Ronda Photos

Why? Because I get to spend so much time away from the computer enjoying myself with other hobbies. The job of being an Internet Marketer is almost the same as being retired, I really don't need to worry too much about anything, a few hours work every week is usually enough to keep things ticking over.

The other day we had some blue sky so me and my camera went for a walk. I never know what I'm going to see, or what will take my interest on that particular day. that my friends is the great pleasure of have a make money online job, I can do what I want to do with my time. Nobody is checking that I got to work on time, nobody is looking over my shoulder. This is my favorite photo from that day.

Here's an interesting photo for you, an old scooter with a full windscreen like they used to make in the 1960s. It's the only one I've seen like it in Ronda, but I remember a few years ago in Florence and Rome seeing a lot more like it.

Notice the owner either can't repair the seat, or isn't able to buy a replacement so he or she has put clear plastic over the broken vinyl. When this little thing took off, it was very loud, and very slow, so I think a new exhaust might also be needed.

This is one of my favourite photos, an old Spanish church in Ronda. A few years ago it used to be one of the tourist offices, and before that was a hermitage. During the Moorish era the location it stands on was probably one of the mosques used by travellers entering the city from Granada.

One of the things I love about living in Europe is the huge number of churches, and here in Ronda we have several old Spanish churches that date back to the early 1500s, and one that goes back to the 9th century. I'm not especially religious but there is a sense of peace that comes from going into an old church, and just opening your heart to whatever you experience.

The biggest church in Ronda, Santa Maria de la Mayor is one of these churches that fills me with awe whenever I go into it. At first glance it doesn't appear very spectacular, certainly the outside is a bit of a disappointment, several styles of construction seem to compete for attention.

Entering is a different matter though, and transforms this otherwise awkward looking building into a place of peace and harmony, not a sound from outside enters, and if you close your eyes you really could imagine being in the presence of a higher power. Personally I sit somewhere out of the way, and just enjoy the cold, the kind of cold banishes the harsh sun outside to another season.

Old Spanish churches are quite unique I think, all are Catholic, and all include numerous icons that are carried through the streets during any major Christian festival such as Semana Santa, Corpus Christi, or the town's saint's day. Santa Maria in Ronda, being the largest church, tends to be the start or end destination for many of these Spanish processions.

However the thing I like most in an old Spanish church is the windows, those stained glass masterpieces of art that I'd love to have in my own home, high up where they can be appreciated without seeing the imperfections. The photo below is just one of the many stained glass windows in Ronda's Santa Maria church.

I was out walking around Ronda yesterday and decided to take a short walk half way down the El Tajo gorge, I'm glad I did because for the first time I saw the double waterfall below the new bridge (Puente Nuevo). Also check out my photo of the Puente Nuevo from below.