Wanderlust Traveler: Andalusia's White Hill Towns (Ronda, Grazalama, Zahara, & Arcos de la Frontera)

Sierra de Grazalema National Park

Day 7 (Monday, March 30th 2009)

Since I had such a busy day ahead of me, I woke up at the unnatural time of 06:00, leaving my hotel in Granada by 6:30.

From Granada, I drove south, to the coastal city of Nerja. Although I had not planned any overnight stays on the famous Costa del Sol, I had at least wanted to make sure that I visited one of the small towns on the coast. For most of the two hour drive it was dark outside. I did not see the sun until nearly 8:00, which seemed rather strange. Nerja is considered a rarity on the Costa del Sol. Most of the cities and towns that line the sea are filled with high rise hotels, lots of ugly concrete, pollution, and too many cars and people. Nerja on the other hand, is the complete opposite of these other towns and has retained its authentic Spanish charm and is not inundated with tourists which is exactly the type of place I love to visit!

Once in Nerja, I was able to quickly and easily find a free parking spot. As it was only 8:30 in the morning, the small town was quite dead. I’m sure most people were probably where I wanted to be: in bed sleeping! I walked through town, eventually making my way to the Plaza Cavana where I stopped in a small café for some French bread and an insanely delicious chocolate croissant. Up until this point the pastries I had consumed in Spain had just been only so so and not memorable, but that chocolate croissant was something else! After enjoying the ocean views, I made a quick getaway as I had lots of things planned for the day, a few of which had strict time constraints.

Nerja

Buildings in Nerja.

Detail of a building in Nerja.

Nerja

Cat in Nerja.

Stray cats getting fed in Nerja.

Nerja

After Nerja, he next planned event was a 12:00 tour at the Pileta Cave, located near Ronda. The caves were described as being located just 14 miles SW of Ronda. Unfortunately when I initially read these directions in the guide book, I thought it indicated that the caves were located SE of Ronda and, as a result, I was not as quick as I should have been in Nerja as the drive was 20 minutes longer than I had anticipated. Although it didn’t look promising, I did my best to make up extra time as I drove over the highways and roads. Along the way, I encountered lots of beautiful countryside which to my surprise included rolling hills that were bright green, and often filled with colorful yellow flowers. It wasn’t the image I necessarily had in my head of Southern Spain. I had no idea that the countryside would be lush and green but then again, I was traveling in March which was just at the beginning of spring, so the rains hadn’t been too far behind me.

Beautiful scenes from the drive through Andalusia.

Unfortunately my goal to arrive at the caves for the 12:00 tour wasn’t helped by the fact that one of the highways I needed to drive on was closed. Even though an alternate route was available, it took much longer than the original route would have.

I eventually made it to Ronda and continued onto Pileta Cave. This cave was described as having some of the best prehistoric cave paintings in Spain. Some of the Neolithic and Paleolithic paintings are up to 25,000 years old, which is difficult to fathom! Although no address was listed for the cave in either of the guidebooks, I had read that there were many signs along the way after leaving Ronda; of course, I saw none of these! After making it all the way to the town of Benaojan and obviously not finding nor seeing signs for the cave, I gave up. After all, by that point it was five minutes past the time of the 12:00 tour and I knew that the following tours were already filled. I wasn’t too disappointed however as I knew that I would be visiting several caves later that year while in France. Instead I headed onto Ronda.

The drive into the narrow streets of Ronda was jam packed with cars as the city was swamped with tourists. Aside from the initial congestion, however, I instantly fell in love with the city. Ronda is one of the many white hill towns of Andalusia, and happens to be one of the largest in terms of population. I got slightly lost trying to reach my hotel as the street was a little tricky to find, however, once I finally arrived I was so very pleased with Boabadil Guesthouse. The small place was absolutely amazing, having been recently renovated with the most comfortable bed and modern bathroom. My room and the public rooms were simple yet filled with so much charm and elegance; the atmosphere was inviting but incredibly comfortable. I immediately began wishing that I was staying here two nights instead of one, but that’s hindsight for you!

A quiet street in Ronda near the Boabadil Guesthouse.

My room at Boabadil Guesthouse in Ronda.

The small patio outside my room at Boabadil Guesthouse in Ronda.

After settling into my room I left and began a several hour long walk through Ronda. I explored many of its nooks and crannies, including the winding and narrow streets, Jardines de Cuenca Park with amazing views of the bridge, and the plazas further into town where only locals resided. I was reminded of the time I spent in the Cinque Terre in Italy several years prior. Aside from the obvious differences (country, language, a little rougher around the edges, etc) I saw and encountered many similarities: local people going about their day, almost oblivious to the incredible charms their city possessed. They have no idea how lucky they are to live in such a place. For the visiting tourists these type of places seem unreal, and almost too good to be true. The town was so charming and most of the buildings were well cared for. Many of the other buildings that weren’t in the best of shape appeared to be undergoing renovation, so it was obvious that the locals understood the importance of maintaining the beautiful town.

Ronda

Ronda's Puente Nuevo Bridge.

Ronda

Detail in Ronda.

Ronda

Ronda's Puente Nuevo Bridge.

Ronda

Jardines de Cuenca Park in Ronda.

View from Jardines de Cuenca Park in Ronda.

Ronda

The first major sight I actually saw was the bullfighting ring Plaza de Toros de Ronda. This is one of the oldest operational bullrings in all of Spain with construction of the building having been finished back in 1785. I paid 6 Euros to enter which included entrance to two small museums within the grounds along with access to the ring. Upon entering the ring I was surprised and blown away with the beauty of the place, which I had not been expecting. There was just something magical and special about the bullring that I couldn’t quite wrap my fingers around. It was as though you could feel the excitement, energy, and euphoria of past crowds floating through the air. As an animal lover, I’m obviously not a fan of the idea of bullfighting, but I was definitely a fan of the stadium due to its architectural beauty. After sitting in the stands, I eventually made my way into the ring. It was actually thrilling to stand in the very center and circle my head and eyes around the stadium imagining I was a bullfighter, about to risk my life with thousands of people cheering me on. I can only begin to imagine the amount of life and death this place had seen in its 225 year history. Whether you agree with bullfighting or not, I would recommend to all a visit to the stadium as it was unlike anything else I had ever seen before.

Plaza de Toros de Ronda.

I continued walking though town, and eventually made my way back to the hotel to rest for a bit. When I came back out the blue skies had given way to clouds. I continued to wander through town first stopping at Santa Maria la Mayor Collegiate Church. As many churches in small cities are free to enter throughout Europe, I expected the same of this one. Unfortunately, this was not the case as the entrance fee was a steep 4 Euros per person. The interior of the church was neither dull nor fascinating; it was just simply another church that blurs together, in my mind, with so many other churches of Europe. However I will point out that as my visit to Spain occurred within only days of Holy Week 2009, there were at least a dozen people inside the church, frantically and methodically cleaning every little detail they could get their hands on. This was quite interesting to watch but not so good to smell; the air reeked of chemicals, so I didn’t stay very long as I figured it wouldn't take too long until I began to have a headache.

Santa Maria la Mayor Collegiate Church in Ronda.

Building across from Santa Maria la Mayor Collegiate Church in Ronda.

Santa Maria la Mayor Collegiate Church in Ronda.

Preparing for Holy Week at Santa Maria la Mayor Collegiate Church in Ronda.

From the church, I walked to Monodragon Palace. This Moorish building was built sometime in the 14th century and later restored in the 16th century. After paying 3 Euros each to enter I wandered the building, admiring its unique architectural beauty. I also made my way to the upper floors where there was several local exhibits on the town and the surrounding region. While I wasn’t particular interested in those exhibits, I did find it impressive that a town of only 35,000 residents had a museum of that quality.

Monodragon Palace in Ronda.

Afterward, I went back to the hotel and rested again. Shortly thereafter the clouds slightly parted, so I went and got the car and drove down below the city for a cloudy view of the Puente Nuevo Bridge. The Puente Nuevo Bridge is the newest and largest of three bridges that span the 390 gorge that divides the city. Although called "New Bridge," it's really only a relative term as it was built back in 1751. I stayed for awhile hoping that the sun would eventually break free of the clouds and light up the bridge. Unfortunately this did not occur, so I left after waiting for nearly 30 minutes.

Low and behold, just as soon as I returned to the room, the sun came shining back out. I began freaking out knowing that I was missing a great photographic opportunity and left immediately, even though I had just returned!

The second time around I was able to get some great shots of the Puente Nuevo bridge. Although conditions weren’t ideal (a cloudless backdrop behind the bridge would have been nicer!) I knew I couldn’t complain and was happy that I had lucked out once again on the trip with the sun!

Puente Nuevo Bridge of Ronda.

Views near Puente Nuevo Bridge of Ronda.

Ronda

From here I headed to Restaurante Bar Flores for dinner. Of course, like so many other times on this trip, I was the first person to sit down inside a completely empty restaurant. The Spaniards eat way too late! I selected this restaurant due to the three course meal they had advertised for 11.50 Euros per person. The food was great. For my three courses, I ordered a soup that was made with eggs, ham and rice, the main course was chicken with a delicious sauce along with French fries, and flan was my dessert choice. During the one hour that I stayed at the restaurant only one couple showed up which is crazy!

Restaurante Bar Flores in Ronda.

Olives at Restaurante Bar Flores in Ronda.

Chicken dish at Restaurante Bar Flores in Ronda.

After dinner I began the bone chilling walk back to hotel, which seemed to take forever, especially when a planned detour to a chocolate shop turned up empty handed!

Ronda at night.

Day 8 (Tuesday, March 31st 2009)

In an attempt to enjoy every last moment in the most comfortable bed ever at the Boabdil Guesthouse, I did not end up getting out of bed until 9:30 and finally left around 10:00. It was very difficult to say goodbye to that room.

I got into the car and headed off to Grazalema, which is a small village located in the foothills of the Sierra del Pinar mountain range and home to about 2000 residents. It is known as one of the "pueblos blancos" or "white towns" because most of the buildings within the town are white.

The drive to Grazalema took a little over an hour and was quite scenic and even a little adventurous, as it included driving over muddy dirt roads with random, wandering horses. One of the horses seemed to be quite perturbed that I was in his territory and began to run towards my car as I drove by. Luckily, I was able to drive more quickly than he could run.

The drive to Grazalema.

I saw gorgeous Grazalema from a distance as I drove around the curvy roads; it was quite a sight to see a white washed town tucked away into a mountainside. Unfortunately, there was no good turn off points that had views of the city so I have no panoramic shots to show.

Once in Grazalema, I found a place to park for free and then simply wandered the town. As with so many other white hill towns in Andalusia, there isn’t necessarily anything to do in these cities except to enjoy the quiet atmosphere and local hospitality. After walking through Grazalema for about 45 minutes and stopping to buy some pastries I left and headed for Zahara de la Sierra.

View of Grazalema.

The view from Grazalema.

Grazalema

Market in Grazalema.

Grazalema

A pastry I purchased in Grazalema.

Grazalema

Zahara de la Sierra (more commonly referred to as Zahara) is yet another small but quaint and beautiful Andalusia town with about 1500 residents. It is perched up on a small mountain and overlooks the surrounding valley, including a man-made lake formed by the dam that must be driven over to access the town. Zahara is also home to a Moorish castle, which is free to visit.

The portion of the drive from Grazalema to Zahara took much longer than did the drive from Arcos to Grazalema, but I was rewarded with the most stunning scenery. I was driving within the boundaries of the Sierra de Grazalema National Park, which is known in Spain for its rugged mountain landscape and its relatively rainy climate. Surprisingly, one-third of Spain's flowers bloom within this park, which would make sense when taking into account its abundance of rain. I was so surprised to see that this area of Andalusia was covered with lush green hills and sprinkles of colorful wildflowers; for some reason, I had anticipated seeing brown-colored parched fields. Aside from the gorgeous views this ride also included lots and lots of hairpin twists and turns, which made for an interesting ride!

Sierra de Grazalema National Park

As I approached Zahara, I could see the tower of its castle in the distance, standing proudly over the small city. When I finally reached the city, I drove all the way through it, in an attempt to find a parking spot. I did not find one until the very end of the city, near the entrance to the castle. Luckily, and surprisingly, there was no entrance fee to climb up to the castle. I huffed and puffed my way up, as the climb was quite steep and the temperatures were quickly accelerating to over 70 degrees. The hard work was worth it though as the views from the top of the surrounding valley were unbelievably rewarding. All I could see for miles around me was bright blue skies, green hills, and emerald-colored water, with the white washed town of Zahara below me.

View of Zahara and the surrounding countryside.

View from Zahara

Zahara's Castle.

View from Zahara's Castle.

View of Zahara.

View from Zahara's Castle.

Enjoying my view from Zahara's Castle.

Pretty purple flowers at Zahara's Castle.

Flowers at Zahara's Castle.

Zahara's Castle

View from Zahara's Castle.

After climbing the tower, I made my way down. I had wanted to immediately go into the town to take some photographs, but having just finished that hike, I thought the distance down into the town was too steep. Instead I drove back to the start of the town and try to find another parking spot. Unfortunately this proved to be a mistake. My navigation system could not get me back to the start of town, so I drove in circles for quite some time before I was able to eventually find the road that led into town. I parked the car, walked down into the town, and I took photographs for about 20 minutes, and then I headed out. In terms of sights, aside from climbing the castle there wasn’t much else to do except wander the streets.

Zahara

When comparing the two towns, I preferred Zahara to Grazalema. Even though Zahara was smaller than Grazalema, it seemed to offer more in terms of restaurants and overall ambiance. Although most of the buildings were whitewashed, there were a few that were painted different colors, which broke up the sterile white. In addition, while the views from both towns were beautiful, the view from Zahara was unlike anything else I had seen before, especially with the emerald green waters.

From Zahara, I headed towards Arcos de la Frontera stopping in the town of El Bosque where I had planned on touring the visitor center of the Sierra de Grazalema National Park. Unfortunately when I arrived it was closed so instead I sat on a bench outside of the bullfighting ring, soaking up some sun.

El Bosque

The old town of Arcos de la Frontera is situated on top of a narrow hilltop, and its new town is spread out beneath its ridge. Its old town is filled with labyrinth after labyrinth of narrow winding streets that seemed to do a great job of disorienting me when I walked through it.

Unfortunately, I got lost driving into city as I attempted to find my hotel. The incredibly narrow streets did not make my frustrating situation any easier, as there were times I almost thought the car wouldn't be able to turn a corner. Because the town obviously wasn't designed to accommodate cars, the roads are one way only, so if one misses their turn, they must drive through the entire city and then down into the new town in order to drive back into the old part of the city again. I had to complete this circle twice before I finally figured it out and found the parking lot behind the church at Plaza del Cabildo. Luckily, this small parking lot was quite cheap in comparison to others I parked in during my trip and only cost four Euros per night.

From Plaza del Cabildo, it was just a short five minute walk to my hotel La Casa Grande, which was a great hotel with lots of character and the most amazing view I’ve ever had from any room I've ever stayed in. The only downside was the price, at 84 Euros per night, which was slightly more than I usually like to spend.

Exterior of La Casa Grande in Arcos de la Frontera.

La Casa Grande in Arcos de la Frontera.

My room at La Casa Grande in Arcos de la Frontera.

The colorful bathroom at La Casa Grande in Arcos de la Frontera.

My room at La Casa Grande in Arcos de la Frontera.

La Casa Grande in Arcos de la Frontera.

Rooftop at La Casa Grande in Arcos de la Frontera.

Tile detail on the rooftop at La Casa Grande in Arcos de la Frontera.

View from my room at La Casa Grande in Arcos de la Frontera.

After settling into my room, I wandered through town. In all actuality, there was not much to see, and I was somewhat surprised with the lack of “things to do." I literally seemed to be the only tourist in town as the streets were practically empty, give or take a few young locals who would go zooming past me on their noisy and annoying scooters. I had really wanted to be able to get a shot of Arcos from a distance but after my stressful entry into the city, I had no intentions of leaving until the following day.

Arcos de la Frontera

Reflection in Arcos de la Frontera.

Arcos de la Frontera

Street sign in Arcos de la Frontera.

I eventually made my way back to the hotel, where I stopped in to surf the internet as they offered free wifi. While I was sitting in the lobby with my laptop, another set of guests arrived, who looked just as exasperated and stressed out as I had a few hours prior. I thought I would try to ease their frustrations by admitting that I had also had just as many problems as they had trying to find the parking lot, so not to worry. They appeared to look a little more relaxed and calm after I shared and vented my experience.

Afterward, I consulted my guidebooks in order to find a good restaurant for dinner. As this was my seventh day in Spain and I had not yet eaten at a tapas bar, I decided on a place called Bar la Carcel, which was about five minutes away from my hotel. For some reason, I was nervous and quite apprehensive at the thought of eating at a tapas bar; I'm not completely sure why, but I think it had something to do with the fact that I was unfamiliar with the food served in tapas bars and that I was worried that the language barrier would be too difficult. I'm glad I finally caved in and went as I had one of my best meals of the trip this night.

I ordered several tapas plates, including croquettes (deep fried béchamel sauce with tiny bits of ham mixed in), prawns wrapped with jamon (ham), chicken strips, and chicken with béchamel sauce. All of the food was great, but the croquettes were out of this world; I had no idea that these little bits of deep fried goodness had been missing from my life for so long. I vowed to find a recipe for croquettes as soon as I got home so that I could continue to enjoy them. After my first tapas experience, I realized that there had been absolutely no need to be nervous about not finding food I would like in a tapas bar, and that even though the workers in the restaurant spoke no English, it did not prevent me from having a great time!

Croquettes from Bar La Carcel in Arcos de la Frontera.

Prawns wrapped with jamon from Bar La Carcel in Arcos de la Frontera.

Tapas from Bar La Carcel in Arcos de la Frontera.

I walked back to the hotel from Bar la Carcel and quickly headed to bed as I had another long day ahead of me.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Andalusia's White Hill Towns (Ronda, Grazalama, Zahara, & Arcos de la Frontera)

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