Photos of the Haunted House taken on 31 October 2012

A front view of Villa Apolo

Villa Apolo





The swimming pool

The Tennis Courts

The Tower

The damp spot may be a damp spot but may be blood.....

These photos were taken on All Hallows Eve

October 31 2012

 







The Haunted House - in English

TRANSLATION:

The translation is not perfect English because there is often not a straight like for like conversion.

Well, to begin with I have to say that I am from Ronda (Malaga, Spain) and I have visited this House many times, I have not ever seen anything out of the ordinary but I have searched a bit. I found a sheet of a newspaper last year and read it carefully. In one of the pages appeared an article related to that House. I copied it as I found it:

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' Casa Rúa: A Haunted House '

If there are places in Ronda covering mystery, fascination, fear and curiosity, the Casa Rúa brings together everything and more in the dilapidated building and its unique landscape. Located in the lane on the way to the Rock Church of the Virgen de la Cabeza, was a mansion, now only ruins, built in a heavenly space (tennis court, gardens, (fuentesde) dream, pool...) and with the most beautiful views of the Tacho and the urban skyline of Ronda. It is enough to observe the current state, degraded and destroyed, to realise that something exceptional had to occur so that the owners left, almost suddenly, a unique and beautiful framework.

Since then, from the strange neglect of this Villa Apolo, as it reads under the frontispiece of its facade, have passed hundreds and hundreds of people from Ronda and visitors, seduced by its enigma, to verify what's true in so many extraordinary stories, to destroy its elegant architecture or to experience sensations that emerge in such a singular scenario. What happened so that the wealthy owners hastily left this palace and never wanted to go back there?

Stories, tales, legends, myths, celebrity gossip, as I have said, there are numerous; and almost all are from the imagination and include countless experiences of the paranormal,magic, spiritual ... amazing in the final analysis, that it has involved the thoughts of many people. However, in between all of them, there is a common detail with no small interest which would cause some paranormal activity that has been said to have been seen in this 'Haunted House'

The illustrious and well-off inhabitants of the residence had an 8-year-old daughter who disappeared (true) on a fateful day, without her minders and the rest of the maintenance staff knowing. The corpse of the girl was found, terribly carved up and in a pool of blood on the first floor of the nearby tower. The place was a watchtower and part of the defense of the Moslem Ronda and was on the edge of the property of the Casa Rúa. Nothing was discovered about who carried out the brutal murder.

From the first moment strange experiences began to happen, and especially intense were appearances of the girl, noises, mysterious crying...and that provoked the abandonment of the stately building. It might be explained from the perspective that the bloody crime soaked the whole area with its emotional energy. This energy in movement gave place to the 'anomalies', psychological parallels of the ghost of the girl who in the house lived... and died. A peculiarity exists, exceptional undoubtedly, that the 'ghost', or 'energy', or 'entity', of the small girl, with the passing of time, has been growing, aging, as if she kept on living in our existential plane and appears as a grown woman.There exists a photo in which there appears the ghost as a woman adult and clothed in the ancient custom.

Finally to explain the extract:. The building is part of a 'triangle', with one of the apexes in the Virgen de la Cabeza, in which the telluric energies are very intense; there are those who come, and come continuously from the skies (extra-terrestrials) and from the subsoil, being very related to the energy changes, and that can affect us biologically. They can alter our metabolism and psychological disorders can provoke us. The forces in this area in particular of the Casa Rúa if true, are capable of danger with all this paranormal phenomena: apparitions, ghostly, 'religious' experiences and mediums as well as the group of Believers of the Pious Father... But this will be another story…...

The Haunted House - in Spanish

Bueno, para hacer una entrada al post he de decir que soy de Ronda (Málaga, España) y que he visitado esta casa infinidad de veces, no he visto nunca nada fuera de lo normal pero si que te escama un poco. Encontré una hoja informativa de un periodico del año pasado y lo leí con detenimiento. En una de las páginas aparecía un artículo relacionado con dicha casa. lo copio tal y como lo encontré:

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"Casa Rúa: Una casa encantada"

Si hay lugares en ronda que abarquen misterio, fascinación, miedo y curiosidad, la "casa Rúa" reúne todo y más en la ruinosa edificación y en su único paraje. Situada en el carril de acceso a la Iglesia Rupestre de la Virgen de la Cabeza, fue una mansión, ahora solo ruinas, integrada en un espacio paradisíaco (Pista de tenis, jardines, fuentesde ensueño, piscina...) y acreedora de las vistas más hermosas del tajo y el horizonte urbano de ronda. Y sin embargo, basta con observar el estado actual, degradado y destruído, para inferir que algo excepcional tuvo que ocurrir para que sus propietarios abandonaran, casi de súbito, un marco incomparable y primoroso.

Desde entonces, desde el extraño abandono de esta Villa Apolo, como reza bajo el frontispicio de su fachada, han pasado cientos y cientos de rondeños y visitantes, seducidos por su enigma, para comprobar qué hay de cierto en tantas historias extraordinarias, para destrozar su elegante arquitectura (los más bestias), o para experimentar sensaciones que emergen en tan singular escenario. Pero, ¿Qué sucedió para que sus pudientes propietarios abandonaran precipitadamente el palacete y jamás quisieran volver allí?

Historias, cuentos, leyendas, mitos, chismes, como he dicho, hay numerosos; y casi todos en función a la imaginación, exigencia e incluso justificación a las incontables experiencias paranormales,mágicas, espirituales... asombrosas en definitiva, que han galvanizado las incursiones de muchas personas. No obstante, de entre todas ellas, hay una, detalles aledaños y vanos que poco o nada interesan, que respondería a parte de la casuísticas paranormal, documentada, que ha sido registrada en esta "Casa Encantada"

Los ínclitos y acomodados moradores de la residencia tenían una hija de 8 años que desapareció cierto y aciago día, sin que cuidadores y el resto del personal de servicio supieran nada. El cadáver de la niña apareció terriblemente descuartizado en una jofaina colmada con su propia sangre, en la planta primera de la torre, elemento del sistema de vigía y defensivo de la Ronda musulmana en la propia zona de la Casa Rúa. Nada se supo sobre la autoría y dilucidación del brutal asesinato.

Desde el primer momento se sucedieron las experiencias extrañas, y especialmente intensas (apariciones de la propia niña, golpes, llantos misteriosos...) que provocaron el abandono del edificio señorial. Ello podría explicarse desde la perspectiva de que el cruento crimen empapó con su energía emocional toda la finca. Y esa energía en movimiento dió lugar a las "anomalías", paralelos psicológicos del fantasma de la niña que en ella vivió...y murió. Existe una particularidad, excepcional sin duda, de que el propio "fantsma", o "energía", o "entidad", de la propia chiquilla, con el transcurso del tiempo, ha ido creciendo, envejeciendo, como si aún continuara viviendo en nuestro plano existencial. Existe una foto en la actualidad en la que aparece el espectro como mujer adulta y ataviada a la antigua usanza.

 

Finalmente incidir en la propia esencia de la tierra en la que se encuentra enclavada la mansión. De hecho forma parte de un "triángulo", con uno de los vertices en la virgen de la cabeza, en el que son muy intensas las energías telúricas; que son las que provienen, circulan y emanan continuamente de la superficie terrestre y del subsuelo, estando muy relacionadas con las variaciones energéticas, y que nos pueden afectar biológicamente, pueden alterar nuestro metabolismo o nos pueden provocar trastornos psicológicos. La fuerza en esta zona en concreto de la casa Rúa la confiere de una peligrosidad cierta, capaz de toda esa fenomenología paranormal: Ovnis, apariviones fantasmales, experiencias "religiosas" y mediúmnicas en los inicios del grupo de creyentes del Padre Pío... Pero esta será otra historia.

Zahara de la Sierra and wild flowers in the valley.

The 8th Century tower at Zahara de la Sierra.



A view from the tower.



.... And another.



Wild flowers in the valley below the Puente Nuevo.

The Last Post and The First Cuckoo... 09 - 22 April

This will be the last post although I may add a few notes at some point. For instance I have been trying to find out about a ruined house mentioned (w/c 12 March)  - some information is included later – and if I find out more I will add it subsequently

Since Easter I have had three sets of visitors, which has been great. The first, already noted in a previous post came during Semana Santa. One of my (4) brothers-in-law came over for three days Friday 13^th to Monday 16^th. We managed plenty of walking between the heavy showers and dodging the rain in various tavernas meant we drank more cerveza than intended. Over here, you pay as you leave, not as you go along. Neither of us could remember paying at the Bodega Bar and we had tapas as well as drinks but we went back next day (.. and I have been since) and we were not marched out so we must have paid.

This last weekend my sister-in-law and her husband came over. The weather was marvellous. As well as a fair bit of walking we also did a tour of villages (… including The Smurf village of Júzcar – refer 13 – 19 February).  During one of the walks on Sunday we heard a cuckoo. Ever since I started as a paper boy (illegally – aged 11) when my first round was in a spread out country area of Warwickshire, the first cuckoo is something I have always looked forward to and April 22^nd is probably the earliest I have experienced .. (… the cuckoo comes in April, sings its song in May, changes its tune in merry June and in July it flies away….). Unfortunately, although birdsong  was strong in the Thorpe Meadows area and woodpeckers were relatively common, there were three Springs out of fourteen that I spent in that part of Peterborough when I did not hear a cuckoo at all.

During the tour of villages, we visited Zahara de la Sierra and photos of that are included here.

On Sunday morning I managed to lock us out. I had a key in the inside of the front door in case my visitors wanted to go outside while I was preparing breakfast. On leaving I forgot to remove it and after closing the door realised what I had done. The other key therefore of course would not work – I tried it! All windows were closed and the downstairs windows anyway have decorative (and secure) metal bars. The upstairs windows were also closed. I have a small rear courtyard with a c12 foot high wall separating the neighbour’s courtyard from mine. As tends to be the case here, there are three generations living next door – the owners, their children and one set of parents (usually those of the lady). The old mother answered when I rang the bell but did not understand – or did not want to understand – my pleas for help. Her daughter though was there and understood my predicament.  On their side the wall is (only) c9 feet and they had a small set of stepladders. We put a chair on a table and I was able to reach the stepladders over but had to be very careful as the necessary drop caused the ladders to bounce, which could have toppled them. Incredibly they stood up!  I then climbed over and carefully lowered myself onto the ladders which again incredibly stayed upright. There were many ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ from the old lady and much hysterical laughter from the younger. My in-laws in the meantime were discussing where they might stay if I was unsuccessful and wondering what the emergency services number was if I had fallen (.. 112 in Andalucia, not 911 or 999).

I am now preparing to leave and hope to have most packing sorted so that I can relax over the weekend. On Saturday I shall have a few drinks and a meal with some of the friends I have made. I leave on Monday, stay in Palencia that night (300 miles), then drive to Santander ( 310 miles) and from there take the ferry to Plymouth on Wednesday, arriving on Thursday evening when I will stay with my mother-in-law in Bridgwater and will get back to Peterborough some time on Friday afternoon.

I will be back in Ronda in October and will again stay over the Winter – until March.

Having researched the ruined house mentioned at the start it seems the story is that the owners had an 8 year old daughter who was murdered and her body was placed in the nearby tower. Her ghost is said to haunt the ruins. Another version states that the owner was a successful local dignitary who led a secret life as a warlock and his daughter was murdered. Both stories talk about paranormal activity at the site and there are even rumours of extra terrestrial visitations…………….. to be concluded.

Semana Santa Views

In Malaga waiting for the doors to open.

Christ on the cross. There are approximately 260 people carrying
that platform. One of them might just be Antonio Banderas.

The Virgn Mary.

Back in Ronda. Jesus with Mary.

The very start of a procession. It is perhaps not too unkind to say
that the local TV reporter on the right has a face perfect for radio.

Semana Santa Views Part 2

That is a steep slope down which to carry the platform.

The ladies carried The Virgin Mary magnificently.

The point in Ronda that all processions have to pass.

A view from the city wall. Mary is half way up the hill.
'My house' is just to the right of the large building top left.
The red car is parked in front of my favourite Bodega bar.

The ladies successfully reversing into The Virgin Mary's resting place.

Semana Santa - Week of The Saints... 02 - 08 April

I got some facts about the Semana Santa (Week of Saints) processions wrong in my last notes. The processions usually have two tronos (thrones) which are platforms on which statues and scenes are placed. One usually has Jesus on the cross, the platform painted in gold and leads the procession and is followed – after various bands or groups of ladies in black – by one with The Virgin Mary, the platform painted in silver. One procession I saw only had one trono which featured Mary holding Jesus after being taken down from the cross. The processions start from various churches around the city with the first usually starting about 8am and the last returning to its church between 3am and 5am. There are various routes but they all pass a particular important point.

Ronda has a population of about 35,000 and the tronos are carried by up to 120 penitents. The platforms are lifted or put down (every 20 or 30 yards) based on signals given by a bell – and shouts from the leader. The speed of the march of the penitents is controlled by drum beat. After their procession the tronos are returned to their church where they stay on display for the rest of the year. For the procession they are adorned with many flowers.

Most churches, in Ronda have steps covered at this time by fairly steep ramps. Getting the platforms safely in and out is a miracle in itself. There are also the steep hills to contend with.

On Thursday I met with three friends who were staying on the coast at Elviria. They also came up to Ronda on Monday and we wandered round the old and very old areas including taking a look at the Arab baths. We went into Malaga on Thursday night and watched two of the processions there. There were 150,000 plus people on the streets. In Malaga, at least the streets are comparatively flat. The tronos are on a larger scale and are carried by up to 260 penitents! Apparantly Antonio Banderas who is from Malaga, always returns for Semana Santa and takes part in carrying one of the platforms. As well as brass and drum bands there was also a large involvement by crack military regiments.

The largest processions and tronos are in Seville which is the capital of Andalucia. All of these processions are carried out with such serious but joyous devotion on the part of those watching as well as participating that it is difficult for even a miserable cynical old goat such as myself not to be moved.

On the coast on Friday morning, the sky was blue. Back in Ronda it was about 7c and showery. I watched two more processions. The second was from a church close to where I am living. There are no steep steps but the lane is narrow and getting the platforms out while turning was a feat in itself. They proceeded down the steep lane and half an hour later it began to pour. They did not attempt to cover them (as with the Sunday procession) instead the penitents, not the platforms, turned and marched quickly – almost running back. A years’ preparation gone. I went back half an hour later and a huge roll of tissue paper was being used to dry off the platforms.

On Sunday having been told the streets close by were closed from 8am I turned up at the church of the Espiritu Santu on the dot. The procession left at 10:30! The Virgin Mary platform was carried by an all female group - 66 in all. I followed the entire procession. It finished at a church - not the one from which it started - half way up the hill to my place just before 5pm.

Bright blue skies but not too warm  - ideal!

On Saturday afternoon I went to see Deportivo Ronda play CD Nerja. ‘Our’ centre forward (and captain) looked somewhat like Kenny Burns –  as he is now, not as in his mid seventies hey day and was about as mobile – probably as he is now, not as he was then. Nevertheless ‘Kenny’ scored the equaliser before being substituted and the game finished 1-1. Kenny Burns played centre forward and centre half for Birmingham City before moving on and winning two European Cup medals under Brian Clough at Nottingham Forest. Kenny was one of the game’s real characters and is rightly considered a Birmingham City icon.

I found some humour just before the game when a family of six took seats in front of me. The six included three very attractive young ladies. The madre (mother) had a roll of tissue and wiped the seats. They sat down and then all moved one to the right, with the madre sitting in a seat that had not been  cleaned – some sort of pre-match ritual maybe. One of the girls who was wearing white jeans and a white coat took out a newspaper from her bag, placed it on the seat and sat on that. I have bought that paper and tried to read it. The print quality is about what the Daily Mail used to be. I suspect the headlines were imprinted across her posterior…….. I didn’t check though.

Palm Sunday Procession

The throne with the statue of The Virgin Mary.
What a pity it had to be covered with a plastic sheet.
The penitents underneath have to work hard.

The church of Santa Maria Mayor.
The Virgin Mary throne was very important at this stage of the procession.
The church was originally a mosque but was consecrated after the Christian conquest of Ronda in 1485.
The same was the case with many churches in the town.

Not exactly the 'Brighouse and Rastrick' but they played a decent tune.
The crowd was much reduced by the rain and the many ladies in high heels on the wet cobbles had gone for cover.

The outside cabling strung outside this house and across the road is fairly typical on some of the streets.

No bull... 19 March - 1 April

I watched a bullfight on the TV last week. As far as I could see, the bull has no chance. Brutal does not describe it. Occasionally things do go wrong and the main matador (torero) was a chap who last year had his face gored and lost an eye….. hardly what could be called entertainment. Ronda is very much connected with bullfighting. Born in Ronda, in 1754, Pedro Romero is considered to be one of the most important figures in the history of bullfighting – it is said that he elevated bullfighting to an art. Even in relatively recent years, Antonio Ordóñez of Ronda was active from 1951 to 1980 and was considered one of the greatest bullfighters of all time. Since 1954 the Corrida Goyesca has been held here – a bullfighting festival during which the bullfighters and public dress as in the times of Goya. Goya was a Romantic artist of the 18^th and early 19^th centuries. Orson Welles and Earnest Hemingway spent a good deal of time in Ronda – specifically to ‘enjoy’ the bullfighting. 

With the hour change last week, it is now light until around 8:45pm. It has coincided though with a change in the weather. This week it has been windy and cool. For three days the winds were constantly around 70km/h. The UK appears to have enjoyed better weather than here for the first time since I arrived in November.

I have booked the 2^nd May ferry. One thing I am looking forward to is to be able to absorb conversation as opposed to constantly having to work hard to understand and be understood. I am still disappointed at what I feel has been a lack of real progress with the language but very occasionally I surprise myself. Having made friends and contacts though I will have a better base to begin from when I come back in October.

There are a few things that are irritating. I have previously referred to the vast quantities of dog mess on pavements. There is a potential 700 euro fine but clearly it is not enforced. Most women smoke. Many men do as well, but it appears that most women do, from mid teens upwards. That is up to them of course but otherwise attractive ladies appear much less so with a cigarette hanging from their lips or with deeply nicotine stained teeth and/or fingers.  Men regularly spit in the gutter and occasionally on the pavement. Avoiding dog mess and spit is something to be constantly wary of.

There are more humorous things though. The attitude to health and safety is somewhat relaxed. Electricity cables are strung along outside walls and even across roads. I often see a lady riding a scooter with her little dog sitting (unstrapped) on the footpad.

This coming week is the Semana Santa – the week of The Saints, or Holy Week. There are therefore no Spanish lessons. There are processions most days. Yesterday most of the locals who were out, were carrying olive branches as it was Palm Sunday.  Various sculptures or models of various scenes in Jesus’ last week are carried through the streets on tronos (thrones) by penitents underneath the platform. Some people wear long robes and long pointed hats. They look rather like the Klu Klux Klan except the hats are black and the robes are more often claret than white. I turned up near the church of The Santa Maria Mayor just after 7pm. It started raining at about 7:45 and yet many of the ladies were without coats and wore high heels (not a good idea on wet cobble stones). At 8:30 the procession bagan to come through. Unfortunately due to the rain they were covered in plastic sheets. I left just after 10:30 but it seems they were carrying on until 3:30 am and were due to start again at 8am. The thrones are preceeded by brass or drum bands in uniform. The uniform effect was a little spoiled by some who wore yellow pac-a-macs over but understandable in the circumstances.

I am meeting up with some friends and ex-neighbours down on the coast on Thursday and we shall be going to Malaga to see a procession there.

Need to Book the Ferry... 12 - 18 March

 In one of the Spanish lessons this week we had to do a role play exercise. I was a journalist interviewing Angelina Joley. At the beginning of the ‘interview’ I described her as “La pierna de momento” – “The leg of the week”.  If you saw the recent photograph of her in a split skirt you will know what I mean.  The teacher had not seen the photo and seems to have assumed that ‘…leg of the week’  is a regular English phrase. He will probably use it when with his friends at his local taverna. At the end of the ‘interview’  I accused Angelina of stealing Brad Pitt from Jennifer Aniston - so the lady stormed out saying I was "..muy grosero" - "..very rude".

On Friday after lessons, it was cloudy with a very cool breeze. Not having done a long walk for a few days I decided to take the low route in the valley below the gorge. I wore a fleece and took a coat. Murphy’s law kicked in. While sauntering downhill it remained cold. As soon as the track turned up hill the sun came out. After about an hour and a half I reached a ford. There were stepping stones but a couple of the gaps were a little too adventurous for this older guy not as agile as I once was.  I decided to add more stones. It took over half an hour but with true British perseverance I eventually managed to add them in the right place and stable enough to cross. If nowhere else, I have made my mark in Ronda!

I thought I knew where the track would lead me to. I passed an equestrian centre where I believe horses are trained (similar to the Vienna horses) for (only) one or two Ronda festivals throughout the year. It turned out that the track took me further out of Ronda than I expected. 

I have not been finding the Spanish language easy. My classmates have suggested finding a Senorita. Most of them have Spanish girlfriends/boyfriends/wives/husbands. So far I may have attempted to  suggest a persona of a slightly distinguished, financially inactive, slightly eccentric chap but after this walk I trudged through the town heavily perspiring (..gentlemen perspire) and met no Senoritas who might have been in the slightest bit interested. My criteria anyway is that any young (or not so young) lady must be attractive, unattached, financially independent and have holiday homes on at least two continents…. If particularly attractive or particularly financially independent I may forget the holiday home bit. Any such need not necessarily be Spanish but willing to learn the language – working as a pair may make progress easier. If anyone knows ladies fulfilling said criteria I would be happy to conduct interviews during June and July at Charters… or October in the San Francisco Bodega, Barrio San Francisco, Ronda.

I am still not sure of longer term plans but certainly intend being back here October to March. During the next three weeks I shall be viewing potential rentals. If I can find two or three suitable places at least one will hopefully still be available in October. It would be good and better for the Spanish progress to have a purpose. I have been investigating volunteer activities but here they seem to be connected with wacky, maybe even slightly or somewhat culty organisations.

 I have not yet booked my ferry back but should be on the Santander to Plymouth boat on 2^nd May, arriving in Peterborough on 4^th May…… May the 4^th be with you!  Star Wars fans may appreciate the comment (or not).

It has become something of a fixture to meet up with some friends on Saturday afternoon or evening. Yesterday I had  a few beers and raciones at the taverna mentioned above. Glorious day,  a few wispy clouds and 24c. Thoroughly enjoyable.

A couple of not so desirable residencies... and a pleasant one

This was once a very 'posh pile'.
There is a large swimming pool at the side and a tennis court round the back.



A rather smaller place but the view across the valley is tremendous.

The house I am renting is the corner house



From the top of the street.

Slow Progress... 27 February - 11 March 2012

On Wednesday 29^th I went to a bar to watch the Spain v Venezuela football match. I was just amazed at the complete lack of interest in their national team by the locals. There were six others in the bar at the start and four left after 20 minutes – without having once even checked the score. At half time I went to another, smaller bar but where there were more people and there was the same apathy.  I suppose in recent years compared to our (England's) chronic under-achievement they have been spoiled by both the success and standard of football at club and national level. Games such as  Malaga v Barcelona get them worked up though.

I was invited to a meal at the home of a friend on the following Saturday. Of the five guests, three were Spanish, two of whom speak no English. Although the conversation was not complicated I was encouraged by being able to contribute and generally understand.

I have continued doing a good deal of walking. There are still areas to explore. Although now not intending to buy a property here, I do plan on coming back again next Winter, hopefully with a more reliable car and will go further afield. The cities of Granada, Cadiz, Seville and Cordoba are all between one and a half and two and a half hours away.

I made the following observations to a friend in an e-mail last week:

 ‘One of the bars I go to has a photograph of Manhattan and New York - amazing to think of the number of people that live there and how different it would have looked 10 years ago, 50 years ago, 100 years ago.................. and in its way it is magnificent.

This afternoon I was walking approximately 15 minutes away from that bar.... at the furthest, around one hour away. At times I could see maybe one or two buildings and probably 99% of what I could see would have been the same for one of the Romans here 2000 years ago and maybe 95%+ would have been no different for a Bronze Age settler 5000 years ago..............

I am also reading a novel by Anthony Trollope (he who 'invented' post boxes in the mid 1800's), called 'The Way We Live Now' first published in 1875. The problems some parents had with their children were on a similar level although different to now. Finance was dodgy with folk borrowing more than they could afford to pay back. Millions (equivalent) were made by people who set up companies on the stock exchange but then had difficulty delivering solid results....................... so the genuine investors lost out........’

 The comment I received in response was ‘Are you p*@*!d!?’. I was not.

On Friday, after classes I made my fortnightly visit to the supermarket. I bumped into one of my class colleagues. She was doing her shopping for the second time. She had put her shopping by her car before helping an invalid friend and on returning to her car, someone had taken her shopping bags. That is the first ‘crime’ of which I am aware since I arrived.

The class that morning seemed particularly difficult. Overall I am disappointed with my language progress. I am getting to know more people and although most are English speaking, they live here, are themselves improving their Spanish and I should find it easier to improve next Winter.

On Saturday I went to my second Balonmano (Handball) game. Not as good as the first but it was much closer, with Ronda winning 26-25. Then went for a meal and a couple of beers in the town.

Acinopo Roman Ruins + The Famous Bridge

The Roman Theatre at Acinipo

The view from the top of the hill, behind the Theatre.
I think the village perched half way up in the distance is Montecorto.

                                               
                                  

Just piles of stones and from this point the main attraction does not look particularly impressive.

                                     
                                             

The Puente Nuevo from the valley below.

                                             

The main commercial area of Ronda is on top of that huge rock face.

                                      

It's Warming Up... 20 - 26 February 2012

The temperature is rising. It is still cold in the mornings and cool at night but there have been mainly clear blue skies this week and it is almost t-shirt weather during the afternoons. The days themselves though are not getting any longer. It is still not light until nearly 8 o’clock and is still dark before 7:30.

During walks there are wild flowers but unfortunately no snowdrops, crocuses or daffodils. I always had lots of crocuses and small daffodils in my garden. For the 14 years in our house in Peterborough I tried hard to establish some clumps of snowdrops and when staying with friends 3 weeks ago saw that a couple of groups in the front were looking strong at last.

On Wednesday I went to see “La Mujer en Negro” – “The Woman in Black”. I recently read the book and although the film is only based on Susan Hill’s book - there are significant differences, I was able to just about follow the Spanish dialogue. Entrance costs 3.80 Euros, about £3.25 – there was just myself and a group of five ladies….. I was not with them I would add.

I visited the Roman settlement of Acinipo on Thursday. Founded during Julius Caesar’s reign it is thought to have been created for retired veterans of Caesar’s legions. It is believed that before that, around 1000 BC., there was a bronze age settlement.  Acinipo is about 15 miles from Ronda and at about 1000m above sea level it gets windy. At first there just appears to be a large number of piles of stones. Apparantly these have been gathered at points where dwellings are thought to have been. At the top of the hill though there is a theatre, large enough to seat 2000 people and in remarkably good condition. You can see an orange tiled orchestra pit and actors’ changing rooms. The theatre can only just be seen from the entrance so I imagine many visitors, if not aware, don’t even climb up the hill to get to see it. Entrance is free but there is no literature at the entrance gate.

I managed to have a slight accident with a small, almost empty bottle of beer and although I mopped up the keyboard very quickly, my question mark and forward slash will not work. I constantly have a Word document open so that I can copy these characters when needed.

I took a long walk in the valley below the gorge on Saturday. All downhill one way and as so often on these walks, all uphill on the way back. Hard work, so of course I had to stop at a taverna on the way back.

One of the disappointments here has been the absence of live music – apart from the Spanish guitar buskers (I am sure that is not how they would like to be described) in the plazas overlooking the valley I was walking through on Saturday. At Spanish classes on Friday though I was told of a bar in Jimena de Libar Estacion. With two friends I went along on Sunday afternoon to see Chicago Jim and Mandolin Mick play a complete mix of Celtic, Blues, Folk and even Motown. The music sessions at this bar start at 2pm and finish at 5pm to coincide with the train times to and from Ronda. Jim and Mick were actually quite good. On the way back, we passed the entrance to the Cueva de la Pileta – prehistoric caves. Apparantly on three occasions in the 60’s, The Beatles recorded music there because the acoustics are so good.

This week there is yet another holiday – on Tuesday. I must get my hair cut. The short back and sides I had before Christmas is looking straggly. Maybe the conversation will be better this time.

I have yet to discover why the font etc. is slightly different when a post is confirmed - it's annoying. Consistency should be maintained.

Comparatively busy... 13 - 19 February 2012

I did not get to see “The Woman in Black”, one way and another I have been too busy this week. On Monday I bought my 2 Euro ticket to visit the ‘museum’ below the Puente Nuevo – the bridge over the gorge. The ‘museum’ itself does not have a lot to offer but the bridge itself looks more impressive from half way down.

On Wednesday I visited the Enchinas Borrochas, a 6000 year old dolmen. Again not much to see apart from quite a small group of stones marking what is believed to be a burial site but the position itself is evocative. Apart from the main Algeciras road nearby, not much is likely to have changed in the 6 millenia. The dolmen is situated alongside what would have been the main route at the time from Ronda to Gibraltar.

From there I did a tour of villages, passing through Alpandeire, Frajan, Júzcar and Cartajima.  The villages are in the Alto Genal of the Serrania de Ronda. The area has a large number of chestnut trees. There are vendors selling small packs of hot chestnuts in Ronda. Cartajima, the furthest village is only about 15 miles from Ronda but the roads are so narrow and windy that you travel over 20 miles to get there. Júzcar was a surprise as looking across the mountain to the village, it is completely blue as opposed to the standard white. I checked subsequently and found that all the buildings, church and even gravestones were painted blue last Spring as it was used as the setting for The Smurfs film (starring) Katy Perry as Smurfette and to be released in August this year. Apparantly they normally get around 300 tourist visitors a year and in the 6 months following the painting received 80,000! The Andalucian Government and the Bishop gave special permission for the painting. I can’t see Peterborough City Council doing similar if say Castor asked the same.

The following day I got into the car and it was virtually completely dead. The courtesy light was just about glimmering. Fortunately I brought my charger over with me and with a few leads piggy backed and hanging out of the window left it charging from midday and overnight....... clear sky at 11pm .... it started raining at 8am by which time I had tidied up..... how lucky! The car started ok and I managed my supermarket shop.

The dishwasher had stopped draining before Christmas and an engineer came out to fix it on Thursday. I managed to explain the problem but still have great difficulty understanding the questions that follow. Nevertheless it was fixed. I seem to have gone through a subconscious change though. I no longer when speaking, translate English to Spanish and when listening translate Spanish to English. I either know what to say – or don’t – and understand what is said – or don’t. There is still so much basic stuff I still cannot say or understand. It is all taking longer and more effort than I had hoped.

I still have arrangements/commitments in Peterborough during May to July but although not ready to commit to buying here, currently I aim to be back in Ronda in September/October through to April 2013 - renting again.

I met with friends for a (few) beers and some tapas on Saturday lunchtime. Birmingham were playing at Chelsea in the FA Cup at 12:30. My brother had agreed to send me half time and full time scores but big surprise….. it was being shown on the television in the taverna we met in! If I had known I would have worn my BCFC shirt. A very creditable draw and at least they are in the hat/tub for the draw for the next round.

The blue village of Júzcar, population c250.