Bridges And Gorges

 

We leave Malaga and head out into the Andulucia countryside. For some reason, I guess I always thought southeastern Spain was flat, desert like, and beachy. I was definitely wrong. There were lots and lots of very big hills, perhaps we could even call them mountains. 

Our next stop is the town of Rondo. Rondo is a mountain village which sits on top of a 300 foot deep gorge called El Tajo. El Tajo seperates the 15^th century new town from the Moorish old town. The Puente Nuevo (New Bridge) was completed in 1793. During the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), Rondo became the symbol of the era's violence where the Republican partisans executed the Nationalist sypathizers by throwing them from the city's cliffs into the El Tajo gorge. Hemingway sourced some of “For Whom The Bell Tolls” on this violent act. Fun Fact: Although Hemingway was a huge fan of Rondo, Orson Welles must have loved it even more as his ashes were eventually placed on a rural estate near the city.  

Of course that history is not why going to Rondo was high on my list of sights to see.  I had seen so many pictures of the New Bridge that it intrigued me to no end.  I walked across the bridge often during my time in Rondo. There was the opportunity to descend down into the gorge and get a beautiful view of the bridge.

I must admit, I only walked about half way down into the gorge. 
There was all that Up that I would have had to deal with later otherwise. 

The Puente Viejo (Old Bridge) is over on the right side of the picture.  It was built in 1616. 

You can't be in Spain without seeing a church.  This particular church, the Iglesia de Santa Maria la Mayor was built on the site of Ronda's former main mosque.  You could climb up to the ramparts and overlook the city. (Churches don't have ramparts, I just like the name - this church just had a walkway that circled the outside of the church way up high)

This is Santa Maria la Mayor which was built on the site of Ronda's former main mosque.

The Arab Baths
These were steam baths, not Roman-style pools.
It was a combination of bathhouse, spa and community center. 

The Casa Consistorial de Ronda - the Rondo Town Hall

One of the nights we were in Rondo, the tour organized a dinner at a restaurant.  When we arrived, we found a long table set right out in the middle of the street.

This is the Plaza del Toros - one of the oldest and largest bullfighting rings in Spain.  Hemingway spent a great deal of time here, soaking up the culture.  There is a museum here that explains not only the history of bullfighting but also dealt with Spanish horsemanship and military traditions.  In this particular stadium, there is only one major bullfighting festival in a year.  Still too many for my taste, but there you have it. 

Our last night in Rondo we dined alfresco next to the Puente Neuvo