Ronda, Cadiz & Seville

And off we went to Ronda!

Ronda: The city on a cliff & Bullfights

This was such a surprising little side trip! We were on our way out from Granada, and Alex had previously looked the city up and planned for a pit stop here on our way to Cadiz. I’m so glad we did! It’s a small area, but well worth the pause.

Ronda is well known for its bridge built up on a cliff, as well as its bull fighting origins. We found a place to park the car, grabbed some figs, and began exploring the city’s bull ring with its museum. It was incredible to be on the sand and walk the stands, and contemplate this controversial part of Spain’s history.

There was a labyrinth of the bull ring where they kept the bulls in waiting… all of it was just so crazy to walk. It felt like dusty, bloody, hot, summery Spain.

After, I was exhausted and hungry so I grabbed a seat at an outdoor restaurant, and ordered an amazing Andalusian gazpacho: a cold soup with tomato, green bell pepper, and cucumber. Alex ran down the cliff to get a better view of the cliff bridge, and I enjoyed people watching and eating my olives.

Andalusian Gazpacho

1 slice day old bread
1 lb. ripe tomatoes, cut into large chunks
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, seeds removed & cut into thirds
1/2 cucumber, peeled and cut into thirds
1 TBSP white wine vinegar to taste
1/3c extra-virgin olive oil
salt

Soak the Bread in a few table spoons of water until it fully absorbs the water and is soft. Blend all ingredients until smooth. Press the mixture through a fine mesh sieve. Chill in the fridge for at least one hour. Serve in small glasses with toppings such as croutons, or diced tomato, cucumber and onion. 

We met up, grabbed some gelato, and started the last car leg on to Cadiz.

Cadiz: Our beach stay

Our little beach stop was to Cadiz on the southern edge of Spain, just west of the Straight of Gibraltar. When we went to drop off our rental car there was a huge saga ahead of us between a female customer and the most calm worker I’ve witnessed… what quickly escalated into a near fist fight, there was a quick call to the police, and 30 minutes later we were on a bus headed into the center of Cadiz.

Our airbnb was unreal. Situated right alongside an old church, we had a view of the city rooftop line, and could hear the chimes every hour. It was surreal. Seagulls were flying, and just at sunset the sky would turn a thousand shades of cotton candy.

Some of my favorite things to do with Alex on trips are to just wander. Maybe I mention that too much in these blogs, but I love that we’re in sync that way; we both enjoy meandering, popping in shops and detours along the way, and spending the day holding hands. It’s such a treasure to have that uninterrupted time together.

Little did we know, probably most of Spanish beaches are topless… and Cadiz was no exception. With a few “nude 6 o’clock” and “don’t look left”‘s we managed to enjoy our 4 hour relaxation on the beach. Despite maybe what was culturally uncomfortable for me, I found myself somewhat appreciative for the lessons it taught me.

Normal human bodies look normal.

Sometimes we get so caught up in unrealistic expectations of how our body should look… but old Fanny over there didn’t care if her sisters touched the floor.. she just rocked the bod she had! And as silly as it seems, I was grateful for the reminder that we’re human. We’re imperfect, but we’re perfectly imperfect. So thank you dear Fanny, I needed some humbling. I’ll be right there with you in 50 years(?)

We grabbed some gelato, saw the golden dome at Cadiz, passed a flower market, and finished our evening with a classic Carrefour grocery shopping haul!

Seville: Our last stop

Last but certainly not least, was Seville. We boarded a train from Cádiz, to Santa Justa Sevilla Station. Alex and I weren’t fortunate enough to have seats in the same cart, so we had some personal time for the hour. I read The Fountains of Silence, and incredible book based in Spain… highly recommend!

Seville was another city that was bursting with oranges throughout the entire city center. Everywhere we walked we’d smell fabulous orange blossoms wafting through the hot summer air.

Our airbnb was situated right next to a spa that we later found out diffused orange blossom fragrance throughout their entire HVAC system!! Genius! So every time we walked in and out of our apartment we took a solid 5 minutes to do so, simply because it smelled so heavenly!

We began our adventure on the search for final family gifts! We only had 2 half days here, and were feeling a little tired from our trip, but still made the most of our time, and enjoyed all the fun shopping Seville has!

Walking through the winding streets was fascinating. We had some of the best gelato of our lives from a shop called MITO’s, truly rivaling what we had in Italy. They had an incredible crema fiorentina gelato that was heavenly. It’s an egg, honey and cream gelato.

We also had a yummy Paella; this is a rice dish with mixed veggies, seafood, or meats, all cooked in one pan. Here is a yummy and authentic recipe we made when we got back that tasted a lot like it!

Our last half morning we dropped off our luggage at a locker, walked around Parque de María Luisa, rented some bikes to continue exploring the park with, and then on to the Seville Bull Ring! The museum was incredibly comprehensive, and offered so many interesting insights with the art presented.

At the end of our afternoon in Seville, we picked up our luggage, made our way to the train station and face-timed my parents with Quinn. There is nothing like family.

Seeing his little smile smacked my heart right back to wanting normal days, with my little boy. It’s funny how we wait for what seems like forever for a trip, but in the end Alex & I felt ready to go back home.

Takeaways

Already I look back at these images and miss the Spanish sunshine. It seemed like each city was dripping this gold sun that was breezy, citrusy, warm, and earthen. I miss the red clay, the vibrant flowers, I miss the salty air of Cádiz, and the spiced feeling in Granada.

I love remembering Alex goofy dancing at the Alhambra lookout, and thinking back on how we found so much fun in roaming the grocery shops there… I’m grateful for the fun. It was a summer of serendipity, of rooftop views, linens and film, and one too many bottles of gazpacho!

But as great as trips always are in the moment, the memories “age like a fine wine.” Somehow we seem to forget the barfing on the plane up here, and the horrible sunburn from Cadiz, and instead remember a montage of laughs, salty hair, vibrant dresses, and hands intertwined. That’s what I’ve taken with me, this wonderful summer of being Alex’s best friend and girlfriend.