Oosterdam European Adventure, Malaga, Spain...

Up in the early morning for our sail into Malaga Spain, a place I have enjoyed visiting several times over the years.  On this visit, we planned some new and wonderful things…  Once the ship was cleared, we meet our guide Mohammed at the Malaga cruise terminal and started our journey to Ronda. The Spanish city of Malaga was originally founded as a trading settlement by seafaring Phoenicians more than 1,000 years ago.  It’s also the birthplace of Pablo Picasso and home of Antonio Banderas. It is particularly well known for the long stretches of the Mediterranean Costa del Sol coastline for their beach-loving visitors. We left the marina area and travelled through the busy downtown area passing the castle and cathedral on our way to Ronda. Driving the hour and half to Ronda we enjoyed the beautiful scenic landscape of the Andalusia province with its expanse of lemon, orange and olive orchards. Just driving through the countryside would make an amazing tour just by itself…  Fabulous!!!  The closer we got to Ronda the olive tree groves stretched as far as the eye could see. Nestled in Spain’s Sierra Mountains, the town of Ronda is a world away from the beach resorts of Spain’s Costa Del Sol. This town, has one of the most beautiful settings around, perched on the edge of a gorge surrounded by rolling hills, whitewashed buildings, orange trees and olive groves. Ronda is one of oldest towns in Spain and was first settled by the Celts and later inhabited by the Romans and Moors…You can feel its history all around you in its cobbled streets, old mansions and stone churches. Ronda was a favorite of some 19th century artists and writers like Orson Welles, Alexander Dumas and Ernest Hemingway who searched for inspiration in Europe’s most unspoiled destinations. Our guide parked the van and we started exploring the old town on foot. Our first stop was Cuenca Gardens, a series of terraces, viewing platforms and windy staircases set on the cliff wall, literally hanging over the canyon, offering a different perspective of Ronda and the surrounding landscape. The garden is filled with a variety of trees and flowers. Next, we walked to the Ronda’s Plaza del Toros - the Bullring, one of Spain’s oldest and most impressive bullrings. We toured bullring which was built in 1785 and holds 5000 spectators. All the seats are covered by two-story arched galleries. For an even more impressive view of the bullring, we visited the hotel across the street and went to the rooftop cafe to see the stadium from a different vantage point. Just a short walk from the hotel, in the heart of Ronda is the El Tajo gorge, a rocky drop plummeting over 120 meters to the Guadalevín River. The gorge cuts right through the center of Ronda and splits the town in two. We crossed the Puente Nuevo or New Bridge, Ronda’s most famous landmark with its classic postcard shot – a giant triple arch with columns stretching 120 meters down into the depths of the gorge. On one side is the Moorish old town and on the other is the 15th-century El Mercadillo ‘new’ town, and three bridges cross the gorge to connect them. We walked both ways on the bridge giving us a different perspective and view of the gorge and the historic buildings. Mahommed our guide was very accommodating and found a way to take us down in the gorge by car, I really wanted to capture this view based upon a photo I had seen of Ronda taken from below the El Tajo gorge…We descended from Ronda via a steep and winding road to the valley below. Wow what a view of the gorge and the edge of the town above…what an excellent photo opportunity! Our guide gave us a choice of a couple of other areas to visit before returning to Malaga…We chose Sentenil de las Bodegas…  This turned out to be a good decision.   Sentenil de las Bodegas is a unique white village of Andalucia because of its unusual location. Whilst all the other fortified villages in the country are situated on top of hills, Sentenil de las Bodegas has been built inside the canyon carved by the Trejo River. The village is famous for the houses inside the caves, carved into the cliffs above the river. Located in Cadiz province, visiting this little gem Sentenil de las Bodegas was a wonderful unique experience that gave us a taste of something different. We toured the main street Calle de las Cuevas, where the most popular cave restaurants are located.  We did walk further on Calle Jaboneria and explored more discovering caves that you can visit but also glimpses of the local life and a view of the Nazari castle. The iconic overhanging caves Cuevas del Sol and Cuevas de la Sombra are the most photographed and best-known sights in Sentenil de las Bodegas and sit on either side of the Rio Trejo River that created the gorge. Walking around this town leaves you in awe of the way the geology of the land and the engineering of the buildings just melds together to create a one-of-a-kind village. It was a great day, great guide and amazing sites.   We totally loved the different experience getting out of the city.