Road to Ronda and more

We travelled the scenic route from San Martin de Tesorillio to Ronda. A wonderful windy, twisty road into the mountains with beautiful vistas at every turn.

If you click on this one, you'll be able to see the route we took.

The wildflowers en route were simply gorgeous!

I couldn't resist gathering a bag full of enormous pine cones too, but sadly my suitcase wasn't big enough to transport them all and I had to leave most behind :( Only one actually made it back here to Malaysia where it now enjoys pride of place in my workroom with a lovely etching of the Al Hambra.

This is the beautiful town of Ronda. It's located on a rocky shelf of the Serrania (mountainous area) of Malaga. Breathtaking!

What a lovely way to display a colourful collection of plates.

More fabulous Moroccan ceramics and lanterns in this shop in Ronda - a veritable Aladdin's cave. Tempting, but again, no chance of buying anything as we are travelling with budget airlines which means we have next to no weight allowance :(

Note to self - must come back by car one day to buy a few of these beauties!!

Speaking of Morocco - it's not far on the ferry from Tarifa. We did the trip one day and experienced a whirlwind tour of the Medina at Tangiers. Unfortunately, there was no time to stop and take many good photos , as our guide was a man on a mission, intent on showing us the whole place in 2 hours flat and stopping only at favourite tourist traps .....
Carpet, silver and spice sellers all plied their wares, but years of living in the Middle East have honed our souk shopping skills and we fended them off!
I snapped these as we raced around!














Still to come: FIESTA in Frigiliana and glimpses of the Al Hambra Palace.

Spain - A little Gem

We found a little paradise in Andalucia! Perched on a small hill in San Martin del Tesorillo, near Sotogrande, is Cortijo El Papudo. We stayed a few days in this charming old Andalucian farmhouse B & B run by Michael and Vivien Harvey.

The gardens here are stunning! Tended by Michael, who is a landscape gardener, they are planted with an amazing array of sub tropical plants bursting with colour.

There are archways clothed in sweet smelling honeysuckle..

and wreathed with vivid bougainvillea.

Breathtaking views at every turn,

And did I mention colour and perfume? A kaleidoscope of colour and pot pourri of fragrance on the breeze attracts a myriad of bees and butterflies.

We breakfasted in the courtyard every morning on delicious fresh produce from the gardens and local area. We were treated to freshly squeezed oranges and sweet, blushing grapefruits - served by Vivien, our charming hostess who was ably assisted by the resident kitty! We were there at just the right time of year to enjoy a bowl of these juicy cherries - available only for a few short weeks of the year. How delicious! Don't you agree that food always tastes so much better when eaten al fresco?

With Cortijo El Papudo as our base we headed out each day to explore the region. Coming up next: the route to Ronda - a truly magnificent drive to one of the oldest towns in Spain.