On our last day in Granada Russell and I took it pretty easy ( shopping, washing and a nice lunch) whilst Sam took Pablo the Third out to the Sierra Nevada for a look at the mountains.
Sunday morning saw us trundling those suitcases downhill this time and back towards the car park.
It was a tight fit in places though and I haven’t even shown the stairs here!
I think we had the perfect length of time in Granada, our only regret that we had stuffed up the dates for the Corpus Christ procession…..
We were now en route to Ronda, one of the so called “white villages” of Andalucia where all of the houses are whitewashed and have either red or brown tiled roofs, creating a very spectacular visual.
On the way to Ronda ( our overnight destination) we had planned to visit the little white village of Antequera and we arrived there in time for a late morning tea. We had some trouble parking initially with various roads blocked and signs that we couldn’t decipher. Eventually however, we found a park ( next to the bull ring) and set off on foot. It soon became obvious though that there was some sort of event in progress and hot footing it up the street we discovered the local Corpus Christi procession underway!
This is obviously a very big deal in this part of the world – the young girls and boys at the front of the procession were dressed in gorgeous white dresses and sailor/military suits and taking it very seriously. (Well, occasionally having to be pulled into line by the nuns keeping things in order!) we think they probably received Communion prior?
Following them were various adult groups carrying colourful standards (which unfortunately meant nothing to us) but were flanked by adoring parents hurrying along the side with cameras snapping away recording their offspring’s finest moments to date.
Bringing up the rear though, was the solemn procession of clergy transporting “the Host” in a vessel known as the monstrance which is housed in a larger canopy and in this case accompanied by a loud rhythmical drum keeping time.
The site of this procession lurching along the street was quite spectacular and we couldn’t believe that we had serendipitously happened upon it.
Once that excitement was over and we had fortified ourselves with refreshments, we hit the road again and made Ronda by mid afternoon.
The gorgeous San Gabriel was to be our lodging for the night and we immediately wished it was longer!
The ambience was both welcoming and historic, almost like staying in a museum, complete with six seat cinema screening videos.
Given the late sunset we had plenty of time to ‘wander around Ronda’ (it had to be said..) and there were some great photo opportunities.
The Ronda bullring is still operational and one of the oldest in Spain. Underneath it houses a great museum and next door is a fine equitation centre – we had a sneak peak at the arena and stables but there was no action taking place today.
Ronda has had a really interesting history, at times it has been under Roman, Muslim, Visigoth and Spanish rule and there are reminders of all of these in the town today.
It is one of the most visited ‘white villages’ and is perhaps best known for the Puente Nuevo or New Bridge – a bit of a misnomer because it was completed in 1793!
It spans the Guadelevin river which runs through the city carving out a deep gorge over 100 meters deep.
Thanks to Sam for the photo, we weren’t energetic enough to hike down to the gorge below!
While Sam was hiking we found a great spot to watch Spain v Italy in the Euroean Cup, Ronda style…
We spent most of the game here, sipping on sangria and beer respectively and watched with interest as several men in their Sunday best also milled around with one eye on the TV and the other on the nearby church.
We noticed the arrival of a band, beautifully dressed kids and yes, you guessed it – the game finished (one all draw), the clock struck eight and we were about to witness our second Corpus Christi procession for the day!
I bet that was one more than most Andalucians today. We knew the drill now so hurried along to take advantage of the best viewpoints along the way
This little guy was my favorite, bet he’s going to break some señorita’s heart one day.
This procession had a few differences, the canopy transporting the Host was made of wood this time not metal and it was on rollers, no hoisting onto the shoulders like the one in Antequera.
Anyway, after all that excitement we caught up with Sam, re read the restaurant recommendations and set off for dinner at about ten pm.
Tomorrow, we move on to Sevilla.