I've Never Been Fonda Of A Place Than Ronda

Friday morning, Mallory and I got up bright and early, met eight beautiful ladies at the bus station and took the 10 am to Ronda, a small town a little ways away from the Mediterranean. While the bus from Madrid was very smooth and enjoyable, the ride to Ronda was MISERABLE! The road we were traveling on was extremely windy and we made about 15 stops total, no joke. Strike one for Ronda.

When we arrived, it was just in time for a torrential downpour which lasted right until we found a hostel. Strike two.

So, we sit in our hostel for an hour, enjoying being able to sit in a place together without having to purchase anything (well, other than the room itself). Finally, feeling slightly guilty about sitting inside when we only had a day there, we wandered out into the streets of Ronda. We had been told to visit some bridge for a good view, and, luckily, it was only a three-minute walk from our place.

Let's just say that upon arrival at that bridge, Ronda's strikes disappeared. It hit one out of the park for us.



This bridge is extremely pretty on its own, but the valley it stretches over is the prettiest place I have ever seen in. my. entire. life.



After looking from every angle we could, we pretended to care about the rest of the town and walked the streets for a while. The people were extremely nice and the town was adorable, but when you have seen that kind of beauty, you can't stay away. So, we went back to the bridge and found a trail that would take us down into the valley.

The trail was beautiful and littered with foliage and waterfalls. A few older structures are scattered over the path and there is a new, gorgeous view at every turn. To the right, the bridge extends over a ravine, for lack of a better word, with three or four waterfalls and green everywhere; straight ahead are striking cliffs; to the left, there are rolling hills covered in different greens; and in the vast expanse behind it all is a mighty mountain range. We happened to be hiking down just when the light strikes the hills like a spotlight on stage. This made for a beautiful sky and perfect pictures.

Several of us, not having taken any pictures of ourselves really since senior year of high school, took a photo shoot and the best of those have made it to the blog. :)







After we had hiked most of it, I just sat down on the edge of one of the rocks and it felt like I was just sitting on a cloud in the middle of it all. The panoramic view was breathtaking. All you can say at a moment like that is "Thank you." This place was the most tangible evidence of a Supreme and Sovereign Creator - God's fingerprints are everywhere.