The day started out a little rough when I was denied entry to base, again! But after Yancy came home we were able to hop in the car and try to navigate our sad little photocopy of a map and head off to Ronda.
Ronda is the home of the oldest bull ring in Spain and hosts a huge bull fighting spectacular each September. I haven't quite ruled out going to one, but I really don't think I can handle watching one.The ring is also home to an Equestrian center and a Matador museum. It is the art and the ballet and the eternal struggle between Man and Beast, Good and Evil..or at least this is what the Spaniards I work with and this museum would have you believe. The first fight held in the ring was against bulls that were raised in Utrera, which happens to be our newly adopted home.
What brought us to Ronda in the first place was a picture of a beautiful bridge. It spans the canyon that the town was built around and on top of. The center of the middle arch was once used to house prisoners. The guidebook mentioned that it is here that Hemingway write of people being thrown over to there death in For Whom the Bell Tolls, but I haven't gotten that far in the book yet, still in the early chapters.
The end of the day was coming fast and seen as Yancy and I have yet to figure out where, when or what to eat we needed to head home. Tapas bars can be a bit confusing, especially if you are not in a tourist town. We are working on the Spanish, but it is slow going. On our way home we passed by Jake's Hotel and Pub, during the day a respectable looking roadside brothel (respectable in comparison with others)...which are all over the place here. The plantation-esque architecture of the day gave way to the neon lights and an exterior light show at night. Definitely worth a quick swing into the parking lot for a picture and video!
Still no luck with the video, but i am sure I will figure this sit out soon enough.
We miss everyone, so keep the real emails coming and I will try to keep up with this blog, letting you know what we have been up to. Once I get back to my own laptop I will set up a Picasa site so all the photos will be on there.
Take care and we'll talk to you soon...
Adios!
