Trip Report
Andalusian Ride - Ronda to the Atlantic
April 2000

Written by Eva Wallander, Göteborg, Sweden. Photos © Eva Wallander.

To see a larger picture - click on the small one!

ronda1.jpg View of Ronda and the steep cliffs.	ronda2.jpg El Tajo.	ronda3.jpg The new bridge.	stork.jpg
First some photos of Ronda, taken before the ride (on a day with nice weather!), and a white stork, common on roof tops in villages along the way.
01.jpg Rancho La Paz.	02.jpg Beautiful Andalusian stallion.	03.jpg Another Andalusian stallion, with a very long mane...	04.jpg ... and close-up.	05.jpg First day and rain: waiting for the trailer with the horses. Saddles all lined up and ready.	06.jpg Lunch break first day, it's raining and we're warming up around a fire...
07.jpg ... and the horses are waiting to move along.	08.jpg Dinner in Cortes de la Frontera. Kalle in front.	09.jpg Kalle and Manolo showing off...	10.jpg Dinner next day in Alcalá de los Gazules. (But where is Kalle?)	11.jpg Then a couple of rounds of Fino in the hotel bar...	12.jpg Sunny morning the third day, Peter is grooming his horse (Rodonjo).
13.jpg Karin tries to get her horse (Capriolo) clean, but he has been rolling in the mud...	14.jpg ... and so has Kalle's horse as well!	15.jpg Close-up on my horse (Canastereo).	16.jpg Michael, holding his and my horse, waiting for the others to get ready.	17.jpg Me on Canastereo.	18.jpg Two cowboys, Gebhard and Michael.
19.jpg Now we're all on the way.	20.jpg Riding on small dirt roads up on Sierra de Aljibe.	21.jpg Kalle is waiting up.	22.jpg Riding through cork oak forests...	23.jpg ... going further and higher up.	24.jpg Then "The Bitch" decides to take a bath!
25.jpg Short break on a meadow.	26.jpg Riding on towards the top. Beautiful views!	27.jpg Short break before the last steep climb, on foot. Then downhill towards...	28.jpg ... lunch! Karin helps herself to lots of ham, sausages, salad, bread, and wine.	29.jpg Lunch at the roadside.	30.jpg Kalle always takes a nap...
31.jpg ... but the horses are at least standing while resting (Canastereo)!	32.jpg Morning the fourth day: we picked up the horses at the corral near Alcalá then started leading them back towards Alcalá.	33.jpg Same as the former, but larger. Alcalá is a typical Pueblo Blanco (white village).	34.jpg After crossing a fence, Kalle's horse take off on her own and he has to run after her!	35.jpg Kalle and Gebhard, riding through sandy canyon-like landscape...	36.jpg ...and this is what happens to your horse if you're not careful!
37.jpg Martina during the short stop at the monastery, Santuario de los Santos.	38.jpg Jürgen and his horse (Sueño).	39.jpg Karin and her Capriolo.	40.jpg After lunch at a venta (very good paella!) we continued up on a small hill. Of course everyone had to take a view picture from here. The white village far in the distance is Alcalá.	41.jpg Me and Canastereo.	42.jpg Karin and Capriolo.
43.jpg It's nice to roll in the dust, after this the longest (4th) day.	44.jpg Then off to taste sherry at Bodegas Gallardo, near Vejer de la Frontera.	45.jpg Kalle makes sure everyone gets a refill!	46.jpg Next day: storm! Guess how fun it was riding on the beach this day! No more photos today!	47.jpg Morning of the 6th and last day, calm and sunny. Unbelievable!	48.jpg Riding through open landscape and farmland.
49.jpg Better take many photos today! You never know...	50.jpg Approaching the stone pine woods.	51.jpg Helmut, always taking photos...	52.jpg Lunch in the pine woods. Kalle is making sure everyone gets enough wine...	53.jpg Eating and eating!	54.jpg Kalle!
55.jpg Manolo...	56.jpg ... and Juan, the never tiring drivers.	57.jpg The horses, tied up in the shade of Eucalyptus trees.	58.jpg Canastereo, with the typical Spanish vaquero saddle (with a green cover for protection).	59.jpg Ready to go again?	60.jpg All lined up for a group photo.
61.jpg Continuing the ride through the pine woods. Many nice gallops here! But it's clouding up...	Racing up the sandhill.	62.jpg Kalle's horse and the loose horse continued galloping into the woods so we have to wait while Kalle runs after them...	63.jpg ...and we wait some more and the rain starts coming...	64.jpg Peter and Rodonjo waiting...	65.jpg ... Gebhard and Gallopera (suitable name!) waiting...
66.jpg ... and Karin and Capriolo waiting. Then after one hour Kalle finally returns with two sweatty horses!	67.jpg We then continue again (after we had to gallop back and forth to the place where Kalle's horse lost the saddle bags). Just look at all the tracks in the sand!	When we finally got to the beach the rain was pouring down (of course), but Jürgen managed to get some good photos anyway.	Actually, I think these photos wer taken the day before when it was very windy (but not raining!).	68.jpg After the final race along the beach to the hotel, we took care of the horses, then went straight into the bar to dry up! Everybody were soaking wet!	69.jpg Kalle and Gebhard, a bit tired?
70.jpg Gebhard, all wet and sandy in the face!	71.jpg Kalle!	72.jpg Kalle is happy, surrounded by girls!	73.jpg The farewell dinner after a great ride. Then we went to the local disco...