it during the Civil War. Ernest Hemingway talked about this bridge in one his book For Whom the Bell Tolls; both Hemingway and Orson Wells lived in Ronda for parts of their lives.
Later in the day we made our way to Ronda's Plaza de Toros. It was the first bullfighting ring I have ever seen other than in photographs. It was smaller than I would have imagined but well preserved. There are very few fights that are still held here during the spring but some are held in the fall. We also checked out the museum where we saw some original clothing worn in fights there, some still stained with blood. The classic Ronda style of bullfighting was developed by Pedro Romero who killed over 6000 bulls during his career as a torero and is known as the father of modern bullfighting.
We spent the rest of the day walking around, taking photos, staying out of the afternoon rain and looking in a number of shops. Ronda is an excellent day trip destination and I'm glad to have finally gone after all the recommendations from friends.
