Day 9: Portugal and Spain motorcycle trip. Ronda to Aracena Spain

 We were looking forward to our last full day riding in Spain despite the drop in temperature - it was 43 degrees Fahrenheit when we left the hotel in Ronda. We wore all of our long-sleeve shirts, all of the motorcycle warm liners, motorcycle gear plus raingear for extra warmth. I even tied one extra long-sleeve shirt around my neck to improvise a scarf so I could pull the buff that I usually wear around my neck over my head for extra warmth. It worked and we stayed warm (Mike also has heated handgrips on the bike).

We enjoyed the tight, twisty curves on narrow roads as we descended out of the Sierra Nevada mountains through the lush Mediterranean countryside.

After about 1 hour riding we stopped in one of the most beautiful towns of the entire trip:  Setenil de las Bodegas. It's on the Spanish province of Cadiz white village route and sited on a steep gorge. 

Not only are many of the cobblestone streets narrow and steep, many of the houses are built into the limestone cliffs.

There are two especially famous streets that make full use of the limestone: Calle Cuevas del Sol (street of Caves of the Sun) and Calle Cuevas de la Sombra (street of the Shadow Caves) and each is simply amazing.

These are lively streets that happen to have a limestone 'roof' over the street and the cafes, stores, and houses are built into the limestone.

Our short visit was over too soon, and we got back on the road. 

We left the countryside behind as we rode on larger roads into the greater Seville area, finally riding the Autovia or interstate through town. Once past Seville we were in prime agricultural area with wide open views.

As we rode closer to Portugal, we entered rolling hills as we stopped for the night in Aracena, another beautiful town with an old castle, impressive churches and the ever-present steep and narrow streets.

We had time after arriving to walk through the town and visit Las Maravillas Grotto, a network of limestone caverns that first opened to tourists in 1914. The entrance is in the middle of the small town, and the main cavern is directly under the castle. Like other caverns open to tourists, taking pictures is not allowed since the flash negatively affects the caves. 

We're staying in the Hotel Convent Aracena, a restored 17th century convent in the heart of town. 

Tomorrow we ride from Spain into Portugal and are looking forward to seeing the Atlantic Ocean.

Day 7 Portugal/Spain trip: Lanjaron to Ronda, Spain

 We enjoyed sunny skies in the morning as we rode out of Lanjaron, a gorgeous location on the slopes of the Sierra Nevada Parque Nacional that covers 212,221 acres in the Andalusia region of Spain and contains the highest mountains in the Spanish peninsula - which we thoroughly enjoyed riding through.

We've been seeing motorcycle caution signs for the narrow, tightly twisting mountain roads and they always make us smile:

After a period of rain showers we stopped in the lovely small town Alhamada da Granada for coffee, and enjoyed the mural that covers the side of one of the buildings on the main plaza.

The name of the town comes from the Arabic al-Hama, which means hot springs due to the thermal baths build by the Arabs in the 9th century on the ruins of Roman baths. We didn't visit the current hot springs spa, but did walk around the city walls that look down from the high cliffs to the river and mill ruins below.

We set off again under cloudy and sometimes rainy skies on the twistiest, narrowest, curviest roads we've been on this trip. Mike estimates the paved roads, which supposedly are wide enough for 2 vehicles, to be about 15-16' wide, compared to American 2-lane roads (not highways) that are 12' for each direction. Many times the roads narrow even further on the tight corners, which means waiting for a tour bus or truck to go through before we take our turn.

this road looks wider than it really is!

We rode through an agricultural valley devoted to growing numerous types of vegetables, a perfect spot due to the Mediterranean climate.

We then started climbing again, this time riding past fields field with large rocks and stones, and mountains that remind us of Granite Mountain in Prescott, AZ where we used to live.

We then rode into Antequera, another gorgeous, ancient Spanish town built on top of a tall hill and found a wonderful spot for lunch on the Plaza del Coso Viejo. 

Today is Monday of Easter Week, or Semana Santa in Spain which is packed with traditions such as the red bunting we saw on churches and many home balconies.

After lunch we rode up the steep, narrow, twisty streets until we came out above the town, looking down on the castle and basilica.

Our route in the afternoon continued to head east as we rode past incredibly green fields and field after field of olive trees - there are even olive trees planted on the steep sides of the mountains.

We stopped a couple of times at Gaitanes Gorge and Desfiladero de los Gaitanes national park - basically towering cliffs with a reservoir at the bottom. It's a stunning location, and if you're not afraid of heights there is a narrow walkway 328' above the water that was walked by King Alfonso XIII in 1921.

We continued on our way toward Ronda, our destination for the night, continuing on twisty roads. We rode short distances on 4-lane highways today, and those were the only times we rode on straight roads. We were able to get a photo on a reflective tanker truck on one of those straight sections.

 Otherwise, it was twisty curve after twisty curve which made the day a lot of fun.

Ronda is an ancient town in Malaga, and what makes it impressive is it's site on top of towering cliffs.

The town is divided into the 'new city' and 'old city' by the Tajo del Ronda, a 328' deep gorge that is spanned by 3 bridges.

We're staying in Ronda for 2 nights, and will have time tomorrow to explore the city.