Wednesday, 26 March 2008
Recalling our previous drives to Ronda (twisty, crazy, frightening, guardrail-less switchbacks) we synchronized our GPS units and set off early, not wanting to drive back down the mountain in moonlight. Both of our families had experienced the drive to Ronda coming in from the south, which is one very hairy, be-sure-your-life-insurance-and-will-are-up-to-date experiences. However, our approach from the north was practically uneventful, a little disappointing, really, except for the shock of watching one tractor trailer pass another on a hill in the mountains! We entered Ronda through a newer section that I never realized existed and we did so in record time. We took in the bullring first, Plaza de Toros, one of Spain’s oldest and most important bullrings, as it is the Mecca for matadors from all over the country—a dream and a privilege to fight here. (CJ and Caroline will demonstrate a bullfight for you in the attached video.) The picturesque high cliffs are a favorite of Annie’s—she particularly enjoys the secure abutments from which we took many of our scenic photos. Today’s lunch was surely one of our best. When we stumbled upon some mothers collecting their children from school to go home for siesta, Annie stopped one and inquired about a place for lunch. At first, the lady directed us to McDonald’s. Once Annie made it clear that we wanted something more authentic, away from the tourist areas, she recommended Café San Francisco but felt that we would have to drive there (she clearly was unaware of our group’s expert hiking status). We made it on foot in 10 minutes and had the best lunch ever! Meandering the old bridges and walkways makes for fabulous exercise, but they really are a parent’s worst nightmare—decrepit railings and open stairs that shock any American accustomed to higher standards of safety or fearful of legal recourse. We wound our way along the city wall and stopped at the Arab baths. Contrary to Annie’s information however, the baths are no longer in use. Claire avoided journaling about the baths because she felt it would be an “inappropriate thing to share with the class.” This may have been generated from Chris’ comment to the kids to “look out for men in towels!” We left Ronda in hopes of a quick return trip to Osuna for dinner only to arrive home much later than desired because of GPS highjinx that resulted in a Formula 1 style ride home (those switchbacks with no guardrails that we thought we had avoided)…by moonlight! Our delayed arrival into Osuna was coupled with a frustrating search for dinner—this time, despite the late hour we could not find an open restaurant,! We finally managed to stumble into a place willing to serve our fiesta de nueve. Most entertaining was Chris inquiring of our waiter how to say “cow” in Spanish, which he communicated by “mooing.”
Recalling our previous drives to Ronda (twisty, crazy, frightening, guardrail-less switchbacks) we synchronized our GPS units and set off early, not wanting to drive back down the mountain in moonlight. Both of our families had experienced the drive to Ronda coming in from the south, which is one very hairy, be-sure-your-life-insurance-and-will-are-up-to-date experiences. However, our approach from the north was practically uneventful, a little disappointing, really, except for the shock of watching one tractor trailer pass another on a hill in the mountains! We entered Ronda through a newer section that I never realized existed and we did so in record time. We took in the bullring first, Plaza de Toros, one of Spain’s oldest and most important bullrings, as it is the Mecca for matadors from all over the country—a dream and a privilege to fight here. (CJ and Caroline will demonstrate a bullfight for you in the attached video.) The picturesque high cliffs are a favorite of Annie’s—she particularly enjoys the secure abutments from which we took many of our scenic photos. Today’s lunch was surely one of our best. When we stumbled upon some mothers collecting their children from school to go home for siesta, Annie stopped one and inquired about a place for lunch. At first, the lady directed us to McDonald’s. Once Annie made it clear that we wanted something more authentic, away from the tourist areas, she recommended Café San Francisco but felt that we would have to drive there (she clearly was unaware of our group’s expert hiking status). We made it on foot in 10 minutes and had the best lunch ever! Meandering the old bridges and walkways makes for fabulous exercise, but they really are a parent’s worst nightmare—decrepit railings and open stairs that shock any American accustomed to higher standards of safety or fearful of legal recourse. We wound our way along the city wall and stopped at the Arab baths. Contrary to Annie’s information however, the baths are no longer in use. Claire avoided journaling about the baths because she felt it would be an “inappropriate thing to share with the class.” This may have been generated from Chris’ comment to the kids to “look out for men in towels!” We left Ronda in hopes of a quick return trip to Osuna for dinner only to arrive home much later than desired because of GPS highjinx that resulted in a Formula 1 style ride home (those switchbacks with no guardrails that we thought we had avoided)…by moonlight! Our delayed arrival into Osuna was coupled with a frustrating search for dinner—this time, despite the late hour we could not find an open restaurant,! We finally managed to stumble into a place willing to serve our fiesta de nueve. Most entertaining was Chris inquiring of our waiter how to say “cow” in Spanish, which he communicated by “mooing.”
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