el 5 de marzo, 2017 Ronda, España

 

El Monasterio Del Carmen

Hotel Monasterio Del Carmen is a boutique establishment located in Ronda, Spain and owned by John and Carol Small.

This post is sort of a  commercial, but a well-meaning commercial. This beautiful boutique hotel above is owned by our good friends, John and Carol Small whom we met  through our language class.  They’ve lived in Ronda for ten years  after escaping  the UK seeking  a different lifestyle and sun, probably more sun than lifestyle.  They introduced us to sites around Ronda and when carless drove us to find a one.  We’ve really enjoyed their friendship these past three years even though John and I support differently teams in the EPL, he Sunderland and myself Crystal Palace.

Eight years ago they purchased this historic monastery in the old part of Ronda and began a two-year renovation project. The building’s original  construction commenced  in the 16th century and  was destined to be multi-functional. It was linked to a monastery, that once stood next door, and was used for religious services, a hospital, a hostel, and lastly as a waypoint for pilgrims traveling to other parts of Spain. Later additions were made to the building in the 18th century. The building is baroque  with a sole rectangular nave and barrel vaulted ceiling with transverse arches , lunettes, and an octagonal Camarin or a small chapel.

The building was known locally as Iglesia del Carmen because of its close proximity to the city walls (The Walls of Carmen). It was de-consecrated approximately 30 years ago when the bishopric sold the building. It was then used as a community center hosting many musical and theatrical productions. The ground floor was used for musical rehearsals, and the top floor as a stage and bar area. The building was later abandoned and fell into disrepair and classified as being in bad condition in desperate need of restoration.

Purchasing and rehabilitating this property was not an easy process due to its historical significance.  As I mentioned, they purchased the property eight years ago and it has taken these eight years to navigate the legal issues and complete the restoration. But that’s all behind them now and they just opened for business.

The monasterio has two bedroom inside and two beautiful casita (small bungalows) located on the terrace. All are air-conditioned and heated which is a necessity in Ronda; summers can be hot with temperatures reaching 37° C (100° F)  and 0° C (32° F) in winter.

Casitas

The casitas are private little bungalows situated outside the man hotel on the terrace with an area to sit and enjoy the out-of-doors, or hop easily into the infinity pool.

Piscina

As you leave a casita you’ll walk out onto the expansive terrace with a beautiful infinity pool.  The view here is pretty special as you look a the beautiful landscape of the Serranía de Ronda mountains that surround our area.

Interior Rooms

 If you choose a room indoors they are very well apportioned, hotel rooms in Spain tend to be smaller than those in the US.  All rooms have TV and WiFi.

 

The hotels interior is stunning, one of John’s favorite words, but in this case it’s true.  It’s decorated with beautiful antiques in a huge living area with a vaulted ceiling.

I’m a bit biased but Ronda is a beautiful place to visit and the surrounding pueblos such as Setenil de las Bodegas, Grazalema, and Zahara, and the ancient Roman ruins of Acinipo are just a half-hour from Ronda and well worth visiting. Except for Acinipo * all are quintessential “pueblos blanco” so if you have rented a car they are easy to access. There is also bus transportation and buses in Spain are excellent. To continue this bias, John and Carol’s El Monasterio Del Carmen is really a wonderful place, as are the owners.  

Next post?  Good question.  We joined a fitness club and may do them and  our friends Ralph (Raul) and Pam Hudson have come and gone  and we went to Cádiz, Sevilla, Málaga, and Antequera.  Also thinking about doing something about the cost of living here in Spain. There is another excellent blog, East of Málaga, who has done a shopping cart to give folks an idea of the cost of living here but I haven’t seen it for awhile so may include more about living here.

*No bus service to Acinipo

 

 

 

 

21, enero 2015

Ronda, Spain

Our Trip to Córdoba with Baleigh

The city of Córdoba lies  about 180 km northeast of Ronda on the Guadilquivir River with a population of approximately 330,000 and was once the center of Muslim culture in western Europe for hundreds of years. 

We arose early to catch our 7:53 train to Córdoba and ate our breakfast (desayuno) at the station.  About fifteen minutes before leaving I glanced at the time on the tickets and it said 10:00 not 7:53. Arrrgh,  I screwed up.  But since I purchased them on the internet I could change them and the station master completed the job just as the train pulled into the station.

Now there was a bonus to this screw up.  We had to change trains in Antequera-Santa Ana about an hour away.  My later tickets had put us on a slower train and now we would travel to Córdoba on the Spanish version of the bullet train, the AVE (Alta Velocidad Española).  As I mentioned earlier, trains in Spain are a great way to travel and this was our maiden voyage on the AVE.  Fast, we maxed out at 245 kmph or 147 mph.  They can go faster but Córdoba was only 80 km away and they probably need some time to stop and not miss the city.  Very quiet, a movie, and coach with a bar.  On longer excursions they have a hostess who patrols the aisle similar to air travel.  

I have to admit that we have nailed some really nice hotels.  Hotels here are different in that  huge chains in the US are less ubiquitous.  We stayed in a Holiday Inn the first night in Spain and it was by far the worst.  This hotel in Córdoba couldn’t have been better or closer to La Mezquita, our destination.

We stayed at a hotel in Cordoba directly across from La Mezquita. This photo is from our window.

La Mezquita has a very interesting history as all history does.  It was originally a Catholic church built by the Visigoth who also sacked Rome in the 400’s.  Their power in Córdoba lasted until the Visigoths were conquered by the Moors and then it was transformed into a mosque/church with Christians and Muslims both using it for worship.  So really this building is a bit schizophrenic, but not anymore today.  Only Christians are allowed to use it for worship.  Muslims have petitioned the Vatican and  Catholic authorities in Spain for permission and have been rejected.  Maybe Pope Francis will be more open-minded on the issue.

When you enter La Mezquita courtyard you’ll immediately find yourself surrounded by orange trees, and as you enter La Mezquita proper you are in the Muslim mosque section with row after row of arches and columns.

Muslim architectural influence on La Mezquita

I found the Muslim influence to be more simplistic in nature than ornate with walls and ceilings tiled with intricate geometric designs.  The Christian portion is filled with gold leaf ornate statues and many symbolic pieces depicting Christianity.  Very different and very beautiful in their own way.   In southern Spain where temperatures reach 100° F in summer it’s probably a nice place to visit with this natural air conditioning from the cold stone, but less so in January. The trade-off was very few people since Spain ranks third in the world with 60.7 million tourist behind #1 France (84.7 million) and #2 USA (68.9 million).

La Mezquita ceiling showing Muslim Architecture

Christian portion of La Mezquita

Christian Altar in La Mezquita

We usually don’t do selfies but Baleigh was with us so here we are. Photo tells the history, Muslim in the foreground and Christianity in the background.

Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos (Palace of the Christian Kings)

This was our next destination in Córdoba.  It’s interesting to see how  power comes and goes and how fleeting it really is . The Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos palace was originally constructed in some form by the Visigoths, followed by the Muslims, and during the Reconquista of Spain, the Christian Spanish. Never a dull moment in Spain’s history.  In 1236 Córdoba fell in the Reconquista and it would take another 156 years to conquer Granada which lies about 200 km (120 miles) southeast to end Moorish dominance in the Iberian Peninsula.  

The Alcázar is located within a kilometer of La Mesquite and was an easy walking distance.  The interior is a  castle like structure found in Europe; stone, high walls, parapets, and an Inquistion Tower where Ferdinand and Isabella began there “enhanced interrogation”and torture of non-Christians before the fall of Granada in 1492.

When you leave the castle interior it opens into a wonderful Moorish style garden of orange trees, walkways, and reflection pools.  Unlike many conquerors who destroyed what the previous owner constructed, these structures were kept and expanded.

Courtyard of Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos

So this ended our exploration of Córdoba, we barely scratched the surface, but we’ll be back.

Baleigh got back to Boston and just beat the N’oreaster that hit. Unfortunately she was ill the whole time here but never complained, maybe a little whine or wine here or there. Having her come and the anticipation was exciting, not so much the leaving.  She met one of her friends from her Ronda days who was heading to Málaga. Originally she was going to take the bus, so this worked well for all.

Baleigh also brought my Christmas present I bought myself, a new Mac Air, goodbye PC.  What a dream typing on this compared to the Asus.  I used FaceTime for the first time and talked with Raul Hudson, aka Ralph, in Ajo, Arizona and my good friend in Australia who I haven’t seen in 40 years.  I didn’t realize that cosmetic enhancement was also an Apple product.

 Quick digression here.  Back in 1971ish when I lived in Australia, I had to go to the Post Office and book a call to use a few day later.  The cost was $100* for 10 minutes and the dollar bought more back then.  Today it’s almost free, computer and internet, but still a deal.

We’re also looking for a bigger place, maybe house with pool.  Those 35º days and hot nights will really be enjoyable, and we’ll check the Spanish lease to make sure we can have visitors stay.  

*$1 in 1971 equals $5.90 in 2015.