Above The World

On Wednesday I spent a lot of time exploring Seville; I will share my adventure of Seville at a later point because of how much time it will take to prepare that post. On Thursday, I had to say goodbye to one of my new favorite cities. It was time to head to Granada, but first: a stop in the mountains.

The beautiful Plaza de España.

There was a brief stop in Seville before we headed to the town of Ronda. The choir rolled in to the Plaza de España, which featured water surrounding a giant space ornamented by bridges and a central fountain. Artwork decorated the walls and a pan flute player brought to life the famous tune "Time to Say Goodbye."

The botanical garden (Alameda del Tajo) of Ronda.

The Plaza de Toros reminded us the significance of bullfighting in Spanish culture.

After leaving Seville, another lengthy bus ride ensued as we traveled toward Granada. We stopped in Ronda for a tour of the city, seeing large churches and beautiful botanical gardens and city squares. The most delightful part of Ronda being on a mountain is the views from the mountain.

One of several panoramic views that can be seen from Alameda del Tajo.

The New Bridge connects the new and old sections of Ronda together. Either side is beautiful, and what an impressive bridge!

The tour allowed for incredible views at several different points before continuing from the new part of the city into the old. We crossed the New Bridge (Puente Nuevo) and saw murals, more views, the city square, and many narrow streets with desirable cobblestone roads.

A narrow street in Ronda.

Our guided tour concluded at the Plaza Duquesa de Parcent.

An extensive lunch break following the tour meant time to explore. At the vista by the botanical garden we were notified by our guide that it's possible to walk into the gorge below us via a footpath on the other side of town. I planned on going here, but I noticed some cascades along the river Guadalevín and hoped to get closer. The guide mentioned paying a homeowner 5 Euros to access the river, but I didn't have any luck deciding upon which door to knock. Thankfully, trying to find this door brought me through the Jardines de Cuenca.

The Jardines de Cuenca are a small plaza-area situated along the river gorge with some pretty views and a few trees.

Working my way toward the footpath into the gorge, I came across a small walk-in museum: the Arabic Baths. Their system was based on the Roman system. I was able to walk into a sheltered "cave"-like construction in the Baths, which was neat. I spent a little time here, and then I headed for the gorge (called the El Tajo Gorge). By chance, I saw a small footpath that led up the hill toward the old city walls.

The Arabic Baths have been laid out as a museum to explore; this system was like that of the Romans.

A small footpath leads up from the Arabic Baths to the Old City Walls (Murallas).

At the top of the hill I observed the nearby church, Iglesia del Espíritu Santo, and then climbed a new hill and backtracked across part of the city seen on the walking tour. This finally brought me to the footpath that leads into the gorge. There are footpaths that lead to the very bottom of the hill, where farms and houses can be found. There is an extreme drop from the top of the New Bridge which defines the gorge.

The Iglesia del Espíritu Santo (Church of the Holy Spirit) at the top of the footpath in the old section of Ronda.

A path descends into the gorge, allowing amazing views of Ronda.

The footpaths begin far away from the gorge and impressive views can be seen from almost every point alongside the cliff. The official path continued downhill when I noticed a deteriorating side path which eventually turned to dirt. The path was clearly well-traveled and other people walked down this way, so I decided to see what was in this direction.

An unexpected and giant waterfall flowing beneath the New Bridge. What a delightful sight.

The Río Guadalevín rushes underneath the New Bridge to create the picturesque waterfall.

The most amazing waterfall was here. It poured into a pool far above the ground in the middle of the gorge, fed by the river which flowed underneath the New Bridge. This waterfall was impossible to see from the tour, therefore it was an incredible surprise; I seek out waterfalls in New England when I am closer to home.

The pool above the waterfall, where the path abruptly ends.

The presence of a seemingly-random ladder gave me a small sense of artistic inspiration.

Climbing above the waterfall reveals a pathway underneath the bridge that leads to a pool-like reservoir. I spent a significant amount of time here before returning to the main footpath which eventually split in two directions. Each split pathway led to different areas at the base of the cliff; I did not have enough time to fully follow either path. But I was able to locate an old stone archway near the end of each path.

A stone archway at one side of the trail which continues down the gorge; an arch served as a "gate" to the final portion of the path on each side. I did not have enough time continue descending.

I had lightly scraped my leg on this hike and the walk back to the top of the cliff, although on a solid path, was incredibly exhausting. After shredding through two of my cat-nine-lives I appreciated the flat path back across the New Bridge and over to the Plaza de Toros outside the bullfighting arena. This was the meeting place for the bus.

Outside the bullfighting ring.

A bus ride out of Ronda and through the country ultimately brought us to Granada. The hotel was far more quiet and reserved than the previous two. I was here only a short while before boarding one of a few mini-buses with friends. The destination? A flamenco show!

Fiery passion dominated the air as the flamenco dancers presented their incredible art.

The dancing was high-energy and filled with passion. This was very exciting and some of my friends in the choir ended up dancing with the professionals in the corridor-like room. This short outing, followed by a dinner of sampling some fish, was the way to end our introduction to Granada. Friday was the penultimate concert: nearly bittersweet.