June 15: Ronda

Dear Friends and Relatives,

Today was the day to explore Ronda, rising amid a ring of dark, angular mountains and split in half by a gaping river gorge, El Tajo, which drops 130 m on three sides.  The gorge is spanned by a stupendous, 18th c. arched bridge, the Puente Nuevo, and tall, whitewashed houses lean from its precipitous edges.  An expert guide, Jesus, led us on a 2-hour walk.  The town has a number of museums and is divided into three parts: the old Moorish area called La Ciudad; the San Francisco suburb, and the largely modern Mercadillo side.  

The town of Ronda is best known for its spectacular setting, and has a rich cultural, historic, and literary tradition.  Renowned as the home of bullfighting, it harbors the oldest bullfighting ring in the world, built in the 18th c.  

Today's field trip took us on foot through the old town to the Puente Nuevo, spanning the 300 ft. gorge, and the Baños Arabes, with their distinctive hump-shaped cupolas and glass roof windows of the old Arab Baths.  Dating from the 13th c. and recently restored, the complex is based on the Roman system of cold, tepid, and hot baths and is well preserved.  Noted are the barrel-vaulted ceiling and brickwork octagonal pillars supporting horseshoe arches.  

From the Arab Baths we headed to  the commercial center of Ronda and to the 18th c. bullfighting ring, the Plaza de Toros.  It is close to the Paseo de Orson Welles, and both he and Ernest Hemingway were totally vested in bullfighting.  Ronda played a leading part in the development of bullfighting and was the birthplace of the modern "corrida."  The fight season here is one of the country's most important.  At its September "feria," the "corrida goyesca," honoring Spain's greatest artist, Goya, who painted a number of paintings of the fights at Ronda, takes place in 18th c. costume.  We wandered around the arena, and then to a museum featuring memorabilia such as famous bullfighters' "trajes de luces" suits and photos of Welles and Hemingway, along with superb saddles, equipment of the picadors. 

After a thorough visit of the bullring, Jill and I peeled off for lunch at the restaurant next door, called Bar Maestro, where I tried yet another soup, as well as prosciutto and melon--light and superb, along with a lemon Fanta.  

From there we walked towards a museum we were going to visit, but before that we chanced upon a craft shop featuring the works of 75 local artists snd craftsmen--including products of leather, glass, and of course, the stunning fans of Andalucia.  Jill bought a fan, and I came away with a beautiful flat glass sculpture with the image of an angel with long wings, sandwiched between the two sheets of glass.  The man who ran the shop had a long conversation with us about the artisans he represented, and our visit with him was totally delightful.  

From there we went to the Museo Joaquín Peinado, who was born in Ronda.  In 1923, Peinado left for Paris, and his work continued to be produced until his death in 1974, in Paris.  He was a friend of Pablo Picasso and Luís Buñuel.  The museum featured his work throughout the decades as well as some etchings and paintings by Picasso, and a temporary exhibit of the works of contemporary artists.  Not quite as novel as Picasso, Peinado's output included several pieces I did like a lot and photographed.  Once we had concluded our visit, we sat in the bright, sunlit library of the museum and gained an insight into the painters of the area in the 19th and 20th centuries by perusing the catalogs that lay scattered about on tables.

Our next visit was to an outdoor cafe, where we had a scrumptious flan pastry in phyllo dough and an espresso.  Late afternoon, and the whole town was gearing up to see and be seen.

At 5:45 we met Luisa, our guide, at the bullring and walked up a few streets to the Cecilia Morales Flamenco Guitar School, where Ms. Morales gave an hourlong program of flamenco guitar music, including alegrías, bulerías, farrucas, and other pieces featuring regional adaptations of the flamenco genre.  She was an amazing artist, and I was on the front row absorbing it all.  Her motto on the front of the program distills the essence of flamenco: "Flamenco is joy, celebration, loneliness, tragedy...it is music that comforts the senses as much as it hurts..."  At the end of the concert, we gave her a standing ovation and, because my clapping is pretty well shot, I raised a huge bravo instead.  I received a wonderful autograph from her before I left, with the following inscription: "Para Sylvia con todo mi afecto, Celia Morales" or "For Sylvia with all my affection, C.M."  How fine!!!!!

And now I am sitting on our balcony writing this blog at 8:00 p.m., and it is the shank of the evening, when all is mellow.  My roommate has gone down to dinner, but I am not really interested in food tonight.  Tomorrow we are off to our last major spot--the heart and soul of Andalucia--Granada and the Alhambra.  More anon!  As ever, Sylvia

Sylvia M. Venable, PhD

Instructor, German

St. John's Episcopal School

Dallas, Texas