A Weekend in Ronda

Several years ago, we targeted the Málaga area as our preferred home base for a sabbatical year. Ever since that time, I have anticipated visiting nearby Ronda. Perhaps you will recognize this town, set atop two plateaus separated by a steep gorge and a waterfall, from the classic children’s book The Story of Ferdinand or from the more recent animated film Ferdinand. From the moment that I saw pictures of Ronda, it immediately went to the top of my “must-visit” list.

A view of Ronda from the movie Ferdinand.

The beauty of Ronda was shrouded on our journey toward the city, as our bus wound along steep mountain roads through the cold rain. We had a few hours to kill before checking into our AirBnb apartment and had not counted on dealing with inclement weather. To pass the time, we lingered in a café and I walked with the girls to the main bridge, Puente Nuevo, which separates new Ronda from the original city. Even in the rain, the gorge that separated the city was impressive, but the distant views were hidden.

After checking into our apartment, our main objective was staying warm. When we planned this excursion, I hadn’t really considered how cold it would be in Ronda in January. Ronda is located farther from the coast and at a higher elevation, which makes it significantly cooler than Fuengirola. Even so, the apartment was unheated and you could literally see your breath in the apartment. Luckily, there were plenty of warm blankets, so we spent the evening snuggling together on the couch.

Thankfully, the sun came out the next morning. Becky and I have been refining our travel with young children, and have learned that it is important to have a mix of family time and individual time to explore. We decided that I would have a few hours to explore in the morning and Becky would have a few hours to wander in the afternoon. In between, we had a scheduled tour at a nearby bull and horse farm.

My primary objective was to hike down the gorge to get a close up view of the waterfall. On the way to the point of descent, I was able to walk along the cliffs at the edge of Ronda. The view of rolling farms and distant mountain peaks was spectacular, too beautiful to be appropriately captured by camera. 

The view from the edge of Ronda

Even though the path down towards the waterfall was technically closed for construction, several other tourists were using it, so I squeezed past the fence that blocked the entrance. I was able to get a close up view of the falls and hiked all the way down to a parking lot at the bottom of the gorge. I was tempted to continue hiking along the river, but wanted to be able to meander through the rest of the original city before returning to meet up with the rest of the family. I enjoyed wandering through narrow winding streets and soaking in the view from several different vantage points before heading back to the apartment.

Puente Nuevo separates new Ronda from old Ronda and a waterfall roars underneath

We then caught a taxi to Reservatauro, a bull and horse farm that lies a few miles outside of Ronda. The farm is owned by a bullfighter or torero and is located within a beautiful conservation area. The farm strategically rotates the bulls and horses to protect the land. Although we only paid the normal rate, we were lucky to end up with a private tour. Our guide spoke in Spanish and I was mostly able to follow her explanations, though I was slightly distracted by Evelyn and Lydia.

We played around in the bull ring where they test the characteristics of the female cows. Interestingly, the male bulls only enter a bull ring once in their lives, when it is time for the bullfight. However, the farmers test the characteristics of the female cows to determine which ones will produce the best offspring for bullfighting.

We then spent quite a bit of time feeding the horses, which are also an important part of the bullfighting culture. The girls were most excited about seeing the horses and a farm dog named Lola. We rode around the farm and observed bulls at different ages. Contrary to popular belief, bulls are very tranquil and social animals. They only become aggressive when they are separated from the group. Bulls are not selected to participate in a bullfight until the reach four years of age and enjoy spacious surroundings in a natural habitat as they grow. Regardless of how one feels about bullfighting, it was interesting to observe that the bulls that are raised at Reservatauro enjoy a much better life than most of the livestock that end up on our plates.

Feeding the horses at Reservatauro

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Observing some bulls at Reservatauro

Ole! A torera in training.

After returning to Ronda, Becky enjoyed her opportunity to explore the city while the girls and I found the only playground in the city, or at least the only one that I observed. The playground had a trampoline built into the ground, much to Evelyn and Lydia’s delight. While Ronda is magnificently beautiful and wonderful to visit, it would not be a practical place for us to live. Fuengirola’s abundance of playgrounds, proximity to the beach, and other activities for families makes it much more practical for daily life. I also don’t know how we would make it through a winter in Ronda. While the day was warm and sunny, we spent another evening huddling up under blankets on the couch.

The next morning, we had time for one activity before heading back Fuengirola and we went to the Plaza de Toros, which is one of the most historic bullrings in Spain. The girls loved running around the ring with their new stuffed bull, Rafael, which they had purchased at Reservatauro the previous day. We also had the opportunity to observe students at the equestrian school, the second oldest riding school in Europe.

The Plaza de Toros in Ronda

A trainer works with a horse in the equestrian school, the second oldest in Europe.

On the way back to Fuengirola, we were able to better enjoy the views as we wove our way through the mountains. While it had been a quick weekend, the trip had been magical and we dreamed about possibly returning to Ronda someday in the future.