"A Little Down...A Lot More Up...in Ronda"

There were two more things on my Spain bucket list, the first was in Ronda, a town perched across a chasm with a famous bridge joining the two sides. I saw a picture of the bridge several years ago and vowed I would go see it. It tied in well with the second bucket list item, so off I went to Ronda. The road to Ronda was a twisting mountain road, the scenery was beautiful.  I'm constantly amazed at how different Spain has looked in my trip from north to south.

I set off from my campground about two miles from the city center and started the hike to the chasm and its bridge. It was easy walking, the road was all downhill.  I turned off the road to see Villa Apolo, only a half mile or so out of my way. I had no idea what it was, but it was on the map and piqued my interest. I first saw the old Moorish torre that stands near it, and veered off the road and through the woods to see the Villa and torre. When I saw the Villa, my first thought was "I wonder why?" Judging from the ornate facade,  it must have been quite the little palace in its day. I couldn't imagine what circumstances could lead to a house like this falling into such decay.

Little was left standing other than the front, the rest was falling in on itself.  There were also remains of a swimming pool and tennis courts. I then went to see the Torre, and it is still in great shape considering it's about a 1000 years old. Of course someone has been along to tag it with some graffiti,  but even the steps inside are still there to take you to the top. They were, of course, missing any sort of railing but were wide enough that it was reasonably safe. I climbed to the top and was rewarded with beautiful views of the city and the chasm, I wasn't at the right angle to see the bridge yet though.

I returned to the road and started off again, making my way to just before the city gates, where I turned off on a cobblestone road that led down into the valley. I knew this road would take me to a spot I could hike up to the bridge. I wasn't too thrilled about how far down it took me though,  knowing that I would have to go back up somehow! I finally reached a spot where I got my first look at the chasm and it's bridge. The sight was everything I had hoped for, truly one of the most beautiful views I have ever seen. It was still quite a ways away, so I set off on a steep trail leading to it. Steep...very steep, and I only hoped it was the right trail.

My perseverance paid off when I eventually crested a hill and got the picture postcard view, one that only can be seen by the few who take the hike. I will say that I was a good 30 years older than anyone else I encountered who had done the hike, makes me kind of proud of myself! I found other paths leading down around the side, looking into the pool at the base of the waterfall, Yes, it also has a gorgeous waterfall under the bridge, several actually.  I spent a couple of hours just taking it all in. In one spot, you have to walk across a concrete bridge about two feet across, with one side being a cliff, to get the view.  That made me a little nervous! I had to laugh when several people actually refused to do it, can't say that I really blame them.

I finally made the climb to city level, and then wandered around the city a bit. I was too tired to take it all in at that point though,  so I decided to walk back to the campground.  I stopped first and picked up some water and cokes,  then set off on my walk home. Which I had forgotten was all uphill, and now I was tired and carrying a ridiculous amount of weight. It was nearly two miles, uphill. I literally thought I wouldn't make it. I finally got there and collapsed for the rest of the night.  I did return the next day, saw a nice church and climbed to its roof. Saw several other buildings and fountains, the usual Spanish old city.

For once, seeing something in real life managed to live up to everything I had hoped. You never know, but it is certainly worth the effort to find out.