@go.on.travel.viagens.pt
We left Lisbon for Setenilde las Bodegas at 22:45 and our 1st stop was at Vendas Novas where we were given time to have diner and all those other things 😼 We arrived here at 1:37 PT time. Our next stop to stretch our legs and all the other stuff was Caia where we arrived at 3:34 and please note till here I still hadn't slept at all. We arrived in Sevilha at 5:42 ( +1 hour Spannish time) and our next stop was amazing Setenil for a visit. What an extraordinary place, I was absolutely taken in by those buildings in the rocks. Here we also had breakfast.
Setenil de las Bodegas is named after its once flourishing wineries –
“bodegas” and grew out of a network of caves in the cliffs above the river
Trejo north-west of Ronda. Its white houses seem to emerge from the rocks.
Modern
Setenil began when the Christian armies expelled its Moorish, Granada-led
Nasrid rulers. It took the Christians fifteen days to expel the Moors from the
(nowadays ruined) Castillo. It was believed to have taken "septem nihil", "seven
times".
The bars
and restaurants in Setenil are very popular especially at weekend lunchtime
when there is a lively atmosphere. Try Bar Restaurante El
Mirador in a small street just off the Plaza de Andalucía where numerous cafes
serve on the terraces. Tapa hop along Calle Cuevas del Sol starting at Bar
Francisco.
Setenil's
major festival is the festival of its patron saint, Sebastian, on 20 January.
It celebrates Carnaval with every other village in February, prior to Lent. Its
annual feria takes place in the first week of August.
Our next
stop was Ronda where we visited
Puente Nuevo, the historical centre of the city and its imposing Palace of
Mondragón entrance price 3.50 € (Palace of the Marquis of Villa Sierra) and
Salvatierra, a building in Mudejar-Renaissance style ...
We passed
through its streets and from the Tajo margin, we were able to enjoy the best
views that Serranía de Ronda has to offer.
Ronda is a mountaintop city
in Spain’s Malaga province that’s set dramatically above a deep gorge. This
gorge (El Tajo) separates the city’s circa-15th-century new town from its old
town, dating to Moorish rule. Puente Nuevo, a stone bridge spanning the gorge,
has a lookout offering magnificent views. New town’s Plaza de Toros, a legendary
18th-century bullring, is one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks. I must say I've always loved Spain BUT I fell totally in love with Ronda!
After lunch
we departed for Fuengirola were we
checked-in and spent the rest of the day feely. Although till here it had been a marvelous sunny day when we got to Fuengirola it misted up :( We stayed at the Ilunion Fuengirola **** on the 8th floor with amazing views of the beach straight across from the street!
Fuengirola is a town on the Costa del Sol
in southern Spain, known for its sandy beaches. South of the city center, the
medieval Moorish Sohail Castle towers over the coastline, and hosts concerts,
festivals and a medieval market in summer. Adjacent to the Plaza de Toros
bullring is Bioparc Fuengirola, a naturalistic zoo featuring a re-created
jungle clearing and animals from Asia and Africa.
On the next morning we set off to see the Castillo de Colomares in Benalmadena,
Castillo
de Colomares is a castle-shaped monument dedicated to the life and adventures
of Christopher Columbus. It was built near Benalmadena,
Spain, between 1987 and 1994. Covering an area of 1,500 meters, it is the
largest monument in the world for the explorer, but also contains the smallest
church in the world, entry costs 2€.
We had breakfast
at the hotel and then departured for the Stupa of the Enlightenment the largest
stupa in the West which has a height of 33 meters which along with its location
on a hillside of the Sierra de Mijas offers a privileged view of the Costa del
Sol.
This opened on October 5, 2003, it was the last
project of Buddhist master Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche. The Stupa project responds to
one of eight types of Tibetan stupas, which symbolizes Buddha enlightenment,
the realization of the nature of mind. The Stupa of Enlightenment (Chan Chub
Chorten in Tibetan) represents peace, prosperity and harmony, and entry costs
2€, there was also a Butterfly Park and Gruta de Lourdes very nearby.
What else can I say but that I'm totally in love with Spain!
