it was a drizzly morning as we tried to make a quick exit from Cordoba. Turns out our GPS had other plans. Again the 'recently updated' convenience knew nothing about the new cloverleaf bypass. Eventually we were spat out of the roundabout heading in the right direction for a scenic drive to Ronda. Rolling hillsides covered in yet more olive trees and sheep yielded to steeper, rockier terraine as we drove along a secondary road (A8126 - A2302) to our destination for the next four nights.  
Again the GPS got us in to trouble as we made our way (on a busy Saturday) towards the city center. Back road short cuts led us to a wrong way street (which we didn't take) to a right turn that said no entry. Thank heavens for phones. We knew we were only a block or so away but couldn't get there from here. Turns out our apartment was on the busy pedestrian only Main Street (Carrera Espinel) which meant we couldn't get there anyway. Thankfully an employee found us and guided us to their parking where we gathered our belongings for the short walk to our new temporary home. Being on the main street we were surprised that it was so quiet....well it was until the next night but that's another story. Great apartment with living room, kitchen & separate bedroom. Very comfy!
If you wanted to find the most challenging building site for your town then this would be it. Situated on a massive rocky outcrop, Ronda is one of the last Moorish bastions (falling to the Christians in 1485) with a classic white washed village adorned by rot iron grills and pots and pots of colourful plants.  
 The Puente Nuevo, an impressive 18th century bridge over the Tayo Gorge, has now become one of the world's number one spots to take a selfie. It is, of course, the kind of place that draws Shane. Not to take a photo but to climb down the cobblestone path then on to the washed out path along a narrow concrete ("enter at your own risk) path, under the bridge and through a tunnel to the other side where you can look up at all the selfie takers looking down and wondering how in the hell we got there. Yep...we...he convinced me to white knuckle the narrow bits! By the end of our time here Shane would go down again but this time through the path that leads down from the Palacios del Rey Moro (Palace of the Moorish King). He went through those damp tunnels for more photo ops while I took the more gentile route and wandered contentedly through Santa Maria la Mayor. He got pictures while I got educated. The church was very interesting with it's many alters (one of which was carved from Canadian red Pine) but what I found most intriguing were the four floats standing at the ready for the Easter week (Samana Santa) daily processions as boxes of flowers are lovingly placed on the float for tonight's event.
Shane's experience included hanging gardens as well as a secret mine with many Moorish mysteries. Unfortunately this area, reached by zig zagging steps & overlapping vaults, is also the place responsible for the fall of Ronda. Those Christians attacked the town from the river cutting off the supply of water forcing surrender by thirst! So in spite of the ingeniousness and tenaciousness of the Moors their reign ended, the Christians conquered and the tourists rule.
So after wandering the streets of Ronda, checking out their famous bullring (which apparently only holds bull fights in September), walking the pedestrian only streets, eating tapas (as well as a delicious Chinese meal at Hola), sipping cold beer and vino tinto, it's safe to say that staying in the center of town has it's advantages. Then there are the disadvantages that are unique to this time of year. Samana Santa is a week long, daily performance, bringing the suffering of Christ to the people in a realistic way. Preparations go on for weeks before the first procession on Palm Sunday. This year it was called on account of rain but no one told us or the others standing under trees outside the church. Even the guy from the local TV station stood guard with us as we listened to the music & cheers from within the church anxiously awaiting a glimpse of the Palm frond waving enthusiasts. Eventually, little by little, the crowd dispersed as children escaped the celebrations wearing soaked costumes and dripping conical hats.  
I was a little disappointed as the Palm Sunday procession was the one I was looking forward to. Full of joy and hope for the future. In the end we felt we had an opportunity, in some way, to be a part of this small (this was a neighbourhood church) community church. With our raincoats done up & hoods on we trudged back to the touristy part of town and the warmth of our apartment.
The Sunday night procession went off as planned. Starting at 6:45 we caught up with it around 8pm watching as two floats, two bands and over 200 people all dressed in costume brought the streets to life. Took lots of photos then caught up with it again at the main square. Here dignitaries sat in burgundy boxes along with anyone else who wanted to pay the price. We watched as the first float arrived being carried by at least 30 (Shane thought 36) people all as a band played. They stopped in front of the church / dignitaries, shuffled 90o to face the door of the church, shuffled back & kept on going. Now this is where the suffering (in a realistic way) comes in. Besides the terrible music and little children with cold hands and drippy noses out way past their bed time, there is the length of the procession. We got back to our apartment around 10pm. Teeth brushed and cozy under the covers we listened to the 'music' come and go around and around where we were until well after midnight. Good news....Monday was cancelled because of the rain.
Not sure of the weather we decided to take the car out for a spin heading south through the beautiful and diverse Serrania de Ronda. Getting out of town is a lot easier than getting in. The mountains are rugged and rocky. Somehow people manage to make a comfortable living here. The windy switchbacks took us through whitewashed towns, castles, goat herds, impossibly rocky mountains (I honestly don't know how they remain stable) and peaceful riverside pull outs. We spent a wonderful day exploring hillside towns like Zahara de la Sierra and Benadalid but the highlight for both of us was the prehistoric cave of Cueva de La Pileta. The one hour guided tour (missed the 1 o'clock & wanted to see it so much we came back when it reopened at 4pm) takes you inside 450 meters and who knows how many slippery steps to a wonderland of prehistoric wall paintings, stalagmites, staligtites, pools, colours & musical waves of deposits (drippings which have solidified in wavelike folds that actually sound like a drum when struck by the guide. They could have been used as music or a warning of some kind. The wear on them is over 6000 years old). It is amazing to gaze at drawings made over 30,000 years ago. Puts life and survival in to perspective. 
Tonight we pack up for our beach vacation and pray that the tonight's Samana Santa procession doesn't really go on till after midnight. Still part of me is looking forward to bundling up to witness the chaos!