Crossing the
New Bridge in Ronda brought us into the old part of town called
La Cuidad. The streets are narrower and a little more charming due to the compactness of everything. We could easily imagine neighbors sharing conversations or cups of sugar between second story windows (or first story windows if you're British).
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Close enough to reach out and touch some one |
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Another charming street in the old part of town |
We soon came on the
Palacio del Marques de Savatierra. After the reconquest of the city in 1485, this house was
given to Don Vasco Martin de Salvatierra. In the late 1700s it underwent
extensive revisions. The doorway still dates from the 15th century and
features colonial symbols and imitations of pre-Columbian art from the
New World. The wrought iron is typical in the area, the Ronda forges being noted for such work. The sign nearby said that the patio is fabulous, but the
building was not open for touring.
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Palacio del Marques de Savatierra |
We walked a little bit downhill from here and discovered some nice views.
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View of the Old Bridge back into the newer part of town, include the Padre Jesus church |
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The same gorge spanned by the New Bridge |
On our path was the
Puerta de Felipe V, or the Archway of
Philip V. It was built in 1742 to replace one of the Muslim-era gates. The
spot was known as
Sillon del Moro or The Moor's Armchair, possibly
referring to the nice view he could contemplate?
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Puerta de Felipe V |
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View of the gorge |
The
Old Bridge was the main bridge for the city until the New Bridge was
built in the 18th century. This bridge was built in the 16th century to
link the Moorish settlement to the small marketplace. It has a view down onto the
Banos Arabes or Arab Baths built in the 13th century. Also, this bridge is used for lovers' locks like many other bridges in Europe.
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View of the even older Arab bridge and baths |
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Locks on the bridge |
Further back in town is the 14th century
Minarete de San Sebastian, which boasts a similar architectural style to the
Alhambra in Granada.
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Minarete de San Sebastian |
Further up the road is the main church in town. The
Collegiate Church of St. Mary of the Incarnation was originally a
mosque. In 1485 the Catholic monarchs had it consecrated as a Christian
church. Originally it was an abbey but over the years became a parish
church. After the earthquake of 1580 some renovations were made
incorporating Renaissance and baroque styles.
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Santa Maria la Mayor |
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Door of the church, not open when we visited |
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The minaret turned bell tower |
On the same plaza is the
Ayuntamiento or Town
Hall, which was originally barracks for the provincial militias in the 1700s.
Through the centuries it was abandoned and then used again by other
militias and by a cavalry troop. In the 20th century it was renovated for use as the town hall. The two upper floors are well lit by
the archways. The ground floor has almost no exterior illumination,
perhaps for protection.
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Town Hall |
Down one of the streets is a
small street chapel dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the dogmatic
declaration of the
Immaculate Conception (that Jeus's mother Mary was
conceived without sin). The plaque says it was installed in 2005, so it
is very recent, though in a more ancient style.
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Street chapel of Our Lady |
Further up we saw the
Casa del Gigante, or the Giant's House, which is now a museum.
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Casa del Gigante |
We stopped off for a really great tapas lunch at a small cafe in the middle of the old town. More on the food in its own post later.
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Our restaurant, Cafeteria la Veronica |
We went back over the New Bridge to get our car, but not before stopping for clearer photos and a little ice cream dessert for L.
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Puente Nuevo visible |
We also saw a bank with a rather interesting night deposit.
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L wants to feed the lion |
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J was less cautious |
The
drive back down the mountains was much clearer and more pleasant,
though still nerve-racking. We could see spectacular vistas off of the
cliff edges. At least, my wife could see spectacular vistas (and
possibly Gibraltar in the distance). I kept my eyes on the curves of the
road. We went back to the hotel for our standard afternoon of swimming in the pool and dinner in our room.
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