Sierra Hidalga Hotel Ronda

... and went for a walk along the strip again but the most of the places where closed up now so we had a pint in an irish bar again and then we went looking for food. We decided to stop off in another english place called Rumours and could not believe it when they put on all the soaps. We caught up with emmerdale and eastenders until I could take no more and we went off to get some chinese food. It was horrid and made us both feel a ...

We made it to the port in a taxi one thing I will say about Morroco its really really cheap for everything and you could get by here with such little money. We got a little hassle from a guy at the port trying to help us but they want money when they help you so as usual Ian left it to me to get rid of him and explain that we did not have any money luckily this time he went off without too much hassle.

We ...

We were so enjoying our time in Costa del Sol, nothing but beaches, pool time, and british families. Costa del Sol is pretty much the Florida of Europe, only the water´s not as warm. And the definition of a 4 star resort is a bit different in Spain than in the US... When we first arrived, they tried to put us in an apartment with 2 twin beds! Finally playing the ¨honeymoon¨ card played off, and we ended up with a spectacular room (see pics for the view). But after 4 days of lying ...

... friends home! This former artist´s club is located in a 17th century townhouse in the heart of the old town and it literally boosts with history! Back in the 19th century it was the summer residence of "Eugenia de Montijo" (Empress and wife of Napoleon III) and "Ferdinand de Lesseps" (architect of the Suez Canal)! The absolutely perfect renovation and divine interior of this landmark townhouse make you fall back in time ...

This is by far the most beautiful city I have visited in Spain! Ronda is where the first bullfight took place and is home to the oldest bullring in Spain. The other students and I started out the day listening to one of our professors give a speech about the history of bullfighting, very interesting but after three hours I was ready to see Ronda. We then went to the bullring and had the opportunity to go inside where the fights take place. It was a feeling like no ...

... began with gezpacho soup and, this time, ended with a grilled chicken leg seasoned the local way. Nummm.

As mentioned, shortly after a refreshing dip in the pool – unheated but who cares with 35 degree temperatures every day? – I crashed in the cooler reading/living/main room for a well-deserved siesta.

This has been a great day and it ain’t over. Thank God, the driving part is, though.

After having an enjoyable several hours in Gibraltar , the group jumped back on the bus and headed towards Ronda, "a nice village in the Spanish countryside" as my roommate Pedro had described it. I figured if the CEA was willing to coordinate an excursion here, there must be something to see. We got in to Ronda at about 8:30 Friday night and the streets were completely empty. Not a usual occurrence in Spain , at least in the cities. Having done all my traveling through Spain ...

... AND EVERYONE HAD SO MUCH FUN. BUT I FORGOT TO WRITE ABOUT A FEW THINGS. WHEN WE WERE IN MADRID ON OUR LAST DAY WE WENT TO TRY AND SEE A BULL FIGHT, BUT A MONSOON CAME...IT RAINED SO HARD! A COUPLE OF THE GIRLS AND MYSELF WERE UNDER THE COVERING OF THE RING OUTSIDE AND THESE COLLEGE STUDENT FROM BU CAME IN AND WHEN THEY OFFERED US A DRINK OF THIER COKE. I HAD NO IDEA THAT THERE WAS VODKA IN IT SO I TOOK THIS HUGE SWING AND ALMOST SPAT IT BACK OUT. I DIDN'T ...

... of what they are know for, bridges. Particularly, there are three bridges, the newer one Puente Nuevo is the biggest and much bigger than the other two put together. Chad was reminded of his fear of heights when we looked down, and after a good laugh and lots of pictures, we moved on. We saw an old Moorish castle with a mine and gardens, so clearly we could not pass on the self guided tour (sarcasm?). As we descended down into the mines, the temperature was dropping and the ...

... windy roads for about 90 minutes. The wind never stopped blowing, so the heat didn't seem so unbearable once we arrived, as it would have otherwise. Ronda is a nice little town with a remarkable location on the edge of a cliff. The landmark of the town is the Puente Nuevo (New Bridge), and only adds to the dramatic appearance of the place. I found a small path going a bit down the mountain side. The path ended up at an excellent viewpoint of ...