Long Day! Setenil and Ronda
Our ninety-minute bus ride arrived in a small town called Setenil, Spain. Only teeny tiny cars were allowed into the city center. This meant we would reach our final destination on this little train. Off the bus and into our seats (at the very front), we ended up right in the heart of this very small village.
Having specifically chosen an “on your own” with lots of “free time”, we had very little direction from the tour guide. Basically, we wanted cheap transportation to two locations on our bucket list. Booking through Get Your Guide, the 10-hour excursion felt like a long day, but we didn’t have to pay for transportation and figure our way into the small village. The only information given to us is that we need to go directly to the scenic bridge. Walk all the way to the left and it loops
Located in the Provence of Cadiz, this small pueblo has a population of just over 2500 residents. It is built alongside the Rio Guadalporcun. Standing on a bridge, I took these shots looking both up and down the river. You can see restaurants and flats built into the rock. As seen in the middle photo, a wall encloses the main part of the town at the top of the hill.
Setenil is a Castilian name that translates Septim Nihil or Seven Times Nothing. It refers to the seven times the Christians attempted to take over the area prior to its ultimate capture in 1484. In addition to the town at the top of the hill, we found homes, hotels and restaurants built straight into the mountain! Very unique.
Wow! So impressive! We turned the corner onto what we thought was a simple street leading into town and we saw what this area is famous for! Built underneath an overhanging rock, we came upon stores and restaurants. Despite high temperatures, the solid boulders above serve as natural insulation and kept this area quite cool. It is my understanding that it also buffers from the colder weather. On a side note, the long foliage on the left swayed in the breeze. It was massive! That alone mesmerized me…
Yes, I had to take a selfie with the rock overhang! It is such a unique little village. There was more of the town built in areas with both sides lined with buildings and the rock as a ceiling. For me, this was a place I’m glad to have visited but not sold on returning for a longer stay. Definitely would have enjoyed longer than we had… we shall see…
Just to show an example, all the shops and restaurants were basically dug into the rock. We had coffee in one shop where the walls and ceiling were rock. It was quite charming. Prices are extremely reasonable. We had two cappuccinos for four euro…
This section runs the gamut on content… first is Barry outside a Bar under the rock ceiling. Next we move out under the famous area with the rock ceiling… it’s the area of white-washed buildings. Stunning!
Then we have the worker… or hardly worker… looking at his phone while blocking traffic trying to get through town… sometimes it’s difficult to do your job.
My obsession with laundry continues! There’s something about seeing laundry, flowing in the wind, that REALLY gets my camera moving! I think its that someone must be living there. They are gracious enough to share their area with us. As we walked back to our little train, I stopped to take a last look at the river running through town. I would love to go explore the bricked areas closer to the water level. They seem to be currently unoccupied but have great potential!
Next stop… Ronda! It’s an interesting town. While planning our trip, I toyed with the idea of spending one night here. I found a great hotel but with limited time, we chose our overnight to be Seville. Walking toward the city center (to eat!!!), we past this covered area. Considering I really struggle in the heat/sun, this was a comfortable respite from direct sun.
After a quick nap on the bus, we landed at our next spot. The town of Ronda! At this point, we were more interested in a cocktail and a meal than anything else. Against all odds, we walked a short distance and ended up at a restaurant that was 100% gluten free. I didn’t see them name of the place was “Gluten Free” or I wouldn’t have asked 150 times… “is this gluten free?” The photo on the right is Barry struggling with his gazillion lenses! I know the quality of photo is probably less… but I am just trying to capture moments… memories… he enjoys the process.
Arriving in Ronda, there is essential planning necessary to see things from the correct perspective. The bridge is iconic… it connects two parts of the town since 1793. If you end up going, here is an easy travel plan. First, it’s nice to start at the cliffside park called Paseo Blas Infante. We saw a few craft booths set up but more importantly, a clear view of the valley/gorge below the bridge.
Unfortunately, the second stop was blocked off. I had put all the stops into my google maps so we could visit them one by one but met a road block at Mirador de Aldehuela & Puente Nueavo. It was supposed to wrap around a hotel/restaurant but there was a locked gate. So… we found another vantage point.
We stood on one side of the town, in an overlook spot. The buildings that lined the hillside across the way caught my eye. As we crossed the bridge, I noticed a new vantage point. So first, I will post pictures from what was supposed to be a clear view… but really, it wasn’t.
This vantage point was okay… we could see the arches but it wasn’t as powerful from this angle. We were not able to grasp the full height of the bridge. Plants and the hillside blocked the view.
We ended up walking across the bridge, then crossed the street. There was another angle to see the bridge from the other side. Here we could see more of the full bridge. We had a few other options but with the heat factor and my lack of energy, it wasn’t going to happen. It’s an easy 10 minute walk down to Mirador Puente Nuevo. Considered a postcard view, I had to take into consideration that heading down the path meant, I had to walk back up. It would be quite a feat for me at this point in time. I will definitely return when I have more strength!
Without walking down to the “postcard view”, we were unable to get the alternate view but we could definitely see the valley below. It’s a gorgeous area! Not exactly happy about it, Barry agreed to a quick selfie :-)
With the heat doing a number on us, we headed back to the main plaza. Obviously, an ice cold sangria was waiting for us!
We had a fun view from our Sangria bar. It was nice to have a refreshing bottle of water and a Sangria. We kind of settled into our little spot. We could people watch and check out the Plaza area. Nice way to spend the afternoon.
It was a long day and just about time to head back. Here is the bridge from the bottom… quite a sight! We had a ninety-minute drive back (which was extended due to an accident). Tomorrow we head to a new location for an overnight but at some point, I will catch up on other sights around Malaga!
