People eat late in Spain, so before it was time for dinner, Steve, my mom, and I went for a short evening walk around Ronda. We started by crossing the new bridge, Puente Nuevo. Earlier in the day it had been packed with tourists, but after dark there wasn’t a soul in sight. From there, we walked downhill toward the old bridge, Puente Viejo. On the way, we passed Casa del Rey Moro, which is known for its terraced gardens and the old water mine that was once used to haul water up from the gorge. The house itself dates back to the 1700s, but the water mine is much older and offers a fascinating glimpse into how people once made use of the gorge’s natural resources. The name might suggest that a Moorish king once lived here, but the building you see today was constructed in the 18th century, long after the Moorish period in Ronda had ended.
A little further down the road, we walked under Arco de Felipe V, a city gate named after King Philip V. This is where you leave the oldest part of Ronda on the south side of the gorge and head toward the newer part of town, while at the same time stepping out onto Puente Viejo, the old bridge across the gorge. We crossed Puente Viejo, which despite its name is not actually the oldest of Ronda’s three bridges. Further down in the gorge lies Puente San Miguel, which is the oldest bridge in the city.
By the time we headed back, it was quite dark, and the lighting along the stairways wasn’t great. There are a lot of steps along this route, but everything is manageable, and the evening atmosphere and beautiful sights along the way make it well worth the effort.
On the way back, we stopped at a viewpoint overlooking Puente Nuevo, beautifully lit up against the night sky. From there, we could also see our Airbnb, so we called my dad and asked him to step out onto the balcony and wave. Can you see him in the photo?
