Day 1 - Ronda, a pueblo blanco

After a deep, deep night's sleep all four families piled into their cars and headed for Ronda, one of the local white villages. The drive was scenic and wound through the arid countryside. We spent part of the ride convincing The Pinks not to get sick.

Spaniards keep very different hours than Americans. Lunch is 2ish. Dinner is 10ish. Everything is closed from 2-5p while people each lunch and nap. We arrived in Ronda in time for lunch and did so at the restaurant next to Ronda's big tourist attraction, the New Bridge, built in 1793. If you look closely at the right side of this picture you can see the restaurant cut into the cliff. There was a touristy open-air market so we browsed a bit and The Pinks bought some jewelry.

The drive back took us along the famed Costa del Sol with miles of beaches, overbuilt highrise condos and thriving nightlife. The kids took a late swim while a subset of us made dinner. Or rather assembled it from spit roasted chickens we picked up along the way supplemented with green salad, baguette and local cheese, and pasta.

A typical breakfast here is churros and hot chocolate. Dave has been going out each morning to get the churros, which are not sugar and cinnamon covered as stateside.

My Spanish is limited to the most basic words and I'm finding the language a challenge. My instinct is to respond in Italian or French, both of which I'm far from fluent in but can get by in in a pinch. Fortunately the locals are very nice and patient as I explain myself through a combination of pantomime and butchery of their language.