Enchanting Ronda, Spain

All the travel blogs about Andalucia said that Ronda was worth a visit. I followed their advice and was not disappointed! I visited the first weekend of November, 2023.

This enchanting small town is perched on the edge of a canyon. The focal point in the center of town connecting each side of the canyon is the Puente Nuevo bridge, and by “nuevo” (new) they mean the 18th Century. It was built from 1751 until 1793.

Here are a few facts from the Wikipedia page about Ronda:

Its population is about 35,000
It is one of the towns and villages that are included in the Sierra de las Nieves National Park
Around the city are remains of prehistoric settlements dating to the Neolithic, including the rock art of Cueva de la Pileta.
The Islamic domination of Ronda ended in 1485, when it was conquered by Rodrigo Ponce de León, Duke of Cádiz. Subsequently, most of the city's old edifices were renewed or adapted to Christian roles.
In the first decades of the 20th century, the famous German poet Rainer Maria Rilke spent extended periods in Ronda
American artists Ernest Hemingway and Orson Welles spent many summers in Ronda

My trip:

I rented a car in Málaga and picked it up that morning at 8 am. Funny story about that below.

It was a little over an hour's drive. Parking was easy and free. I parked just outside of the city center and walked about 3/4 of a mile into town.

I strolled around and took it all in, visiting one museum: Casa del Rey Moro, or House of the Moorish King. It included an 18th-century building, a water well from the earlier Moorish time, and beautiful gardens.

I then drove to the Caminito del Rey for a scheduled afternoon hiking tour. My blog about that, with photos, is here.

This was an okay rushed itinerary but with more time, there were other cool places around Ronda that I would have liked to visit as well, such as the white village of Setenil de las Bodegas, which has buildings built into and under the rock facade of a canyon.

My funny car rental story:

I rented a car to drive to Ronda. I tried to get up as early as possible to get to the car rental office near when they opened. I didn’t get there quickly enough, though, and there was a German family in line ahead of me.

I wanted to be patient but it seemed like they had so many questions and it was taking forever. I wanted to get on the road and start my tour.

Finally, the German family was given their keys and directions to the underground parking garage where the cars were parked about several blocks away.

I got my keys quickly and was given the same instructions to the parking garage. I had to walk several blocks, turn left, walk several more blocks then look for a somewhat hidden door behind a kiosk, then swipe a card to get in the door, then go down the stairs, then find the car in the underground garage.

I did all that and got to the garage and the Germans flagged me down. They couldn’t start their car. Did I know how? They said they were confused because it was push start, hybrid, and a manual transmission.

I had rented several cars in my trip by this time, all of them push start with a manual transmission so I said sure I could help. I tried to explain it with words to the dad of the family but I realized I wasn’t exactly sure how I did it. It was something I just did—a felt sense in my body. So I said, let me try it and then I can explain. He handed me the keys. I sat down in the driver’s seat. Ahh. I pushed down on both the clutch pedal and the brake pedal before pushing the start button. The car started. The Germans were thrilled.

We all waved goodbye and they drove off out of the parking garage to start their adventure.

I walked toward my rental car and got in as it sensed the key was near and unlocked automatically. I sat down, put my backpack down, started to get settled, and then realized…wait a minute…I have two keys!

I had kept the German family’s car key!!

Because it was a push start and was already started, they were able to drive away without it. I had accidentally kept it because I already had my other key in my hand so I didn’t notice that I was holding onto keys—my brain had already computed that there was a key there in my hand.

I tried to run after them but they’d already left the garage. I tried to call the car rental office but I couldn’t get my American phone to call the Spanish number, especially in the panicked state I was in.

After a few seconds, I realized I could just take the key to the office and they would call the family. I ran all the way—the several blocks and around the corner. I didn’t want the family to get so far away and ruin their schedule.

Breathlessly I explained what happened and she called them. It turned out they had realized what had happened so they were on their way. I saw them get their key and they waved at me and we all had a good laugh. Whew! My heart calmed.

I walked halfway back to the parking garage when I realized…shit. I left the parking garage door key card inside my rental car. So I walked BACK to the car rental and got a new garage swipe card then back to the garage. What a morning!

Everyone was so friendly and kind though, that it reminded me not to be in a hurry and to enjoy the journey.