Ronda and Sentinel de las Bodegaa

Rod did not sleep…at… all! I was rather restless and too warm but still managed several hours of sleep before our early alarm to catch a tour by 8:05 am.

Today we are off to Ronda where bull fighting originated in 1784. And to Sentinel de las Bodegas where the village is built into the rock hillside.

Our first stop in Ronda was to a cathedral/convent dedicated to Saint Teresa. Apparently dictator Franco kept Saint Teresa’s mummified hand for 40 years as his good luck charm. Another place has her arm ?!? So people like to go in to see it as it may bring them good luck.

Ronda boasts the first and largest bull fighting ring at 66 meter diameter. However it has the smallest capacity for spectators. They only have one bullfight per year; the first week of September. For this occasion, women dress up in traditional dress to honor the tradition.

Ernest Hemingway and Orsen Wells were both good friends of Pedro Romero, the person who started the bullfighting. However they didn’t like each other. So to respect both, the statues point away from each other.
Pedro participated in 5000 bullfights with no injuries!

There are 27 varieties of wine from this area. One was from a monastery that the barefoot monks made. Later they sold the monastery and the wine is still made there.

Ronda has a population of 34,000 and NO traffic lights. A bridge from 1785 separates the old historical are from the new. It needs repairs due to vehicle traffic. It has shifted.

The smaller Roman bridge down below in the valley is from 125 AD. No repairs required! Such amazing construction!

We walked around from new to old and old back to new. On our way up the opposite side of the 1785 bridge, there was a huge class of VPK kids … so cute! Someone called out ‘Liam’. So Spanish Liam’s are a source of entertainment also 🤣

We had a lunch of chicken satay with basmati rice, octopus - very tender, and croquettes- spinach, mushroom and something else. It was all really good!

When I came out of the restaurant rest room, Joshna and Bob had bumped into Rod. They did the Sentinel tour this morning and were about to have lunch and then the Ronda tour we should get back to Malaga about the same time. We both leave tomorrow so we hope to have a visit this evening.

Another 30 min drive to Sentinel de las Bodegas. Incredible architecture! We had the good fortune of entering a resident’s home to look at the architecture for 1euro. He and his wife raised 4 kids in this ‘tiny’ home!
We tried the sweet orange wine that Spain is also known for. It was sweet but not like brandy.

Bus ride back was an hour and 50 mins. We walked back to hotel. Somehow amongst all the little narrow streets, Rod gets it right numerous times that we just end up on the corner beside our hotel! When we got back, Joshna text a location for dinner.

Our phones and internet connection have been a source of frustration this trip. We had just moved to a new phone service that was supposed to have an international calling plan. Thank goodness I had the company’s phone number in my recent calls from setting it up. The agent told us that apparently we had already used whatever allowance we had. So we purchased additional time and headed off for dinner.

We had great tapas - a chef’s choice mixed plate of chicken wings, peppers, paella, crawfish and something else. Another order of salmon ceviche with avocado and mango and plate of octopus (very tender) over potatoes. A few drinks and great conversation ensued! Joshna and ‘Bob’ live in New Jersey just across the border from Philadelphia. So we will definitely spend time together in the US.

Once we got back to our room, it was time to book the train to Granada, book a flamenco show - recommended event thanks to a friend from Pittsburgh. They are moving to Spain in the summer and had a great visit here last fall. He provided various suggestions for touring and helped me secure a hotel in a recommended area!!

Another beautiful day completed! Thank you Lord for all you have provided!

Love to all💕Læs mere