A little piece of Holland

Though the travel bug has been rampantly raging, I have, once again, been reminded of just how much there is to see and explore around here too. We decided to spend a day in Ronda, a small town once upon a time reigned over by the Phoenicians, the Romans and the Punes and who knows who else. It's located high up in the mountains of Serranía de Ronda a little under 100 kilometres from us. 

Approximately halfway there, by the A397- road we encountered the delightfully strange world of La Perla de Heredia. 

This development stands out from the carbon copy urbanizaciónes around the Costa for all the right reasons. In its candy colour palette it's like a poor man's Il Positano. Or, as it turned out, a not so poor Dutchman's Il Positano. 

There's something very "Prisoner" about this place. It feels a bit fake and movie set- like somehow, but perhaps it's because of that artificial feel that the place feels so absurdly idyllic. 





The place is especially popular among the Dutch, which is really the only language you hear spoken around here. The houses are absolutely stunning, but must cost an arm and a leg and  the set of your Nan's good teeth.

La Heredia is also home to an absolutely delightful (and you guessed it: Dutch) bakery/café/ deli. The selection is sure to satisfy the needs of even the most discerning palates craving for Dutch cheese, bread, cheese, sausages, cheese, buttermilk... or cheese.

A couple of years back in West Bank I had a Dutch colleague. I must say I had completely forgotten how seriously the Dutch take their cheese.

The breakfast turned out to be a great way to start our exploration into the mountains.

As we were enjoying our breakfast, at the table next to ours a real estate agent was in the middle of a meeting with two customers. The Gentleman and I exchanged a knowing smile: yet another dream of the life in the Spanish Sun was about to come true...