Ronda - In which I climb some more mountains and gawk at a bridge

Sevilla is a pretty good springboard for a lot of Andalucía, so on Sunday Nick and I went to see Ronda. This cute little hill town in Málaga boasts absolutely amazing views, a rich history, and adorable roads to wander through. Before we even found the touristy section of town, we stopped at a park that perfectly showed off the natural beauty of this place. Although it looks like the town is on a plateau as you approach it by bus, it is actually built on the side of a cliff, something you become increasingly aware of as you explore the many "miradores," or viewing points. 

The old town and the new town is divided by an incredibly beautiful bridge over a deep gorge. Though the bridge is crowded with tourist traffic between the new town with the bus station and the old town, with the museums and restaurants, locals still take time to sit on the beautiful benches overlooking the mountains and people watch as foreigners peak curiously around the corners of their town.

 

This bridge is no joke, however. The drop is absolutely breathtaking as is the view of the bridge itself. It is best obtained by hiking down the side of the cliff, a thrill which is mostly taken by the young as the path can get a bit steep and rocky and the trek back up takes your breath away, but not in the fun "this is so beautiful" kind of way. However, it is well worth the effort.

 

Below the bridge is a beautiful pool of view clear, bluish green water. If you look closely enough, you can see the algae growing on the rocks feet beneath the water surface.

 

The natural beauty is perfectly complemented by the beauty of the town. With many winding roads and old white buildings, it is a charming village to get lost in, with hidden gems around every corner.

 Ronda has done a good job of capitalizing on its many views by creating lots of viewing points, parks, and multi-layered gardens from which you can see the mountains, their many bridges, and the water below. This was by far one of my favorite day trips. If I sound a built like a travel guide advertising a vacation, it is only because I was so enamored with Ronda while visiting it. It's true, I'm a sucker for anything in a mountain range, but the added charm of the town simply made this a stop that I would recommend to anyone who wants to see Andalucía.

Sevilla - In which I find a galaxy far far away and my future palace

This past weekend I spent Friday and Saturday in Sevilla, the capital city of Andalucía. I've heard this place described as "like Córdoba, only more Córdoba," and since I adore this city needless to say I was very excited. Having visited, I am not sure I totally agree. There are certain things that are similar, but I found Sevilla to have a very different personality. Regardless, I was charmed by Sevilla in ways that I was not expecting. 

The first unexpected charm: Naboo. Anyone who has tried to introduce me to Star Wars will cringe as I say this, but I still don't get it. I don't understand the hype. I was amused by episodes 4, 5, and 6, but 1, 2, and 3 were a bit of a struggle. Regardless, my first introduction to Sevilla came from this second trilogy. The Plaza de España was used to film parts of Star Wars, namely Naboo, and was also used as a setting in Lawrence of Arabia. So my first introduction to Sevilla came through the movies that I watched.

 The plaza is actually part of the series of buildings created for the World's Fairs in Sevilla. There were two of them. This is by far the gem in the crown of these unique little buildings. The four bridges represent the four kingdoms united in Spain under Ferdinand and Isabella, and during the daytime you can hear the clatter of castanets as street vendors try to convince you to buy colorful fans and visitors in rowboats travel around the small channel.

 

The second charm: the famous cathedral, which the creators planned on making so large that people would take them for madmen. They accomplished their goal. Although the inside is beautiful and impressively expansive, it did feel a lot like the other cathedrals that I have visited. I suppose I am beginning to be spoiled with the beauty of churches in Europe.

 However, this cathedral, like the one in Córdoba, is built where there was a mosque. Unlike Córdoba, the mosque was destroyed, except for the beautiful tower, the Giralda. If you climb up 34 ramps, designed for a horse to climb so that the person to deliver the call to prayer 5 times a day wouldn't have to climb it on his own, you get an incredible view of the city. But the view is even better at night, looking up at the Giralda.

 Inside the cathedral, you can find the tomb of Christopher Columbus. There isn't a lot of him left, but his box is still pretty impressive.

 We also visited the palace right next to the cathedral. Decorated in true Arabic style, it is truly a gem and one of my favorite places so far. I promptly decided I would live in such a place when I grow up and busied myself exploring the expansive and beautiful gardens.

 Underneath the palace, off of the gardens, is the beautiful set of Arabic baths.

 Sevilla isn't just special for the beautiful sights but for the people. This place is famous for its Flamenco, and I found it in bars and also on the streets.

 Sevilla is also on the same river as Córdoba, the Guadalquivir, but here it is a much larger, navigable river. It was really important for ships back in the day. One of my favorite landmarks along the river is El Torre de Oro, that has a naval museum and a pretty decent view from the top.

 Finally, in my downtime, I spent a considerable amount of time wandering through the Barrio Santa Cruz, which is the old Jewish Quarter of the city. While I prefer the Judería in Córdoba, this section of town was filled with adorable plazas, cute stores, and a great sense of romance.

In which I discover you really don't need a car and do a little bit more living

 Last Saturday I was lucky enough to be invited by my conversation partner to go on a hike. It was Día de Andalucía, so all of the stores were closed, there was a parade of horses through town, and by some gift from the gods the weather was perfection. A group of translators, teachers, and students met in the center of town, and rather than drive to the mountain to go for a hike, the intrepid natives led us on a path out of the city, to the foot of the mountain, and then promptly up it. The truth is I have never straight walked out of a city before. This was a completely new experience for me.

 On the last hike I went on, we drove to the hermitage, with the statue watching over Córdoba. It was closed that time, and it was closed this time, but when the groundskeeper heard that we had people from Spain, America, England, and Germany, he let us take a sneak peak for five minutes. I no longer believe the statue is San Rafael. It looks like Jesus to me.

 The views from the top of the mountain were beautiful.

 Also, over the fence there were a bunch of cacti. It's a strange mix of plant life here: palm trees, flowers, cacti. But a good number of the people who have visited before left their mark on the landscape.

 The day after, as a reward for hiking through the cave and also up a mountain, I went with a group of friends to the Arab Baths. This is just the waiting room, but the baths are absolutely beautiful. When you walk in, there are three rooms: one with cold baths, another with a warmer larger bath that most people soak in, and another room with jacuzzis and a sauna. Archways like those in the Mezquita line all of the pools, and the sent of incense and also the massage oil fills the air as you are lulled into relaxation by steam, ambient lighting, and Arabic music. It was my first spa experience, and it certainly didn't disappoint.

 Life isn't all play though (but mostly) and every once in a while I have to do some homework. I tried the Cappuccino at my favorite cafe, OMundo, only to discover the best whipped cream ever to be placed on coffee.

 In art class, we have been studying Baroque architecture and have also started talking about sculptures. We made a visit to the Brick Church to look at the altar piece, but I was fascinated by the sculptures throughout the church. Especially as Semana Santa approaches, these figures are going to become very important.