Iglesia de la Inmaculada Concepción

From Ronda, Tulio drove us to Mijas … a little more than an hour away. Trust me, you didn’t want to hear Enrique singing the song that popped into our minds when he described our route through the mountain as a “long and winding road.”

A quick stop along the way gave us a chance for a distant glimpse of the Rock of Gibraltar veiled by haze. Along our route, the Mediterranean kept us company as we drove through one of the playgrounds that draw the rich and famous to Spain … Marbella.

Known as the “White Village” due to its white-washed buildings, Mijas is described as being on the Costa del Sol. It would be more accurate to say, however, that it overlooks the coast since it sits high up in the foothills of the limestone mountains known as Sierra de Mijas. The mountains are said to be the “green lung of the Costa del Sol.” At only 1,476 feet above sea level — about half that of Ronda — it wasn’t nearly as cool in Mijas as it had been in Ronda. Nor as windy. And the sun was shining here to keep us comfortably warm as we wandered around.

The town was founded in prehistoric times by the Tartessians. From what I read later, the fortifications we saw around Mijas are from the original defenses built to protect the town. As was the case with Ronda, a number of other cultures settled here through the centuries, including the Moors. In fact, the village owes its name to the Moors, who abbreviated the original name of Tamisa to Mixa … which then became Mijas.

From the observation terrace near the Town Hall — our drop off point — we headed off on our own. We had two hours to see what we could see.

Photo ops around the observation terrace led us over to a viewpoint to check out the 17th century Shrine of the Virgen de la Peña, aka the Virgin of the Rock … built into a cave that was excavated by a Carmelite Monk. Tradition has it that the cave was discovered in 1586 by two shepherd children who were guided to the place by a dove.

One of the things Mijas is known for is its donkeys. The Andalusian donkey is a native breed that is bigger than others. These animals were used to carry goods from he coast … which were then distributed around the mountain villages. If Enrique is to be believed, Mijas’s “donkey taxi” — basically a cart pulled by a donkey — became a “thing” because tourists kept asking to take photos of the animals and ride them around town.

A meandering stroll took us into narrow streets, the flower pots decorating the side walls of the buildings charming us and adding color to an otherwise all-white streetscape. We made our way to another terrace overlooking the backside of the village … quieter here than the center of town, which was a hubbub of activity with tourists shopping and filling up cafés and restaurants. Passing by the Plaza de Toros of Mijas, we made our way back to the meeting point, stopping along the way to get a sweet treat from a gelateria.

The return drive to Málaga followed yet another route … via the highway this time. The drive was about 45 minutes long … the shortest of the day. As promised, we were back at the port terminal at 4:30p. Through the security checkpoint without delay; then onto the shuttle bus that was about to depart the terminal to take passengers back to Oosterdam.

We made such good time getting back to the ship that we decided to quickly freshen up and head to the dining room at 5:00p. After all, except for the gelato, we’d not had time to eat during the tour. Our tummies were registering their complaint.

We had just placed our order when the Master of the Vessel ding-donged into the dining room. Oh oh!Read more