November 6, 2013
Ronda
Have we found Andalusia's most beautiful route?
On awakening, we saw for ourselves why Gaucin justifiably prides itself as the Balcony of the Serrania. The skies in the valleys below had cleared overnight and we could see forever - well, at least as far as northern Africa, which impressed us greatly. After breakfast in a village bar we enjoyed walking through Gaucin again, making our way up to the mirador with its great overlook.
Next, off to Ronda! If yesterday's ride was the hardest of the tour so far, we agreed that today's ride along the A-374 must be the most beautiful and dramatic. There is no flat stretch on this ridge road as it passes through the Serrania de Ronda, undulating between 2500 and 3500 feet through amazingly diverse mountain scenery and a string of brilliant white towns. It was a good thing that we planned a short ride for the day because I'm certain that we stopped nearly every half mile to take in the next heartstopping view before finally racing the final five miles as they dropped a thousand feet to Ronda.
Having covered our 23 mile ride in a bit under four hours, we arrived just in time for lunch and happily settled in at the first outdoor cafe we came to (a delicious mountain of eggs with potatoes and ham, and a small school of fried anchovies), and next checked in at our hotel and hustled out again to explore the iconic Ronda, marketed as one of the most romantic places in Spain. It is a remarkable place with wonderful views across the countryside and a memorable collection of monuments, but it would be worth the visit if for no other reason than to gaze in wonder at the amazing Puerto Nuevo (New Bridge) that practically fills the immense chasm dividing the city.
And, we were pleased to find that Ronda feeds its tourists. We came away from a fine meal at the Puerta Grande feeling that we had enjoyed a new best meal of the tour.
Elevation log: 2800' today, 68,100' total.
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Today's ride: 23 miles (37 km)
Total: 1,146 miles (1,844 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 0 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |