Spain | Pelo Del Perro

We set this trip up to be a mix of tour and down days so it was time to get out again. Kim identified Ronda as a target for this trip and our driver to Gibraltar recommended visiting Setenil de las Bodegas, a short drive beyond Ronda. Both Google Maps and our Garmin said these sites were close, max 1.5 hours. Not too bad, slept in a little and off we go!

Well the execution outbound was fun. Both these sites are high in the mountains and with the short distace from our hotel in Estepona that meant a twisty road that rose quickly. We were ready for that but getting behind a big rig that refused to get over slowed us and about 35 other cars down until just about our destination. Some of the other cars were not as patient as we were and were performing risky passes. Surprised there was not at least one accident. Once we cleared the ‘train’ we thought whew but no. In the past few trips on one day we drive the Garmin has to send us off on an adventure and that day had arrived on this one. Although we updated the maps just prior to our departure we found ourselves on roads the Garmin did not know an out throwing it into recalculate mode. Also it tried to send us down roads that were not accessable anymore or roads that were questionable to drive on. This would not be so bad if there was an easy way to tell it to re-route which was not as simple as a push of a button. Adventures in Garmining. Again! 🙂

Our first stop of the day was Setenil de las Bodegas a town where deep overhangs were carved in the narrow gorge the river Rio Trejo ran thru. People have been taking advantage of these natural shelters since cave-dwelling societies and now houses have been built in taking advantage of the steady temperatures provided.

Our next stop on this hot day was Ronda noted for Puente Nuevo, a stone bridge spanning a dramatic gorge and Plaza de Toros, an 18th-century bullring. Earnest Hemingway and Orson Wells were frequent visitors to Ronda, Hemingway based sections of his novel For Whom the Bell Tolls on events that occurred here. The accounts of Hemingway and Wells (who is buried near Ronda) helped put this city on the international map.

In the overhangs in Setenil de las Bodegas.

The dark streaks on the rocks is smoke from prehistoric dwellers.

Setenil de las Bodegas

Puente Nuevo bridge spanning El Tajo canyon in Ronda.

El Tajo canyon in Ronda.

Syd in Ronda.

The view from Ronda.

Ronda

Plaza de toros de Ronda

In Plaza de toros de Ronda.

You can hide…

A fisheye of Plaza de toros de Ronda.

Plaza del Socorro in Ronda.

Setenil de las Bodegas in Cádiz, Spain. – Spherical Image – RICOH THETA

Puente Nuevo in Ronda, Spain. – Spherical Image – RICOH THETA

A different view of Plaza de toros de Ronda. – Spherical Image – RICOH THETA

So today we got busy with a drive to Córdoba. I will admit that I was a bit nervous about today, the drive (according to Google Maps) was about 2.5 hours in each direction to a city with a UNESCO World Heritage Site meaning busy with tourists. And we are still jet-lagged. But actually it went quite smooth, drive out was closer to 2 hours and for such a nice town it was a rather slow day, we where able to park easily and no crushing crowds. Grateful but where are the visitors?

Our main stop was The Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba, a very unique church. Started as a church it was both a mosque and a church for a while when Muslims conquered Spain in 711. This lasted ~70 years then the church was bought out and construction began on the original Grand Mosque. The mosque was expanded several times over the centuries and became its current size around 994. After Córdoba was conquered by King Ferdinand III the mosque was converted into a Catholic church and construction began down this path and continued until the late 18th century. Still used as a church, Muslims recently have been asking for permission to start worshiping inside again and have been denied by Spain and the Vatican.

The multiple expansions by different groups over many centuries gave this church a unique look. The arch design was influenced by aqueducts and triumphal arches in Rome and gave the building an open feeling in spite of its size. Interestingly not all the arches are made the same, The first construction was traditionally done with alternating white and red stones comprising the arches while the last expansion was “done on the cheap” and the arches are a single piece painted to look like stone to resemble the older parts of the building. Look in the pictures, you may be able to see the difference.

The drive back and jet lag kept us from hanging in Cordoba much after lunch so a revisit will be necessary. This is how trips get started…