Ronda

North from Malaga, east from Sevilla, west from Granada and south from Cordoba (a.k.a. in the middle of nowhere) is a picturesque town of Ronda. One of Andalusia's "Pueblos Blancos", Ronda is a visual delight. The main attraction here is the gorge that splits the town into two halves. It is crossed by a bridge that joins the old town to the new. Rick Steves says Ronda "still has the charm, history, and nighttime magic to make it a good stop." These pictures were taken in May 1999.

Do Not Adjust Your Set: These pictures were taken in between 1997 and 1999 with a first generation digital camera. They are as big and as good as they'll ever get.

Built in 1785, the bullring in Ronda is one of the oldest and most important bullrings in Spain. The bull fights occur in the first two weeks in September. There are two kinds of seats: "Sol" for sun (cheaper); and "Sambra" for shade. Fans travel from all over the country for the unique atmosphere here. And millions watch the September bull fights on television.
The typically white houses and buildings of Ronda set among the trees.
The empty ring looks almost pristine. Check out the Bull Fighting Museum for a vicarious picture of the blood, the mud and the gore. With pictures, artwork, posters, costumes (and even the mounted heads of some of the "best bulls") it is a small museum not to be missed. An incomparable glimpse into the Spanish culture.
The gorge that splits Ronda. A deceptively small river cut the gorge over the centuries.
Much of the Palacio Mondragon was reconstructed after the Christian reconquest of Spain from the Moors. Today it's an interesting snapshot into 15th century Spain. This is a well in one of the interior courtyards.

About 22 km from Ronda is the town of Benaojan. Near here are the Pileta Caves. Since the caves at Altamira are closed today, these may be the best look you can get of pre-historic cave painting in Spain. A local farmer conducts the one hour tour of the caves. Visitors carry gas lanterns to illuminate the black and red cave paintings which are over 25,000 years old -- seven times older than the pyramids to put things into perspective.
The perfect end to a perfect day.