I was on my way out to celebrate the Eucharist at Calahonda at half past eight this morning, just after the rising sun had flooded the east facing vestibule of our apartment block with light that gave its black marble a numinous golden glow - a great start to the day. I noticed a group of people chatting animatedly in Spanish, eating breakfast together outside a cafe-bar at the the top corner of plaza san Rafael, near the barrio's covered market. Apart from this unexpected sign of life, the streets were quiet, few shops or eateries were yet open. It was too early for holidaymakers or foreign residents. It gave me a little glimpse of what local people do if they´re not busy at the weekend.
There were twenty plus at Calahonda, and two children made a presentation to the congregation at the end, which was received with enthusiastic applause. There were nearly sixty at Los Boliches, as more winter visitors arrive and settle in.
After lunch we drove to Ronda in bright afternoon sunshine on the slow scenic route over the Sierras de las Nieves on the N366 from Coin via El Burgo, a striking looking village that nestles beneath the sierras - seen here in the distance from the high vantage point of the Mirador del Guarda Forestale , up 900 metres above sea level.
We went up further from there to the so called Pass of the Wind ( it sounds funnier in English) at 1290 metres before descending to Ronda, which is 732 meres above sea level. For much of the route, the road is narrow, winding and challenging to drive because there are so many enchanting views to distract attention. We arrived at the Parador de Ronda an hour later than expected, but we still had a couple of hours of daylight left to look around and enjoy the sunset before dining in the Parador restaurant.
Ronda is situated on a huge limestone outcrop surrounded by a bowl of mountain peaks. The outcrop is divided by a huge limestone canyon forged by the rio Guadelvin, four hundred feet deep in places. The Parador sits on the edge of the cliff above the gorge next to the late eighteenth century puente nuevo bridge.
It used to be the town's Ajuntamiento building, and has been extensively modernised to provide high quality accommodation for visitors. Our room gave us a view over the western end of the gorge, gloriously lit by the setting sun. We dined in the Parador restaurant, and enjoyed a selection from a marvellous nouvelle cusine menu making the most of the local ingredients and traditional recipes.
There were twenty plus at Calahonda, and two children made a presentation to the congregation at the end, which was received with enthusiastic applause. There were nearly sixty at Los Boliches, as more winter visitors arrive and settle in.
After lunch we drove to Ronda in bright afternoon sunshine on the slow scenic route over the Sierras de las Nieves on the N366 from Coin via El Burgo, a striking looking village that nestles beneath the sierras - seen here in the distance from the high vantage point of the Mirador del Guarda Forestale , up 900 metres above sea level.
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