Excursión a Ronda (Excursion to Ronda)

(This picture is being added late because it was just put on Facebook today, but I like it a lot. My friend Caitlin took it of me at Ronda, and obviously I was totally unaware...)

Side note that has nothing to do with this entry: I JUST GOT MY ABSENTEE BALLOT IN THE MAIL!!!!! YAHOO!!!! Pepe gave it to me when the mail came in and said "oh, hey, this is great! now you can vote for McCain!" and then walked away chuckling. He's a funny guy.

Last Saturday the program took us to Ronda for the day. Ronda is completely beautiful. I was more blown away by Ronda than I have been by any other city I've visited. I think the pictures more or less explain themselves. We took a private bus over and up into the mountains, then had a 2.5 hour walking tour of the city, and then had a few hours of free time before heading back to Sevilla. Ronda is small and easily doable in a day. It's very, um, gorges. Actually, it puts Cornell to shame (I know, I know, shocking). Ernest Hemingway made the beautiful bridge that goes across the gorge famous by writing about it in one of his books (which escapes me at the moment). Walking around Ronda and taking in the views was phenomenal. I want to go back, ideally with my family when they come in December, but I don't know how cold it gets up the mountainous regions of Andalucia.

Me with my friend Audrey at one of the lookouts. You can't see the background very well, but it's all countryside.

Does this need a caption?

At the bottom of the gorge is a little river and really old Arab baths...

This is a view from the older side of Ronda into the newer side.

To be honest, the more I travel here, the less impressed I am with the photographs in the guide books. I could do that, no problem. It's not that the photographers are particularly gifted; their job isn't hard when beauty is surrounding you on all sides!

Description of classes and normal life, generally, to come in the next entry.