White Villages <BR> <BR>Arcos <BR> <BR>We drove up to Arcos and parked in the new town. By then we had learned our lesson about driving in the old towns. The road up was *very* steep and it was already mid afternoon, so we decided to give Arcos a pass. Even from the new town, however there were some nice views <BR> <BR>Zahara <BR> <BR>There are several routes from Arcos to Ronda. We took the “chicken route” A382, skirting north of the mountains and avoiding the steep winding roads that people often talk about. The one white village that you can easily reach from A382 is Zahara, about 10 km away on a winding, but not too steep, road. It is picturesquely perched up on a hill overlooking a lake and mountains. Once we got there, however, there wasn’t much to see. It had the by-now familiar narrow, curved streets of white washed-houses. All in all, it probably wasn’t worth the time and effort. <BR> <BR>Ronda <BR> <BR>This one of our favorite stops on the trip. It had its share of tourists yet was somehow pleasantly untouristy. The stores sold art, not junk and the shopping street seemed like a real place. It also had a surprising number of interesting little attractions. <BR> <BR>The Gorge: Of course, the big attraction is the gorge and quite a sight it is. As in many places, it is fascinating to be a modern town, looking down on farms that probably hadn’t changed significantly in hundreds of years. We could clearly see the farm animals going about their business as if the 21st century didn’t exist. <BR> <BR>Palacio Mondragon: It’s an old nobleman’s house that has been turned into a museum. It got some interesting Moop architecture and was a very relaxing place to walk about. The view ain’t bad either. It was one of our pleasant surprises on the trip. <BR> <BR>Banos Arabes. You have to walk the cobblestone streets all the way down to the bottom of the gorge, but it’s worth the trip. Every stone drips with antiquity and exotic Arabness. The light filtering down through the star-shaped holes in the ceiling produce an ethereal atmosphere. I’d label this a don’t miss. <BR> <BR>Little Museums: There are several interesting little museums in the old town: a bandit museum, a photography museum and a science museum, of all things. All are worth a visit. <BR> <BR>Church. The main square in the old town has a beautiful old church. OK, I’m not of the Catholic persuasion, so I haven’t seen the inside of many churches and may be easily impressed. But my wife is Catholic and she impressed too by the intricate sculpture and artwork. <BR> <BR>Plaza de Toros. We walked over to the famous bullring, which unfortunately was closed. Too bad. <BR> <BR>Next: Drawing to a close – Costa del Sol, Granada and Jaen. <BR>

To quote Chick Hern (for those of you that don't know him, he is the voice of the Lakers and the best basketball announcer that I've ever heard) You give a great words eye view of your trip. Keep it up. <BR>

Hi eddiemars! Love your "Moop" reference!

Eddie, thank you for your EXCELLENT postings. I'm going to Spain in November and your trip almost mirrors my itinerary (at least so far). I've been saving each and every one for reference on the trip. Thanks for the information and keep it coming. (There is more, isn't there?)

I thought my old trip report might be worth reactivating. It’s probably a bit outdated, especially prices, but it still has a lot of useful, realistic, information.