This photos is of  Mick pretending to be a capeadore in front of the Plaza de Toros (bullring).
This bullring is recognised as the first purpose-built space for fighting bulls in the world, and it was very impressive. We were able to attend soon after it opened this morning and so missed all the crowds. (Although there were a few Japanese tourists with selfie-sticks there Bel, we virtually had the place to ourselves, and we could not resist the temptation to take a shot, minus the selfie-stick.)

The first fight took place in 1785 and it is still used today in early September. It can hold 5000 spectators.

The museums were very interesting. I particularly loved the detail in the original matador costumes on display. These matadors must have been very slightly built, but obviously pretty brave. Not that I like the idea of the bullfighting, I could imagine the spectacle sitting in the beautiful stands.

We shouted ourselves a coffee and churros at a local bar on our way home for the mid-day siesta. They are deep fried pastry and were not sweet which suited us.

In the afternoon, we paid to take part in a private tour that advertised the opportunity for us to discover the life style and culture of Ronda. It cost €15 each and we were collected from the tourist office in a small bus and driven about 5 Km out of town to a bull and horse breeding property run by Rafael Tejad, a bull fighter. Mick was impressed! But, then he was disappointed, as we only got a glimpse of this guy. He did not provide us with a demonstration or say anything other than “hola”.

Our tour included a drive-around the extensive grounds looking at cows and bulls and horses at different ages and stages and learning about breeding processes. Our tour guide spoke to us in English and then said the same thing, we think, to a French couple, in French. The owner has only had the property for four years and built most of the infrastructure only two years ago.

The horses are Andalucian. This one took a shine to Mick and came up to him for a pat.

This display showed the armour for these Spanish horses used by the picadores and it weighed 100 kg. It felt like fibreglass to me, pretty tough.

We learnt a lot about the selection process for both the bulls and cows and then had a look at the practice arena for the matador.

This photo shows Mick trying out his cape skills.

And, then I had a go. They were very heavy. Mick heard that the matador practices in this arena with these for five hours per day. While we enjoyed the tour, it was not as good as we had hoped! 

Olé