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People familiar with the Serranía de Ronda know of Ronda La Vieja, the original site of the City of Dreams, located up the hill near Acinipo, the Roman settlement on the road to Setenil de las Bodegas.
Paul Whitelock spent a recent Sunday morning in Ronda. He was so impressed at the recent improvements to the town and the upcoming projects, that he was moved to take some photos and to write this article.
Ronda La Nueva
As I drove into Ronda this Sunday morning to pick up the Sunday papers, I spotted a brand new mural on an end wall of an apartment block. I stopped and took some photos.
That reminded me of the other mural recently painted onto two apartment blocks at the bus station, so I diverted and took photos of that as well.
They’re so good, I love them, vibrant colours portraying typical Andalucía/Ronda motifs. Whose idea was this? Was it Alicia López, the local politician responsible for culture? She is a neighbour and friend. I must get in touch…
Back to the task in hand, I went for my Sunday papers. Typically I buy SUR and Ronda Semanal, to keep abreast of local, regional, national and international news. It also helps to keep my Spanish up to scratch.
I also pick up free copies of SUR in English and The Olive Press to see what’s going on in the guiri world.
Guess what the headline on the local paper Ronda Semanal was?
The new mural which I just photographed!
And the second lead story on the front page was an announcement about a new municipal swimming pool.
Blimey!
They really are sprucing the town up.
They’re well into work on the new bus station. In the same area, they’ve already opened a new library and an activities centre, seemingly sponsored by easyJet (see photo above).
Mercadona is leaving its current site and will be building a new supermarket near Aldi.
Supersol has been taken over by the French supermarket giant Carrefour and they will be refurbishing the store between August and September. It will become a Supeco store, Carrefour’s cheaper outlet chain. No food, just Bazar.
Work seems to be starting on the other Supersol, by the showground. That was bought some years ago by the Sevilla-based chain Súper Carmela.
And of course, Lidl is relatively new in town with their spic and span store by the bypass.
And let’s not forget the new healthcare facility, the Hospital de la Serranía, which opened as recently as April 2017.
Parking in Ronda is a perennial problem, and I understand the council has approved a controversial car park opposite the petrol station in the Barrio San Francisco, to the south of the town.
Finally, if you run out of coffee or sugar or toilet paper on a Sunday, you can go to the newly opened supermarket in Plaza Carmen Abela. It’s called Suma Express and is open all day every day.
So, Ronda La Nueva is an apt alternative name for the City of Dreams. I’m sure to have missed something out. If so please add information about it in the comments section below.
