Ronda, Spain
Spain Road Trip (Part IV)
Mirador upon Mirador!
Fun Fact San Diegans! Did you know that Balboa Park’s iconic Cabrillo Bridge was inspired by the Puente Nuevo bridge built in Ronda, Spain in the 1700’s?
The Puente Nuevo bridge seems to be one of the main attractions that people want to visit when they come to Ronda. I was more into seeing the town itself after hearing romantic memories of the place from my Grandma Glitter. It’s one of her favorite places and after spending some time there, I can see why. From the moment we crested the hilltop from Setenil we saw rolling green hills, deciduous orchards and vineyards adorned in autumn leaves and a bright blue sky. It was what we envisioned the Spanish countryside to look like, but better! Plus Winston’s head was out the window taking in all the new fresh smells.
Ronda, Spain
Pro-Tip: Stop in the town of Setenil de las Bodegas on your way in, or take a quick day trip from Ronda! You’ll visit a white-washed village built into the cliff sides of the town. Wander the streets and grab a bite to eat anywhere along Calle Cuevas del Sol (caves of the sun)!
We stayed in an adorable, dog-friendly airbnb that was perfectly situated within a 10 minute walk of mostly everything. It had a panoramic view of the valley and a pomegranate tree that still had a few fruits on it! Quick tip, I learned to cut the pom in half and submerge it in water to extract the seeds… so much easier this way! While like most of our stops on our road trip the weather was quite crisp, but despite the need to bundle up I fell in love with the town. It’s definitely small-town feels but the locals were welcoming and I just could not get over the views.
If you want a good view of the Puente Nuevo (translates to “new bridge”) I would suggest a hike down the El Tajo Gorge for a great view and backdrop. You can take the stairs down at Plaza de María Auxiliadora, you’ll pass a lookout but I would recommend that you keep going - it’s really crowded at this one and we had the pleasure of a personal speaker really bumping the 97’ hit “Come on Barbie, let’s go party…” so we were glad to find out there is a much better vibe and view further down the trail. Plus, there’s a beautiful arch to take pictures of your dog for next year’s fur calendar.
Other highlights include:
A Spanish Guitar concert by Palo Seco at the Casa Museo Don Bosco. It felt very intimate and the museum had unique architecture and an outdoor fountain with, again, great views!
The Plaza del Socorro is home to a charming white and yellow church among restaurants to take in the picturesque town square and recharge.
Museo Lara is full of artifacts, and has a very detailed torture and witchcraft area at the bottom level. Imagine what you will…
Glorieta Miki Haruta Gardens was a great spot for Winston to have a sniff among Ernest Hemingway and Orson Welles sculptures. There are also some extensive lookout points but they were so windy!
Locals love El Rincón de la Manzanilla for their Spanish barrels spouting sherry, moscato and vermouth (or “vermút” in Spain). Our favorite tapas spot was El Lechuguita. It could be described as a hole in the wall for how tiny it felt inside yet big enough that they let Winston in under the table. That’s one of the other things I have loved about Spain, it is so dog-friendly and many restaurants allow dogs inside! Anyway, back to the tapas that were all €1 each, which included a pork and cheese sandwich, mushrooms, goat cheese and raspberry jam toastie and even albondigas.
On our final day we drove out to LA Organic Olive Oil company for a tour and tastings. Of their 260+ varieties only five are used in their olive oils. We tried olives right off the trees to taste the different ages and types, a gamble I would not recommend. They were so bitter! Funny enough that bitter form is not altered when it comes to pressing them for oil, yet the flavor composition changes so much! While we’re used to wine tasting customs, it was our first time at an olive oil tasting. Warning to anyone going olive oil tasting, the method is a bit different. You take a sip and then press the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth while making a loud sucking sound. Being in the land of gorgeous, silky olive oil we’ve tried some since and can’t help but think of that sound and experience every time and just laugh!
