Plaza de Toros de Ronda

My final set of photos from Ronda are from the oldest bullring in Spain.

Plaza de Toros de Ronda is considered home of the modern style of bullfighting.

It was built in 1785 and houses a bullfighting museum.

Bullfighting is deeply embedded in Spanish culture but

an actual bullfight is not something I would ever sit through.

This is the end of my tour of Ronda, Spain.

So many of you have sent emails and left comments that you've now added Ronda

to your list of must-see cities.

That absolutely thrills me!  

The travel blogs that I love are the ones that inspire me to travel.

I hope that is what my blog does for you.

Your comments and emails always make my day.

Thank you so much!!

I will be back next week with some much wordier posts.

(Hopefully, that won't scare you off.)

Have a fantastic weekend!

TWITTER | FACEBOOK | PINTEREST | SUBSCRIBE | BLOGLOVIN

This was a personal holiday.  All opinions, photos and writing are my own.

This post is not in partnership with any business or organization.
As always, I promise to be open, honest and transparent with my readers.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. 

Church of Santa Maria la Mayor de Ronda

The move is progressing along slowly.

I'm sure you don't want all the details, but the end is in sight

and once we have the internet all will be well.

After trying three places, I've finally found a cafe with working wi-fi.

With the obligatory purchases, I've had two diet cokes and a coffee... 

major caffeine buzz going!

I will leave you with photos from a captivating church that we visited in Old Town Ronda.

The Church of Santa Maria la Mayor has a long and interesting history. 

I hope you will follow the link and read a bit more.

I'm always so in awe of what people are inspired to create by their faith.

 

Have a wonderful week!

I look forward to things getting back to normal soon.

TWITTER | FACEBOOK | PINTEREST | SUBSCRIBE | BLOGLOVIN

This was a personal holiday.  All opinions, photos and writing are my own.

This post is not in partnership with any business or organization.
As always, I promise to be open, honest and transparent with my readers.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.  

Museo de Ronda

We are moving house.  And I'm sure you can relate to what all that entails.

I'm completely charmed by our new house and can't wait to get settled.

But, in the mean time we are back-and-forthing, packing-unpacking and sweating.

I'm so glad summer has arrived in London, but temperatures in the 80's

and no air conditioning adds a whole new element to this moving thing.

There have only been a few sense of humor failures and we are almost done. 

Tonight will be our first night in the new place and we won't have internet for another week.

I'm not sure how I'm going to function properly.

I anticipate quickly finding a coffee shop close by with free wi-fi.

So this week I'll be leaving you with mostly photos featuring sites we visited in Ronda.

Just a few more reasons to add Ronda to your list of places you must visit.  

The first is the Mondragón Palace.

While exploring Ronda's old city center, we took about an hour to explore the Palace

which is also home to the Museum of the City.  Admission was only €3 each.

It was once the home of a Moorish king.  It's a small but absolutely alluring space with courtyards and more spectacular views of the Spanish countryside.  

Isn't it beautiful?  I can't tell you how happy I am to be sharing our experiences in Spain with you.

And your comments and tweets just reinforce my thoughts about this spectacular country.

I plan to be back live next week with a post about our rental and moving experiences in London, a peek of our new place  and an 18 month Well-Expat checkup to share what I've learned in the past year and a half about this whole expat life.

You can connect with me on Bloglovin and follow along.

I'll be checking in as often as I can on Twitter and Instagram until we are back online.

Have a wonderful week!

TWITTER | FACEBOOK | PINTEREST | SUBSCRIBE | BLOGLOVIN

This was a personal holiday.  All opinions, photos and writing are my own.

This post is not in partnership with any business or organization.
As always, I promise to be open, honest and transparent with my readers.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.  

A Moment in Ronda

I'm not sure why I reacted the way that I did.

It was such a visceral response.  I felt it to my core.

It wasn't the first time I'd seen that view.  Not even the second or third time we'd crossed

high above this gorge.

It was our second day in Ronda and I couldn't get enough of this beautiful Spanish city.

I'm terrified of heights.  But, I was somehow drawn to this dramatic gash in the earth

that separates the New City from the Old City.

The lifeline that so enduringly connects the two halves is called the Puente Nuevo, the new bridge.

Which is amusing since the bridge, that took over forty years to build, was finished in 1793.  

It's not a very long bridge.  It just takes a few minutes to cross.

I admit that I hastened my step each time I crossed, trying to not think too much about the 390 foot drop on either side.

I'd already taken hundreds of pictures of this place,

frustrated that I just couldn't quite capture the beauty with my camera.

This time I didn't even get my camera out as we neared the bridge to return to our hotel on the opposite side.

The clouds from the previous day were starting to scatter letting the rays shine 

through as the sun started to set for the day.  

I approached the bridge, stepped onto the sidewalk and placed my hands on the rough, cold stone.

I popped up onto my tippy toes to have another look over the edge.

As I looked out, I actually gasped.  My eyes welled with tears of absolute joy and time stood still.

I was the only person on earth. It was just me and this place.

The slanted sunbeams of the setting sun were breaking through the clouds.

The narrow river glistened below and everything between was sparkling with magic.

A group of graceful birds where swooping around below me

and I thought how odd it was to see a bird from that angle, from above rather than below.

I don't think I've ever had an experience like it.

It showed me the true definition of the word breathtaking.

And I realized at that moment, that it didn't matter about the camera.

Because, I will never forget that moment as long as I live.

 "There is nothing that is more startling in Spain than this wild and mountainous city."

- Rainer Maria Rilke

 

These are some of the many photos that I took of the majestic landscape of Ronda.

I'm almost embarrassed to post them, because they just don't do it justice.

I'm so thankful for my time there.  You know how I love a good Travel Moment!

And I'm not even done with Spain yet.

I still have a bullring, church, villa and the white villages to show you.

I'm loving all of your tweets, Facebook posts and comments about Spain.

She obviously makes an impression on everyone.

Tell me about your Spain.  I'd love to hear how she's touched you.  

TWITTER | FACEBOOK | PINTEREST | SUBSCRIBE | BLOGLOVIN

This was a personal holiday.  All opinions, photos and writing are my own except as noted otherwise.

This post is not in partnership with any business or organization.
As always, I promise to be open, honest and transparent with my readers.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.