Gutters, Gelato and a Gorge: Our Arrival in Ronda

Is chocolate cake a breakfast item?

We started the day with breakfast at the hotel – nothing too out of the ordinary, although in addition to the normal options I did have a piece of chocolate cake. Surely if one was not meant to have chocolate cake, they wouldn’t include it in the buffet. Aron was not feeling 100% though and only had a nibble of a piece of toast.

The Great Car Hunt (and Escape)

We checked out, grabbed a taxi and headed for the train station to pick up the hire car. This should’ve been simple, but of course the rental company wasn’t located alongside the other five lined up in a neat row. After a bit of wandering around, we finally found it tucked away on the other side of the train station with all the signage of a secret club. Paperwork sorted, we got the keys and then faced the first challenge – getting the car out of the underground car park. Let’s just say it was a tight squeeze, and our SUV didn’t exactly glide out like it was on rails.

Boiling roads and bumpy arrivals

Once we were out, it was straight on the road to Ronda – about a 90-minute drive inland. We stopped at a petrol station about 30 minutes into the drive to get some water and snacks. Seeing a guy playing the pokies at a service station was an eye-opener. We continued on, scenic and winding, but also absolutely boiling. It hit 37°C at one point, and we were grateful we hadn’t gone through with our original plan to hike Caminito del Rey. We would have melted before reaching the suspension bridge.

Arriving in Ronda was… interesting. Narrow streets, pedestrians darting about everywhere, and I managed to hit not one, not two, but three gutters before we’d even found the hotel. No pedestrians hit, thankfully, though it wasn’t for lack of opportunity – they were everywhere.

Parking like a local (barely)

We parked out the front of the hotel space, in the narrow street, and Ros went to a restaurant next door to the hotel to ask about how to access it. The woman there claimed to not know of the hotel. She was therefore, from that moment on, mortal enemy #1 to Ros.

We dropped our bags at the hotel and then headed to park the car. This turned out to be in what must be the tightest, smallest car park in all of Spain. Driving an SUV into that space felt like trying to squeeze a watermelon into a coffee mug. We got the absolute last car park – the car in front of us had a choice of two, that one and the one they ended up taking. I can understand why – the other person was well over the line on an angle. Oh well, not my problem, I was safely within my lines!

Gelato, tapas and a much-needed siesta

On the walk back to the hotel, we rewarded ourselves with gelato – very necessary at this point. Then we found a local spot for tapas – bit of a late lunch, and well worth the wait.

After that, it was time for a siesta. Heat, hills and gutters had taken it out of us.

Fernando, Achilles and unexpected affection

Later in the afternoon, Fernando arrived with his and Aron’s dog, Achilles, in tow. We hadn’t met Achilles before, but he seemed to take a liking to us, especially me. He would lick my arm and then try and hump it!

Incense, drums and the Virgin of Ronda

Just as we were heading out again, we got swept up in a religious procession through the old town. It turned out to be the 75th anniversary of a procession for the Virgin – drums, incense, flowers, and the whole community out to watch. It was unexpected and beautiful in that very Spanish, very Ronda way.

Golden light and the reason we travel

Dinner was more tapas at a local place the lady at the hotel told us about – simple, tasty food, easy on the wallet – the kind of meal where everything just works without trying too hard.

Back to the room afterwards where I set up the tripod and took some sunset shots. The view from our place is incredible – the gorge lit up in golden light, the bridge glowing, and the town slowly slipping into evening. One of those moments that reminds you why you come to places like this.