Igor at dusk with a view of the lake at Valle de Bravo, Mexico.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Valle de Bravo, Mexico.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Cancun on December 17th!

Saturday, January 7, 2023

Beautiful drive down through the mountains

We could definitely spend more time in this area. From Ronda down through the mountains to Jimena de la Frontera is absolutely gorgeous. It's only about 60 kms (36 miles) but it took us an hour and a half because of stopping at viewpoints along the way.

It's a twisty curvy mountain road, but it's in good condition and fine for a motorhome.

And there was hardly any traffic because it was January 6th. Three Kings Day. For the Spanish families, January 6th is like Christmas morning in Canada or the U.S. because all the kids are at home opening presents.

Scenery along the way.

We passed by the occasional village.

Beautiful views!

The town of Benadalid.

We stopped at the Mirador del Genal.

Overlooking the town of Algatocín.

Algatocín.

Max, waiting patiently by the side of the road.

More scenery.





Arrived at Jimena de la Frontera.

Jimena de la Frontera is a neat little town with a castle. We had some lunch and then went for a walk on a trail by the river.

Hozgarganta River.

We came across some kind of pig. At first we thought it was wild because they weren't fenced in at all. There were two of them. But then we saw two cows as well, and figured they must belong to somebody.

Some type of pig.

Rio Hozgarganta.

An odd rock formation in the distance.

Me, sitting on a rock!

Interesting flowers.

There is a lot of cork production in this area.

Goats!

This water channel was made in the late 1700's for a steel foundry.
It was shut down 8 years after it opened due to poor quality minerals.

Ruth was reading this plaque when a goat came over the ridge to look down at her.
Too funny.

Seeing what there is to see.

The trail followed the river back to the bottom of town. When we got to town, we had to walk through town and climb up to the castle!

The patio was busy.

It's a pretty town!

Pots with painted flowers on the wall.

You get your exercise in this town.
There are not many level roads!

Hope these cars have good emergency brakes.

This house was well decorated for Christmas.

Starting to get a view.

Arrived at the castle.
Entrance was free!

Beautiful view overlooking the town.

Looking north towards Ronda.

Looking west.

The castle was built around the 8th century, but there are Roman ruins here from the 3rd to 4th century.

Gorgeous views.


What's a castle without a moat?
No water in the moat though.


There was a beginner paraglider taking off from the castle.

You can clearly see Gibraltar from the top of the castle.

And you can just barely make out the mountains of Morocco.

Not motorhome friendly!

We have a busy day ahead of us getting ready for Morocco. We are driving into Algeciras and need to buy our ferry tickets, stock up on wine and beer (much cheaper here than in Morocco), try and find some ski goggles (no, we are not going skiing), get some more euros in cash, do laundry, and fill the LPG (propane) tanks.

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Nice deal on this Hiboy Electric Scooter. On sale at a record low price, plus there is a $30 off coupon showing.

And in Canada...

4 comments:

  1. Very pretty! I'm not sure how I feel about towns where every building is painted the same color, though. I like a variety, like in Mexico and in many other spots you have visited. Although all white does have a certain pristine look, especially from afar.

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    1. These towns are considered "White Towns of Andalusia" and it became at thing back in Roma times and has continued on, now it is just part of the heritage of the area. We like to see them, especially when they are set in the mountains like that. It definitely makes for some good picture opportunities. We saw quite a few of these towns/villages when we were here back in 2017. There are other towns that are colorful but I think they tend to be more along the coastline.

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  2. That is a very tall pig and the "interesting" flowers are Agave Red Hot Pokers, very common in Australia

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    Replies
    1. We doubled checked and that pig is a Black Iberian pig, it is the type of pig that they make the very expensive Jamón ibérico (ham) out of.

      I did know that they were called Red Hot Pokers, Kevin just neglected to put down their name. We have seen them as in Colombia and in Australia too, they are very pretty flowers. Thank you for mentioning the name.

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