Andalusia Day Nine - Cádiz to Ronda via Zahara de la Sierra

Monday 25 October

We left Cádiz and drove into the Sierra de Gazalema.  This National Area hosts Arcos de la Frontera, one of the Pueblos Blancos (White Villages) we'd already seen on our way south on the Friday.  We drove across the Sierra stopping at the Mirador Puerto del Boya for a gaze. 

The vistas were wonderful.

And the drive was hairpin after hairpin for much of it!

We stopped at another Pueblos Blancos, Zahara de la Sierra, for lunch and a stroll.  This is renowned for its stunning setting with its castle built on a rocky peak and a turquoise lake beneath it.  Once inside, you find more narrow, cobbled streets with beautiful white houses and the requisite plant pots hung from the walls. 

After lunch we walked up to the castle and, finding it was locked due to refurbishment, we walked back down.

There is a huge lake hugging the east side of the village.  It was clear how much water loss there had been and, like the other bodies of water we saw, far from full.

Back in the car and off to Ronda for our next stay.  Once again, we managed to lose ourselves in a narrow one-way system.  My google maps just isn't smart enough to know the difference between a narrow street that a small car can fit down, and a narrow street that only a moped can.  We ended up circling the newer part of Ronda, JC driving and me trying to direct him whilst messaging our AirBnB host for more directions.  Eventually we headed in what we thought was the right direction, only to be blocked by a guy on a moped speeding out of the road we were turning into.  I wound down the window to hear him say "Ruth?"  It was our AirBnB host who had come out to find us!  What a star.

Our AirBnB accommodation was the nicest we'd had of the trip, when it came to space and views. It had an easterly-facing terrace over the hills.  Our host had stocked up the fridge with beers, chocolate, breads and juices which was such a lovely touch.  There was also some strong looking liquor which we figured was sherry.

Once vaguely unpacked, we headed out towards the old city to find the bridge.  The Puenta Nuevo bridge is one of the main tourist attractions across the Guadalevín River, providing the main link between old and new towns.  As the sunlight faded it was lit up.

Then we enjoyed a stunning sunset from the western terraces.