Off to Ronda! This is one of my favorite places in southern Spain. It is also the source of nightmares I had leading up to it. As you’ll see, Ronda is famous for being built across a huge gorge. Until the bridge (which Linus is standing on here) was built, it was actually two towns. The citizens could only visit each other by trekking down and then up. What frightened me was knowing the during the civil war, people where tossed off the bridge. I kept picturing a child getting away from me… Well, you can imagine. I’m such a worrier it’s not even funny. Wonder where I get that… Anyway, in the end of course there was nothing to worry about. Everything is perfectly safe, and the kids know what they’re doing.
That’s not the bottom – that’s the bridge below the bridge…
Everyone looks a little dazed because it’s cold! We forgot that Ronda was so high up in the mountains and didn’t wear heavier coats.
There you go – now you can see the source of my terror! But isn’t it beautiful? Here we’ve climbed down a winding road. We’re not even close to the bottom, but it was as far as I was willing to go knowing that Linus was likely to insist that I carry him back up (he didn’t!).
These kids are so tough! They must have walked several miles each day. I don’t know other one- and three-year-olds who can do that. What I can’t understand is how Linus manages to do it while eating almost nothing. I guess that’s why he’s so skinny.
Here’s the view from the path by the bridge.
It’s kind of incredible that folks in medieval times decided to build towns in such places. Maybe it was a defensive move? You’d only have to keep on eye on one side.
Walking around, looking for someplace to eat when it’s not Spanish lunchtime yet.
Here’s Linus all sullen while we’re eating. I really can’t blame them for being so fed up by the long meals. We wondered how much money he might have made if he’d put his hat out.
Mina coped by hanging out on the ground and barking at passing dogs.
Back home! Here’s our dinner composed of pasta, bread, and a variety of tinned seafoods: octopus, sardines, razor clams, and mussels. Yen was in absolute heaven. Grandpa was happy with bread and jam.