Ronda!

After returning from Austria, we were happy to be “at home” again. While we were gone, our cochecito was parked in a warehouse close to the airport.

the new bridge of Ronda

After leaving Malaga, we first drove to an organic shop and then to Lidl to stock up completely.
Next task was to empty the tank and fill up water. Through park4night we found a place on the way to Marbella on a big parking. Finally ready for new adventures we drove from the coast up into the mountains in direction of Ronda.
After a short break at a bar, the engine suddenly had no power and we only could drive very slowly up the mountains with a long queue of cars forming behind us.

We finally reached Ronda, where we found a very good spot to park not far from the famous bridge. (36.741991, -5.159200) Happy that we had made it, we immediately called Mercedes and told them our problem. They promised to send us a technician as soon as possible. As we know how things go in Spain, we didn’t stay put and wait, but walked into town, reaching the old bridge and then walking up to the famous new bridge.

the Old Bridge of Ronda

and the New Bridge

sunset view from the bridge @ Ronda

Sunset @ Ronda

On the way home, we took a street full of people and shops and noticed too late that it led in a wrong direction. But somehow we managed to find back home again.

Mercedes finally called to tell us somebody will come tomorrow morning.
In the morning it usually takes us a good time to get ready 😉 Just when we were ready to walk into town again, at about 11 am, the technician arrived. He connected his computer to our car, found some errors in the protocol, reseted a sensor and gave us the advice what to do if it happens again: stop the engine, close the door with the remote, open it again, repeat 5 times and everything is reseted and should work again. Sounds as if we have a Microsoft car 🙁

immediate response after 20 hours 😉

Let’s see, if some cables are loose …

The computer tells it all …

Today we walked through the old part of Ronda and visited the cathedral, which had suffered destruction during the civil war but is now restored and a mix of old and new. The front has a balcony, which was used by the aristocracy to watch events and fiestas taking place on the plaza in front of the church. Great was the view from the terrace around the top.

Iglesia Santa María la Mayor

Staircase to the roof

Unusual view into the church

View from the terrace

We visited the Don Bosco House, a palace from 1870, which has a terraced garden and the perfect view to the New Bridge.

Villa Don Bosco

Back home, we had our usual lunch – a salad – and a little siesta. Next to us where now 2 other Austrian caravans parked, what a coincidence!
Later we walked through the „modern“ part of Ronda to the famous Plaza de Toros. In Ronda bull fighting started around 1720 through Francisco Romero the way it is practiced until today.