Days 84-89, 4-9 Sept '14, Fuengirola / Ronda / Puerto Banus / Marbella (Excursion!)

Life has been progressing gently and the Spanish studies along with it. Yesterday I was definitely overdue for an outing and hugely excited about my day trip to the Andalusian white village (pueblo blanco) of Ronda (followed by the jetset's harbour "Puerto Banus" and glitzy, glamorous Marbella). Before we get started remember... if Paella is "Pie-AY-ah" then Marbella is pronounced "Mar-BAY-ah". More important than you might imagine if you want the vaguest hope of being understood!

It was a very early start by recent standards - up before 7 am, onto the bus to town, cool jets waiting for coach that was late then finally on the long, bendy road to Ronda - apparently 300 curves... but I don't think it was that much. No Spanish commentary on this tour - it was a 100% full bus, 52 people in total and 80% were German speakers, 15% English speakers and 5% French (all 2 of them). I really take my hat off to the tour guides on these excursions - fluent in so many languages it makes my head spin. Superb to be listening to the French commentary and picking up the highlights at least. We had a comfort/coffee stop about 5 minutes outside of Ronda which was great - I got to try (had to really) a typical Ronda cake - moist yellow cake full of orange zest. The trees with bitter oranges are a feature of the area and are used mostly for baking and marmalades. Definitely needed a coffee - the views were stunning and it was a clear day so we could not only see "The Rock" - Gibraltar, but also Morocco on the coast of North Africa - only 14 kms separates the two continents at the narrowest point. On to Ronda, off the bus and we joined a local guide for our walking tour. First stop, the Bull Ring - oldest in Spain (and thus, the world). Things you may or may not know about bull-fighting. It used to be done in main squares - the bull ring didn't come along until the 18th C. It used to be done on horseback - the invention of fighting on foot actually came from one of the earliest and most famous of Ronda's bull fighters. These guys are rock stars hereabouts - much loved and very generous to the community - At the recent Ronda bull fights the top bloke earned €400,000 for his 40 minute bull fight. That's A$600,000. Now THAT'S danger money. The little red cape or muleta that the fighter waves (thus like a red rag to a bull), is red because it's easier for the crowd to see. The bull is colour blind and is responding to the movement - literally could be waving your undies about and the bull would be 100% still happy to fight! Last but not least - there are bull fighters all over the world and there are also lady bull fighters. Live and learn. Moved onwards to the Mirador or lookout and saw the stunning gorge that bisects old and new Ronda. It was a toss up what to use for the cover photo today - I went with the bull ring, but check out the album for stunning shots of Ronda's "new bridge". It's a couple of hundred years old, but there hasn't been another once since... so it's the "new bridge". There was one there that took many years to build - but then collapsed taking with it 50 lives. The final version took 42 years to accomplish (not just a matter of Spanish time... there were wars, diseases, famines etc that put a crimp in progress). Absolutely stunning - one of those sights on the bucket list, albeit not right near the top. Strolled through the old medina of Ronda from Islamic times. Highlight of this part of the tour was pouring wine from the wine fountain (taps) at the wine centre - very cool - every home should have a set up like this. Downstairs at the wine centre there is a tiny stone cellar that has been in use for wine storage since 200BC approximately - Roman times. Phenomenal feeling of history. Up the stairs, out the door, the group was getting happier by the skinfull. Back over the new bridge to modern Ronda and we dispersed to hunt lunch and a lotto ticket (Euromillions and Eurojackpot both up around 60 million euros each!) Back on the coach and off to Puerto Banus - the mega-yacht parking bay for the rich, famous and jetset. Apparently Rod Stewart has a boat there... Saudi Royal Family... Chairman of Chelsea football team etc etc. Didn't spot anyone famous. Did spot some very nice boats though! Back on the coach (it's a marathon, not a sprint). Off to glitzy Marbella - honestly makes little old Fuengirola feel very relaxed and homey. We had a guided walk of Marbella's historic centre and learned nifty stuff - like the reason the lanes are so skinny - by making the buildings at least twice as tall as the width of the lane, shade is ensured most of the day. And I am a huge fan of shade (Me gusta la sombra!) We eventually all managed to schlep back to the coach and headed for home at 6 o'clock. Back in my front door by 7 pm - an absolute 12 hour extravaganza - can't believe how far I probably walked. Next adventure? Next Thursday - an even earlier start and an even more action packed day in historic Cordoba. Have also learned the hard way that it's COR-doba. Not Cor-DOBA. But every time someone corrects pronunciation, I just fix it and move on. Afterall... we as English speakers are never backward in coming forward when it comes to telling people how to talk proper like. Tune in next week for the Mosque that is now a Cathedral.