Malaga and trip to Ronda
17th September 2023
We entered the large harbour at Malaga at around 7 am and were docked securely by 8 am.
It is still pretty dark at 7 am
Sunrise is at around 8 am as we are disembarking to board our bus for today's shore excursion which is to the historic mountain city of Ronda. The tour is going to take 8 hours including transport, so we will not get much of an opportunity to enjoy Costa Del Sol and Malaga City.
However our bus takes us through the city to reach the highway, so we at least get a feel for Malaga, which looks like a very nice place.
The Alcazaba of Malaga is a fortress in the centre of Malaga overlooking the port
It was possible to take a few photos from the bus as we drove through town, but the overwhelming impression was how quiet the streets are as it is Sunday morning.
Once out of the city, agriculture took over the landscape. There are lots of citrus and olive tree plantations along the route to Rondo.
Large plantations of orange and lemon trees
Oranges grown are not for table consumption, as they are quite bitter, but are apparently ideal for making marmalade, most of which is exported. The history of this industry goes back to the early days of shipping when it was a good source of vitamin C, and marmalade was a great way of storing it.
About an hour out of Malaga the customary comfort stop was needed. The preferred spot for bus tours is a convenient spot with good toilet facilities but with an unforgettable aroma of a nearby piggery.
Plenty of ham for breakfast
The countryside is very dry but dotted with olive and orange trees
After around 1.5 hours we arrive in Ronda, parking at a bus station on the very edge of the new town. From there onwards, the tour is on foot. Initially we go through the new town, before crossing over the canyon to the old settlement.
Promises of a fine day with a maximum of 28 C and minimal chance of rain are shattered when arrive at Ronda where it feels like it will be lucky to get to 20 C and some rain is a certainty. A light drizzle soon arrives and is intermittent throughout the day.
Ronda has a population of around 35,000 and is renowned for it's cliffside location overlooking a deep gorge through which the Guadalevin river flows (or trickles). It was first settled by the Celts in 6th Century BC, so there is plenty of history here. Throughout it's long history it was influened by settlement of the Romans,the Visigoths, the Moors and the Christians.
A bit of street art brightens up the bus station area
After quite a walk through the back streets we arrive at the first highlight of the tour, a massive park, located on the edge of the canyon, with great views from it's balconies.
Our Guide Carmen, alongside Monumento a la Dama Goyesca
Looking into the canyon from the park
Farms at the bottom of the canyon
In 1573, the Brotherhood of Knights of the Holy Spirit was founded in Ronda, in response to King Phillip 11's decree that leading citizens and nobles organise militias for the defence of the territory. The brotherhood was later named Maestranza de Caballeria (School of Cavalry).
Plaza de Toros de Ronda was built in 1785 and is one of the oldest bullrings in Spain. It was financed by Maestranza and was the first stone-built structure for the celebration of equestrian spectacles and bullfighting in Spain.
The Maestranza added further to Ronda's development co-financing the construction of Puente Nuevo (a bridge linking the new and old towns across the canyon) and Alameda Park.
We plan to have a detailed visit to the bullring in our free time.
Plaza de Toros (rear of the bullring)
One of the viewing platforms
Looking across the canyon to the Old Town
The is a river down there somewhere
Puente Nuevo linking the old and new towns was completed in 1793.
Heading around the cliff face toward the bridge we pass a Paradores, one of the many old historic buildings in Spain that was converted into a 4 to 5 star hotel during Franco's reign to get better utilisation of Spain's surplus of historic buildings. Parador de Ronda was previously the Town Hall and food market of the city.
Parador de Ronda
It faces a nice square on the New Town side of Puente Nuevo
Crossing the bridge to the old town, the rain becomes a bit more persistent, but it is only light so we continue on.
From the new bridge we could see Puente Viejo (old bridge) which is built in 1616 at a much lower level in the canyon and is now just a pedestrian bridge.
The Old town perched on the cliff edge
Our guide taking us into the old town
The wider streets of the new town are quickly replaced by narrow cobblestone lanes between rows of whitewashed houses.
Orange trees get plenty of ornamental use in the town
We enter a large square, which has obviously been modernised, Plaza Duquesa de Pascent. Facing the square are the Town hall and the Cathedral
Park in the middle of the plaza
The Town Hall
The Church of Our Lady of Mercy (Ronda's cathedral)
The Church was originally a Mosque and went through various transformations and additions. The Moorish architecture shows through in this part of the church which has the appearance on a minaret. Badly damaged by an earthquake in 1850, the church exhibits a number of different architectural styles as it expanded.
This section was reconstructed after the earthquake.
Lunch time has arrived and it is time to go back over the bridge into the new town to have lunch in a local restaurant which is opposite the bullring.
Our restaurant is named after one of Ronda's most famous bullfighters, Pedro Romero. There are many references to him around the city. He inaugurated the bullring Real Maestranza in Ronda in 1785 and was a local hero. He fought 5,000 bulls over his career and was never injured.
We had a 3 course Spanish lunch, with Paella as the main course, washed down with some local red wine. It was a nice meal.
After lunch we have about an hours free time and we decide to investigate the bullring complex which is just across the road from the restaurant. For a modest 9 Euro entry fee we enter the complex, only to realise just how large it really is.
Within the complex was also a riding school where people were taught the finer points of equestrian skills, through the Real Maestranza de Caballeria (the Royal Riding School). This area is devoted to dressage.
There are stables
Holding pens for the bulls
Passages to release the bulls through
The Bull ring is a spectacular 66 m in diameter with seating for 5000 patrons
The complex also housed a museum devoted to the equestrian school and bull fighting history of the complex and a souvenir store on the way out.
Having absorbed our share of bull fighting history, we ventured back out into the new town to have a quick look around before meeting up with our guide for the bus trip back to the ship.
Most of this mornings focus was the historical part of the city, so it was nice to also have a look around the more commercial part of the city.
Departure from Malaga is scheduled for 6 pm, and fortunately we are back on board just before 5 pm, so have enough time to have a shower and be back up at the Explorers Bar by 6 pm to see the departure.
Tomorrow we will be in Cartagena, Murcia.
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