The architecture of Acros like so much of other places we visited, showed the influence of all the invasions it had suffered. The Phoenicians and Romans, the Moors and last of all the Christians tried to build their culture over what came previously. It was a popular spot because of its plentiful water and its superb defensive hilltop location. In about 1200 the moors were expelled and a gothic cathedral was built on the site.
We climbed up from the car park a steep, long set of steps up into the village. Then another set of even steeper steps took us us amongst the old houses and wound up to the church at the top. It was so easy to get lost up there. The church with its crenelations on the cliff side looked like a fort but when we got up to it it was a church that soared over the plaza. There was one house that so much reminded me of Trimiklini and it's rear entrance. Two small dogs lazed in the sun but almost became attach dogs as we approached. The old folk that live up this hill must have the strongest hearts in the country.
Just below the church there was an amazing school. It was housed in ancient buildings and the playground was a small marbelled terrace. True to form, a couple of the staff had nicked out into the lane with a cup of coffee and a smoke. They dashed in as the bell sounded.
From here we drove on to Ronda. The landscape was full of wide, sweeping valleys. Ancient ridges rose along the hill tops. The soil had been washed away and revealed a hard limestone kind of rock. I think Ronda's landscape is one of the great wonders of the world. Ronda is situated in a very mountainous area about 750 m above mean sea level. The Guadalevín River runs through the city, dividing it in two and carving out the steep, 100 plus meters deep El Tajo ravine. The town sits on top of this frightening drop and is surrounded by forests of umbrella pines.
Three bridges, Puente Romano ("Roman Bridge", also known as the Puente San Miguel), Puente Viejo ("Old Bridge" which is also know as the Arab Bridge") and Puente Nuevo ("New Bridge" .. and this is a joke as it was built in 1793), reach across the ravine. The Puente Nuevo is the tallest of the bridges, towering 120 metres above the ground. We went for a walk to see it in the drizzle, and honestly it was staggering. I have a terrible fear of heights. But I got as close to the edge as possible and reached the camera over the edge to get the view down. John says that he wants to do the climb down to the river tomorrow morning but I think there will be a parting of the ways if he goes ahead.
Ronda's original architecture was Roman as it was built as a fortified post in the Second Punic War. Numerous conquests followed and for a time it became the capital of a small kingdom ruled by the Berber Banu Ifran, the taifa of Ronda. We saw remnants of the Islamic architecture in a Berber tower that still stood a little way off the Main Street. The Christians added bits and pieces to make it into a bell tower for one of its churches.The Islamic domination of Ronda ended in 1485, when it was conquered by the Marquis of Cádiz after a siege. The Spanish decreed that all Muslims and Jews must either vacate the peninsula without their belongings or convert to Christianity. Many people claimed they converted to keep their possessions, while secretly they practised their religion. Considering how difficult it is to reach this place seems to have been in the wars ( literally). There was more mayhem during the Napoleonic wars. Later Ronda figured in the Spanish Civil War, and in one of my least favourite books ever, Hemingway's "For Whom the Bell Tolls", the 1936 execution of Fascist sympathisers in a village where they were thrown off a cliff, was believed to be modelled this scene on the actual events in Ronda.
In the 1800s the local Romero family played a main role in the development of modern Spanish bullfighting. They introduced things like the cape, or muleta, and a sword especially designed for the kill. The town is known as the birthplace of bullfighting and the oldest ring was across the road from our hotel. Ronda was a really elegant town and being within striking distance of the tourist Mecca along the south east coast, I thought it must be choked in summer.
There was a wonderful square lined with restaurants and we found a really lovely one for lunch. We has swish tapas, with smoked salmon, caviar, Iberian ham, and tortilla. We also had those lovely sweet little peppers stuffed with Mascarpone cheese. Yes, we also had beer. It was really lovely.
We thought we'd better go back to the hotel for a rest and then go back out at night. The bridges and gorge were floodlit and the sight really was something special. We then went on to a plaza restaurant for a great meal of melon and Iberian ham, then seafood paella. It was fabulous and the waiter gave us a complimentary chilled liqueur with our coffee.
We had a great hotel room in the centre of Ronda. It was actually two rooms and a marbelled bathroom with a spa. There were two TVs , a writing desk and lounge suite. We had a balcony that looked out to a lane bookended by a church at one end and the bullring at the other. off to Malagar by car on Wedneday.
