A little winter escape to Andalucía………….but not until after Christmas Day and dinner! And I love Christmas dinner. I like cooking it, I like eating it and I like to feed everybody else. First course is always prawn and avocado cocktail salad. Then it’s the main course, the Yorkshire Christmas dinner. So what’s on the Yorkshire Christmas dinner? Turkey, roast potatoes, dauphinois potatoes, carrots, honey roasted parsnips, pigs in blankets (sausages wrapped in bacon), sage and onion stuffing balls, brussels sprouts (my favourite!), turkey gravy, cranberry sauce, and of course…………..a Yorkshire pudding! Lots of people will tell you that Yorkshire pudding goes with roast beef, but I beg to differ, in Yorkshire it goes with everything! Sometimes we even have them as a dessert with golden syrup on. 😆 Dinner was delicious!
And then there is dessert…………….traditionally a Christmas fruit spiced pudding with brandy sauce. I love it, and we always have it, but it’s a bit of a love hate thing, and 3 of the 6 diners do not like Christmas pudding at all, they positively hate it. So every year I have to do an alternative dessert. They all love cheesecake…………….so this year I thought I’d do cheesecake with a difference and made my very first Basque cheesecake. I’m not 100% sure what it’s meant to look like, I’ve not made one before, and it’s probably one of those things that tastes better than it looks. I thought it looked a bit burnt, but I think it’s meant to, and it got a very big thumbs up from the eaters. Apparently, it was delicious. It looked a bit bland on its own so I served it with some kirsch soaked berries and fruit coulis.
Now it would have been rude to not try some so I of course had two desserts and I can confirm it was indeed delicious. I’m awarding myself at least 8 out of 10 for my first British attempt at a Basque cheesecake.
Everyone liked their presents, which I always put lots of thought into. They will always be very meaningful…………..and I love giving presents and wrapping them up all nicely with tags.
Mr Fitness, however, continued his trend in buying the most unromantic, inappropriate present ever! 🤣 Let’s just say it’s a good job I’m one of life’s ‘givers’ rather than a ‘taker’. My boys listen to me when I say, “Next year, I’m slowing down a bit. Don’t waste your money on me at Christmas, just a small token.” Some thought had gone into what they bought, the youngest bought me a book that I’ve been meaning to read for a long time, Maya Angelou’s ‘I know why the caged bird sings’, and the big one bought me some yoga socks for winter (I always have cold feet).
Mr Fitness, however, did not get the message, and I now know for certain he does not listen to a word I say. His gifts are legendary and are much talked about amongst my friends. The first question on their lips after Christmas is always “What did you get for Christmas?” as they await the revelation of that year’s inappropriate present. He’s not a romantic. He likes practicality! Nicely tissue wrapped lingerie, chocolates, flowers, and jewellery are the things of movies and dreams to me. In the past, I’ve had mats for my car, thermal tent / camping slippers, an emergency survival blanket…………………the list is endless!🤣However, this year, he has clearly not listened to my slowing down objective for next year. With a message that said “you are too good to slow down,” I am now the proud owner of a coveted entry to the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc Snowdonia (ERYRI) 25K! With a little introduction inside the envelope that says, “This is one tough race. 2700 runners of 65 nationalities will take on the rugged wilderness of Wales’ highest mountain. ” It is exactly what I did not want……in absolutely every way! 😢He’s even tried to convince me it’s a half marathon, but as far as I’m aware, at the last measurement, 25k is over 15 miles! It would be slightly funny, were it not for the fact that while you are opening your gift, completely oblivious to what’s inside, he is sat there with a look on his face that would have you believe it’s a diamond necklace! 😂And I’ve been brought up to be thankful and polite so I smiled, tried to look so very happy with my gift, said thank you, and popped it back in its envelope where it will remain. So there you are, will I be on the start line in May, I have no idea, and for now, I’m not even thinking about it, I’m slowing down like I said! But at least it’s given everyone else something to laugh about at my expense!
The day after Christmas was the day of the four day escape via Malaga Airport, which I’m going to tell you all about! I was really ready for this little break. I wasn’t too bothered about the temperature. I just wanted to see the sun, read, relax, and recharge. It’s been very damp, foggy, cold, snowy and miserable at home recently, and work has been really busy.
Where did I go this time? I’ve been before to see the cities of Malaga, Seville, Cordoba, and Granada, and I like to go somewhere different. I wanted somewhere a bit quieter, smaller, in the countryside, so I went inland to the town of Ronda……………and it was beautiful. It is an inland town in the province of Malaga, in the autonomous community of Andalucía. The town is set in the most spectacular landscape, straddled each side of the El Tajo gorge, a 120m deep chasm that carries the Guadalevín River. Perhaps its most famous site is the Puente Nuevo bridge straddling the gorge, although completed in 1793, it’s not that ‘new’. To get there from the UK, Malaga is the most convenient airport, and it’s then around a 75-minute drive to Ronda.
There are a large number of places to stay in Ronda. There are apartments, fincas, hotels, villas, a Parador……….something for all tastes. I decided to stay just on the outskirts of town in a nice 4-star hotel called the Hotel Catalonia Reina Victoria. It is tucked away in a quiet area on the edge of town, but it is so easy to walk into the bustling centre. I chose this one as it has a lovely garden, indoor pool and spa (most of the outdoor pools are closed at this time of year), and it promised the most spectacular views over the surrounding landscape. I just wanted to relax, and it looked perfect for relaxing. I had booked bed and breakfast as the reviews said the breakfast was excellent……………but I do like to go out for dinner and sample the local cuisine when I’m abroad. I was there for 3 nights / 4 days. I arrived just before 11am on Thursday 26th December, after a very early flight out of Leeds Bradford Airport, and flew back at 21:00 hours on Sunday 29th, and it was the perfect amount of time to not feel rushed.
The hotel was perfect in every way, and I cannot praise it highly enough, this one has definitely made it onto my list of favourite hotels. The location, facilities, food and staff are just exceptional…………they cannot do enough for you. It was really good value. On arrival, I thought, “Oh goodness, this looks posh!” Now posh is fine, but I don’t like pretentious, when you are stuck somewhere that you can’t relax, with a bunch of what I refer to as ’10 bob millionaires’. I like ‘down to earth’. I need not have feared………………..when I pulled up my little grey ‘Malaga Rent’ Fiat Panda alongside the row of Porsches, the scramble to greet me was the same as if I’d arrived in a Lamborghini, and the porter even looked a little envious of my ride!🤣
Checked into the room, I was very happy………….they may have taken pity on me with my Fiat Panda, or it may have been my smile of excitement……….but they had upgraded me from a standard room, to a room with a huge balcony / terrace (perfect for book reading), with a glorious view of the Tajo valley and hotel gardens.
Mr Fitness was already getting very excited…………….he’d brought his running gear (I’d left mine firmly at home!), the sky was blue, the sun was shining, and there were hills everywhere. One month away from another of his crazy races he said, “Would you mind if I go for a run?” Now, that was like music to my ears, as his run means a marathon, taking hours. That meant I could unwind, relax, read my book, have a little glass of sunshine or two, admire the view………………and just generally chill out without being set a physical challenge!🤭 Ronda sight seeing could wait until tomorrow………………..so that’s what I did. He was under strict instructions not to plan for me to be climbing a mountain, dangling from a rope, running training drills, or exercise of any sort for that matter……….unless it was the training of my bicep, by lifting a wine glass or cake to my mouth in a repetitive motion. He was allowed to come with me to Ronda on that one condition!
I’d booked dinner at a lovely restaurant in town called Tropicana. If you are ever in Ronda I would recommend it. I waited for Mr Fitness in the hotel reading lounge, which was very comfy and all trimmed up for Christmas. It had a lovely fireplace and was too good an opportunity not to send home a photo to the boys of me in their favourite shoe choice of mine. They like to make fun of me and my shoes (I like shoes!), especially clean, shiny shoes………………I’m like a magpie for shiny things, but apparently my sliver leather cowboy boots are “boots like no other!” I’ve been called ‘Neil Armstrong’, been asked if I’ve left my spaceship outside…………their ridiculing of me is endless! But my skin is thick and I’m pretty in love with my silver cowboy boots.
I had a lovely little wander through the Christmas lights of Ronda on the way to the restaurant. It was so pretty and they really had spent an awful lot of time and money on illuminating the town for Christmas. The main square and all of town, right to the outskirts, was just a mass of colourful, sparkling lights!
The meal was delicious. I had lovely salmon croquettes to start, which I shared, and then I had a lovely little grilled octopus with some very nicely done greens and aioli for my main course. It was perfectly cooked and washed down with a lovely local white wine. I was too full for dessert (most unusual for me!🤭).
The hotel bed was soooooooo comfy. I slept like a baby and did not wake until 8:30am which is late for me, I’m normally two hours earlier. I felt refreshed already, as result of the previous day’s relax and a good sleep, so I’d decided the plan for the day. After breakfast was going to be a little wander around Ronda, followed by an afternoon of reading and relaxing, followed by an hour in the Spa, and then out for dinner again. Mr Fitness was coming along for the wander and then would re-join me for the spa and dinner. He was doing Mr Fitness type things in the afternoon!
So first of all, breakfast!! AMAAAAZING! 😁 Oh my goodness, there was everything to choose from. Cheeses, meats, cakes, fruits, breads, yoghurts, freshly squeezed juices, prosecco, wine, bacon and eggs for the Brits, gorgeous coffee and a whole mega selection of sprinkly bits, waffles, churros and chocolate sauce……..and probably a load more things I’ve forgotten. I made it my mission to try a bit of everything over the three days! 😆
So breakfast was a three course breakfast for me. I wasn’t bothered about the alcohol, I’m not your typical Brit, I can’t really tolerate alcohol first thing. There will be no airport selfie of me having an airport pint of beer for the road at 6am…………..YUK……..no! I start off with my healthy course…………………….fruit, yoghurt and as many sprinkles, nuts, dried fruit and granola that I can reasonably fit on the top. I bury the fruit at the bottom. The token piece of grapefruit, melon and pineapple.
That’s like my ‘starter’. Main course is my savoury course…………………….and I particularly liked the ‘Ronda Station’. A special table explaining what a typical Ronda breakfast would be with some local sheep’s cheese in olive oil, tomatoes and different local sausages for you to slice yourself. There was lovely freshly baked bread that you rub garlic on, and drizzle with olive oil and tomato pulp. It explained the origins of everything and how to put it all together and it was really tasty. I can have bacon and eggs at home, I come away to sample something different and local.
Then comes my breakfast ‘dessert’…………..yes I did it…………I have no will power whatsoever. I might be a bit bleary eyed, just out of bed…………..but it’s never too early for churros and chocolate sauce (and I may have had half a waffle too, which I poured my hot chocolate sauce into the little square fluffy pillows of dough to eat!!) I know, I’m greedy……………..I have eyes bigger than my belly………………….I’m the first to admit it. But what I’m really trying to explain is that breakfast here really was on another level!
Oh, and there is a lovely view from the breakfast tables!
By the time I had eaten all that, I needed my wander around Ronda to walk it off. So what are the highlights in Ronda!? First stop, the bridge……Puente Nuevo. You have to go and have a look as it’s so well known, and is quite a feat of engineering. The gorge is so very deep, with the old town on one side and the new town on the other.
The main square is also worth a look. Very pretty and full of gorgeous flowers. They use lots of cyclamen in their planting schemes which works well and proves how cool, bright and dry it is over winter, they thrive here. At home, winter is a constant battle to keep my cyclamen tubers from rotting in the cold, damp, frosty gloom.
If you like to buy local traditional food, or you are self catering there are so many lovely food shops selling cheeses, top quality jamon iberico and other local delicacies. This one across the road from the hotel in the new town, out of the tourist area, was my favourite.
At this time of year there are orange and citrus fruits everywhere. The trees are so heavenly laden with them and the freshly squeezed orange juice is delicious, they are so sweet.
You will be pleased to know too that there is ice cream, yes in December, proving what I tell everyone. And they even have a sign to tell you ‘Turron todo el ano’. You see, for those of you who doubted me………………it is perfectly acceptable to indulge in Turron ice cream all though the year, 365 days!😁
I can also confirm that no matter where you look in Ronda there will be spectacular views over Andalucía, it is extremely green and pretty with lots of mountains, rolling hills, gorges, olive groves and what looked to be some fantastic walking. There are also two lovely gardens, both free to enter, which offer the most spectacular views. The nicest one I though was the Alameda del Tajo park. This would be a nice shady retreat from the heat of the summer sunshine. There are lots of tall trees, little squares and tinkling fountains. It’s really green and peaceful in there with its shiny stone tiled floor. At the far end of the garden is the most beautiful mirador over the whole of the valley.
The other gardens are the Jardines de Cuenca. These are also free to wander around and are on the edge of the gorge. These give you a really good view of the Puente Nuevo bridge from below.
Both the gardens are definitely worth a look, and like the whole of Ronda, they are spotlessly clean. It was while I was looking for one of the gardens that I spotted my first Camino sign of the holiday………this time the Via Serrana from Gibraltar to Seville where it then joins the Via de la Plata and Camino Sanabres to reach Santiago. This one would be quite a nice one for Autumn or Spring I think.
Next stop, after a little rest and change of clothes because I was cold, was the Plaza de Toros (Bull Ring). It’s one of Spain’s oldest bull rings and is a really well maintained arena. Despite my discomfort with bullfighting, you cannot deny the fact that it is a large part of the Spanish heritage and culture and I was fascinated to hear all about the history, see the costumes, and learn about the Real Maestranza de Caballería, the oldest and most noble order of horsemanship in Spain since 1485, who are still based there.
It also brought to life some of the characters in recent Ernest Hemingway books I’ve read. He fell in love with Ronda and thought it was one of the most romantic places in Spain. Two Ernest Hemingway novels, ‘Death in the Afternoon’ and ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ were both written after his time here, and one of the key characters in ‘The Sun Also Rises’ is a bullfighter named Pedro Romero, who was actually a famous Spanish bullfighter from the Romero family of Ronda.
I really enjoyed the visit to the bull ring and learning all about that part of Spanish culture. I would recommend it, even if you are not sure about the sport in itself. Architecturally it’s a really pretty place and it has some really unique features, like the tiled stairways all around the arena which depict bullfighting scenes in blue and white painted tiles.
Final site of the day was the church, Iglesia de Santa Maria la Mayor. It is located in a beautiful square in the old town, on the site of the former mosque. I wanted to go in for a few reasons. Firstly, you can climb up the tower and get a fantastic photograph looking down the spectacular stairwell and a view over the rooftops. Secondly and least importantly, it is full of the usual ostentatious bling.
This is where we had our first ‘words’, Mr Fitness and I, and I had to just walk off in embarrassment. He’s the sort of person that if he thinks something, he will say it, and he is really not bothered who he offends. I meanwhile am probably one of the least offensive people you can meet. I do not practice a religion. I was christened and confirmed a protestant but it’s not a big part of my life and I just wish we could all get along and live happily ever after. Mr Fitness however, is completely anti-religion of any sort and strongly believes it is the root of all worldwide problems and always will be. He especially has a huge aversion to paying to go into a church……….it is probably the thing he has the biggest issue with. So whilst I am clutching my 5 Euros to go up the tower (I knew I would be alone on this one) he’s shouting across the square at me (I only hope his Yorkshire dialect was not understood) that I might want to ask what they are doing with the 75 billion they’ve got stashed away in stocks and shares when I give them my 5 Euros. I was so embarrassed! 😦
I pretended I did not know him and quickly made my entrance, to leave him in the square proudly declaring his 5 euros had been better spent on a glass of Estrella Verde beer.
The church was very beautiful with lots of shiny ostentatious bling as expected so I felt my 5 euros had been well spent. I was also really pleased that our flag had not been stripped off the altar post-Brexit, when we declared to the rest of Europe that we no longer wanted to come to the party, something which I’m still so embarrassed about to this day, I don’t think I’ll ever get over it!😂 However, this is where the fun began, and without the encouragement of Mr Fitness I did struggle somewhat. Anyone who knows me well will tell you that I am a little claustrophobic, and scared of heights…………………but I’m also extremely determined. I wanted to go up the tower, because I wanted to see the view. I also wanted to look down the spiral staircase from the top. Now I just hope that no-one was watching me because it took three attempts!!🤣🤣
I particularly don’t like really tight spiral staircases, which this one was, I can get quite distressed. Now, I’m a grown adult, and when I’m in a situation like this I use a technique called exposure therapy, sometimes called desensitization, and this is a really big tip to try if you have a phobia of anything. The idea is that you gradually increase your exposure to the feared thing, the goal being to learn to tolerate the distress until it fades away. So what does this look like in this situation I sense you thinking? Well…………………….it means I walk up and down the steps exactly 4 times until I reach the top, and anybody who notices me doing it no doubt thinks I’m an absolute lunatic! 🤣 First I go up 15 steps then I come back down again. I convince myself that all is well and there is nothing to fear and up I go again, but this time 30 steps………………….and so on and so on………………..until on attempt number 4 I am pleased to say all 62 steps were conquered and I got my view from the top and a shot of the staircase looking down, which made me feel really sick and dizzy so I had to sit down in the square for a drink when I got out until I came round and regained my balance.
By then in was early afternoon, my breakfast had been walked off and I wanted to head back to the hotel for my reading time. However, not before a cake! Dinner was not until 8:30pm so I thought, “I’m on holiday, I can have cake for lunch”, and that will just keep me going until dinner time. So I can also confirm that Ronda has some very nice cake shops.
The afternoon was spent reading while Mr Fitness did fitness things. The deal was to meet at the Spa for an hour at 5pm. The Spa was lovely! It was small but perfect. There was a sauna, a pool with all sorts of jets and massage beds, an ice bucket, and a nice body jet massage shower which had a cycle of around 5 minutes going from cold to hot and working its way up the body from feet to head.
Then there was a quiet heated solarium room with herbal teas, 6 sun loungers, floor to ceiling windows and gorgeous views over the valley. And the nice thing was they only let six people in at a time so there’s a bed for everyone. The staff were lovely too. It was one of those spas where you have to wear a swimming cap, and it’s a good idea, as one of my most hated things is other people’s hair floating in a swimming pool, and I know that I lose loads of hair so I’m all for wearing a cap.
After my little spa session I had a little snooze, while Mr Fitness went to the gym to work off his cake. I got ready for dinner and went read a book outside on the terrace down by the bar while I waited for him. I might just have had a little Campari Spritz too! This is another one of my “Oh my goodness, what have you got on Mum!?” outfits. My very much loved green sateen dress emblazoned with black and white tigers, it looks lovely with my silver boots! 😆I do like to create my own, unique, bright style. My dress has had lots of compliments, just not from my boys, and if my style makes someone smile and say “What a lovely dress!” then that’s a good thing.
Now this is where I’m going to give you an example of how lovely the hotel staff are, going above and beyond. I was sat outside on what was a very cool evening, reading my book, happily minding my own business, waiting with my drink. I must have looked a little cold, because out of nowhere came one of the barmen. He instructed me to stand and pulled my chair over to one of those huge flame heaters. I sat next to the heater, thanked him and thought that was that, until he came running back out with a blanket! I thought he was just going to pass me the blanket, but no, he wrapped me in it, tucked me in and told me if I needed anything else just to shout!🤣🤣 Mr Fitness found me looking like one of the wise men at the nativity scene covered from head to toe in a wool throw! I was wrapped up so tightly like a caterpillar in a cocoon I could hardly turn my book pages, so tightly he had to unwrap me to take me out for dinner!
Dinner that night was superb, It was at a lovely restaurant called La Nina Adela. This was another great little place. Quite a walk, and out of the tourist area, full of local people who seemed to be regulars. We shared a lovely local warm and melted cheese salad to start, then I had ‘The Goat’ ………..this was a burger made with Retinta beef, bacon, fried goat cheese, tomato jam and mayo-honey. It was divine. I’d never heard of Retinta beef but the difference was definitely in the quality and taste of the beef. Apparently the Retinta cow is native to Spain, particularly the dry areas of Andalucía and Exremedura. They roam freely in pastures and scrub land eating acorns, shrubs, branches and grass which is why their meat has extraordinary flavour. I love learning things like this, I’m like a sponge for knowledge!
Oh, and this time I managed to share a dessert, the brownie was not escaping me! Although Mr Fitness claims that I use the word ‘share’ loosely to make myself feel better as apparently my ‘share’ in practice is not the same as his! 😂 I can’t think what he might mean!
The following morning, after my three course breakfast 😆, I thought it would be a shame to not see a little bit of the area, but I did not want to expend too much energy. Plus, I have plans to come back to Andalucía for a week next Autumn so I didn’t feel any real need to see everything this time. But next Autumn I’d like to go a bit further afield to look at Cadiz, Tarifa, Jerez de la Frontera etc. So I asked Mr Fitness if he would drive me around a couple of the white villages local to Ronda, that the area is famous for, so I could have a little look at them, a plan which he thought was a good idea, so off we went.
It was on the way out of Ronda that I spotted some cool street art.
But it did make me laugh…………lots! Each scene depicts something to do with Ronda’s heritage. There were a few relating to bull fighting, one to flamenco, one to farming, a lovely landscape painting of the bridge……………………and then this one…………………………
I can’t help but thing it’s their homage to the British coming on holiday to the Costa del Sol!🤣🤣 I can say that because I’m British of course! But it does bear a strange realistic resemblance.
Anyway, I’d recommend this little drive for a change of scenery, the villages were nice. I’ll tell you briefly which four I visited and what I liked about them.
First stop was Setenil de las Bodegas. A really quirky little town where the cliffs overhang the street and the whole town is built into the cliff side. It’s really pretty.
It has some lovely flower laden streets…………….
Plants in terracotta pots hung on the walls………………….
A lovely colourful little town fountain which is now a homage to a local lady called Francesca who passed away in Summer 2024 and used to keep the fountain decorated with her little home made crocheted creations, a tradition which clearly lives on……………
If you come, I’d recommend visiting this village early, as it gets really busy with tourists, and it does feel a bit touristy with lots of souvenir shops…………….but I did still manage to find a nice quiet spot for a coffee.
Next town was Olvera. Worth a visit. The view of it from a distance is really spectacular as it sits atop a hill and can be seen for miles around, with its castle and church on the top. If you’ve ever been to Puglia in Southern Italy I would say that from a distance it looks identical to the white walled city of Ostuni. It is worth going to the top of town to look at the castle and church, although they do look a bit neglected close up.
It’s also at the top of town where you’ll find the cemetery, which in 2019 was voted ‘Best Cemetery in Spain’…………………now that’s an award and a half isn’t it?!😂 I did have a sneaky peak to verify, and can indeed confirm that all the residents are in a lovely setting with an awesome view.
Other than that I did not feel there was a great deal to Olvera when you got there, and it was a little spread out and lacked atmosphere for me.
Next stop was Zahara de la Sierra. Another hill top town, and I liked this one. It was a little prettier, more compact, cleaner, and had a really bustling central square full of cafes, restaurants and bars where everyone seemed to be congregated. It was full of local people rather than tourists and had a really nice feel.
I had a lovely little wander through the closely packed cobbled streets until I reached the top of the town.
From the top of the town you get a really lovely view over the rooftops and the Zahara – El Gastor reservoir down below which is fed by the Guadalete river.
Last but not least the final town we went to visit was Grazalema, and I really like this town too. This one is not on a hilltop, it’s nestled in the foothills. But although it was by now late afternoon, this one was really bustling too. There was the usual bull statue in the main street……………most Andalucian towns have one of these.
There was a really nice central plaza lined with cafes, bars and restaurants.
Some huge cacti and an amazing turron shop. I love a turron shop!
This town had my favourite sign………………………and I love Spanish signs…………….whoever designs the graphics in Spain, needs a special award as far as I’m concerned. But I can’t just read the sign…………….I’m really inquisitive and I have to question further……………..a whole thought process goes around in my head because I think all the time……..too much! So here is the sign………………….
I understand the sign……………..no dog peeing here…………I get that…………but that got me thinking. Surely you’d have to avoid the whole area with the dog. I don’t own a dog (unfortunately, as I’d love one) but I know enough about them to know that surely when the dog has decided it’s having a pee you can’t stop it can you? Perhaps they did not want to offend dog owners but putting ‘No dogs!” But it made me chuckle anyway.
Then I discovered some really delicious little sweets and I may have brought quite a few home.🤭I like these lots. It said Mantecados on the wrapper so I’m assuming that’s what the are called. They were almonds (very finely chopped and ground), wheatflour, cinnamon and sugar………………..all bound together. They were very crumbly and lovely with a coffee.
Then I discovered a local traditional story……………and I love a bit of local history and folklore and this really made me smile. The town in split into two halves, the upper town and the lower town. The word “hopo” or “jopo” was, and is still used today, to distinguish residents from each of the sides of town. Figuratively, apparently they translate it here as bull penis! Now if you live in the upper town you are a Jopones or ‘big bull penis’ and if you live in the lower part of town you are a Jopiches or ‘small bull penis’. The two local youth football teams are still to this day given the same names. It might just be me, but I would have thought that you might want to live in the top half of town and play for team Jopones…………………..I mean, honestly, if you have a choice of being a ‘small bull penis’ or a ‘big bull penis’ you are going to go large aren’t you!?🤣 It’s little stories and traditions like this that make me fall in love with little towns like Grazalema, definitely one to visit.
So that was my little road trip from town to town over, with a coffee stop in each. Dinner that night was pizza! Not Spanish I know, but I was quite hungry for carbs, but not quite hungry enough for my pizza which came as a calzone the size of a small baby. 🤣 I didn’t manage it all but what I did eat was lovely.
One more hotel breakfast and it was time to leave for the UK. The flight was not until 21:00 at night though, so I was in no rush to leave the hotel and Ronda. So I had a lovely morning relaxing and reading. I suggested to Mr Fitness that I might like to call at a coastal town for a quick look on my way home, just to see what the Costa del Sol is all about. I’ve never been and you are not a true Brit unless you have graced the Costa del Sol!😂
Don’t be offended when I say this but you have to remember I like quiet, I like culture, I like history, I like traditional food, I like pretty, I like unpretentious, authentic places where there are very few of my fellow countrymen. I had a sneaky suspicion I would not like it but I wanted to look anyway. I’d already ruled out Fuengirola and Torremolinos as I knew they’d be too busy and British for me. So the question was…………..do I go and have a look at Marbella or Estepona for a couple of hours?
The internet said to go to Marbella if you want opulence, exclusivity, timeless glamour and allure. I didn’t! So I opted for Estepona where it said I would find undeniable charm, Spanish authenticity, tranquil ambience, lovely beach, little streets and tapas. Did I find that…………………….no! Did I like it? It was ok but not really. I did not find anything authentically Spanish, perhaps I did not look hard enough. I did find lots of British people and British bars. It was quite expensive and I didn’t really find anything of culture. Was it authentic…………..there was lots of fake………….fake designer goods shops, fake boobs, eyebrows and other body parts, and fake Spanish style streets to make you feel as though you are in an ‘old town’. Not that there’s anything wrong with that if that’s what you want……………….but it’s important that you know that before you go!
Did I like anything about it? Yes! It does have a lovely beach with some little old boats washed up on it.
It is very, very sparkly and clean with some lovely flowers and fountains.
There is a very nice marina and when the sun is shining it would be a lovely place to watch the boats come and go with an Aperol Spritz…………….but I thought I’d have one just to make sure, as I don’t want to misreport!😆
If you like jogging on a promenade it would be perfect………….it’s never ending and there are even some exercise stations which I also thought I’d sample for you before reporting, proving that I have not been to a gym too often, I prefer yoga studios and outdoor exercise.
There were some lovely cake shops………….which I also thought I would try as I like my reviews to be correct so I thought I’d better check.🤭
So don’t let me put you off entirely, it has some very nice parts, it’s just that overall, it’s not for me. I’ve been, seen, am happy I did go but would probably not return there for a holiday. However, if you like resort based holidays, sunshine, mingling with your fellow British, getting your party gear on and dancing and drinking the night away I am sure you would love it, there are lots of things to like about it.
So that’s my whistle stop tour of a little part of Andalucía for you. There’s so much more to see …………………. like the western cities of Cadiz and Jerez, and some excellent walking. I am really looking forward to making a more energetic return for some Autumn sunshine and exploring a bit more. It’s perfect for an out of season break. I think it would be a bit hot for a pale skinned, auburn haired girl like me to stay for too long in summer but I would give Andalucía as a whole a big thumbs up!
I now have to endure 6 weeks of harsh Yorkshire weather, and 6 weeks of work, before my next little solo adventure , so watch this space……….