From the Puente Nueve

From the Puente Nueve
From the Puente Nueve

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Photos of the Haunted House taken on 31 October 2012


A front view of Villa Apolo
Villa Apolo





The swimming pool

The Tennis Courts


The Tower
The damp spot may be a damp spot but may be blood.....
These photos were taken on All Hallows Eve
October 31 2012
 




The Haunted House - in English


TRANSLATION:
The translation is not perfect English because there is often not a straight like for like conversion.

Well, to begin with I have to say that I am from Ronda (Malaga, Spain) and I have visited this House many times, I have not ever seen anything out of the ordinary but I have searched a bit. I found a sheet of a newspaper last year and read it carefully. In one of the pages appeared an article related to that House. I copied it as I found it:

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' Casa Rúa: A Haunted House '

If there are places in Ronda covering mystery, fascination, fear and curiosity, the Casa Rúa brings together everything and more in the dilapidated building and its unique landscape. Located in the lane on the way to the Rock Church of the Virgen de la Cabeza, was a mansion, now only ruins, built in a heavenly space (tennis court, gardens, (fuentesde) dream, pool...) and with the most beautiful views of the Tacho and the urban skyline of Ronda. It is enough to observe the current state, degraded and destroyed, to realise that something exceptional had to occur so that the owners left, almost suddenly, a unique and beautiful framework.

Since then, from the strange neglect of this Villa Apolo, as it reads under the frontispiece of its facade, have passed hundreds and hundreds of people from Ronda and visitors, seduced by its enigma, to verify what's true in so many extraordinary stories, to destroy its elegant architecture or to experience sensations that emerge in such a singular scenario. What happened so that the wealthy owners hastily left this palace and never wanted to go back there?

Stories, tales, legends, myths, celebrity gossip, as I have said, there are numerous; and almost all are from the imagination and include countless experiences of the paranormal,magic, spiritual ... amazing in the final analysis, that it has involved the thoughts of many people. However, in between all of them, there is a common detail with no small interest which would cause some paranormal activity that has been said to have been seen in this 'Haunted House'

The illustrious and well-off inhabitants of the residence had an 8-year-old daughter who disappeared (true) on a fateful day, without her minders and the rest of the maintenance staff knowing. The corpse of the girl was found, terribly carved up and in a pool of blood on the first floor of the nearby tower. The place was a watchtower and part of the defense of the Moslem Ronda and was on the edge of the property of the Casa Rúa. Nothing was discovered about who carried out the brutal murder.

From the first moment strange experiences began to happen, and especially intense were appearances of the girl, noises, mysterious crying...and that provoked the abandonment of the stately building. It might be explained from the perspective that the bloody crime soaked the whole area with its emotional energy. This energy in movement gave place to the 'anomalies', psychological parallels of the ghost of the girl who in the house lived... and died. A peculiarity exists, exceptional undoubtedly, that the 'ghost', or 'energy', or 'entity', of the small girl, with the passing of time, has been growing, aging, as if she kept on living in our existential plane and appears as a grown woman.There exists a photo in which there appears the ghost as a woman adult and clothed in the ancient custom.

Finally to explain the extract:. The building is part of a 'triangle', with one of the apexes in the Virgen de la Cabeza, in which the telluric energies are very intense; there are those who come, and come continuously from the skies (extra-terrestrials) and from the subsoil, being very related to the energy changes, and that can affect us biologically. They can alter our metabolism and psychological disorders can provoke us. The forces in this area in particular of the Casa Rúa if true, are capable of danger with all this paranormal phenomena: apparitions, ghostly, 'religious' experiences and mediums as well as the group of Believers of the Pious Father... But this will be another story…...

The Haunted House - in Spanish


Bueno, para hacer una entrada al post he de decir que soy de Ronda (Málaga, España) y que he visitado esta casa infinidad de veces, no he visto nunca nada fuera de lo normal pero si que te escama un poco. Encontré una hoja informativa de un periodico del año pasado y lo leí con detenimiento. En una de las páginas aparecía un artículo relacionado con dicha casa. lo copio tal y como lo encontré:

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"Casa Rúa: Una casa encantada"



Si hay lugares en ronda que abarquen misterio, fascinación, miedo y curiosidad, la "casa Rúa" reúne todo y más en la ruinosa edificación y en su único paraje. Situada en el carril de acceso a la Iglesia Rupestre de la Virgen de la Cabeza, fue una mansión, ahora solo ruinas, integrada en un espacio paradisíaco (Pista de tenis, jardines, fuentesde ensueño, piscina...) y acreedora de las vistas más hermosas del tajo y el horizonte urbano de ronda. Y sin embargo, basta con observar el estado actual, degradado y destruído, para inferir que algo excepcional tuvo que ocurrir para que sus propietarios abandonaran, casi de súbito, un marco incomparable y primoroso.

Desde entonces, desde el extraño abandono de esta Villa Apolo, como reza bajo el frontispicio de su fachada, han pasado cientos y cientos de rondeños y visitantes, seducidos por su enigma, para comprobar qué hay de cierto en tantas historias extraordinarias, para destrozar su elegante arquitectura (los más bestias), o para experimentar sensaciones que emergen en tan singular escenario. Pero, ¿Qué sucedió para que sus pudientes propietarios abandonaran precipitadamente el palacete y jamás quisieran volver allí?

Historias, cuentos, leyendas, mitos, chismes, como he dicho, hay numerosos; y casi todos en función a la imaginación, exigencia e incluso justificación a las incontables experiencias paranormales,mágicas, espirituales... asombrosas en definitiva, que han galvanizado las incursiones de muchas personas. No obstante, de entre todas ellas, hay una, detalles aledaños y vanos que poco o nada interesan, que respondería a parte de la casuísticas paranormal, documentada, que ha sido registrada en esta "Casa Encantada"

Los ínclitos y acomodados moradores de la residencia tenían una hija de 8 años que desapareció cierto y aciago día, sin que cuidadores y el resto del personal de servicio supieran nada. El cadáver de la niña apareció terriblemente descuartizado en una jofaina colmada con su propia sangre, en la planta primera de la torre, elemento del sistema de vigía y defensivo de la Ronda musulmana en la propia zona de la Casa Rúa. Nada se supo sobre la autoría y dilucidación del brutal asesinato.

Desde el primer momento se sucedieron las experiencias extrañas, y especialmente intensas (apariciones de la propia niña, golpes, llantos misteriosos...) que provocaron el abandono del edificio señorial. Ello podría explicarse desde la perspectiva de que el cruento crimen empapó con su energía emocional toda la finca. Y esa energía en movimiento dió lugar a las "anomalías", paralelos psicológicos del fantasma de la niña que en ella vivió...y murió. Existe una particularidad, excepcional sin duda, de que el propio "fantsma", o "energía", o "entidad", de la propia chiquilla, con el transcurso del tiempo, ha ido creciendo, envejeciendo, como si aún continuara viviendo en nuestro plano existencial. Existe una foto en la actualidad en la que aparece el espectro como mujer adulta y ataviada a la antigua usanza.



 

Finalmente incidir en la propia esencia de la tierra en la que se encuentra enclavada la mansión. De hecho forma parte de un "triángulo", con uno de los vertices en la virgen de la cabeza, en el que son muy intensas las energías telúricas; que son las que provienen, circulan y emanan continuamente de la superficie terrestre y del subsuelo, estando muy relacionadas con las variaciones energéticas, y que nos pueden afectar biológicamente, pueden alterar nuestro metabolismo o nos pueden provocar trastornos psicológicos. La fuerza en esta zona en concreto de la casa Rúa la confiere de una peligrosidad cierta, capaz de toda esa fenomenología paranormal: Ovnis, apariviones fantasmales, experiencias "religiosas" y mediúmnicas en los inicios del grupo de creyentes del Padre Pío... Pero esta será otra historia.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Zahara de la Sierra and wild flowers in the valley.

The 8th Century tower at Zahara de la Sierra.


A view from the tower.



.... And another.



Wild flowers in the valley below the Puente Nuevo.

The Last Post and The First Cuckoo... 09 - 22 April


This will be the last post although I may add a few notes at some point. For instance I have been trying to find out about a ruined house mentioned (w/c 12 March)  - some information is included later – and if I find out more I will add it subsequently
Since Easter I have had three sets of visitors, which has been great. The first, already noted in a previous post came during Semana Santa. One of my (4) brothers-in-law came over for three days Friday 13th to Monday 16th. We managed plenty of walking between the heavy showers and dodging the rain in various tavernas meant we drank more cerveza than intended. Over here, you pay as you leave, not as you go along. Neither of us could remember paying at the Bodega Bar and we had tapas as well as drinks but we went back next day (.. and I have been since) and we were not marched out so we must have paid.
This last weekend my sister-in-law and her husband came over. The weather was marvellous. As well as a fair bit of walking we also did a tour of villages (… including The Smurf village of Júzcar – refer 13 – 19 February).  During one of the walks on Sunday we heard a cuckoo. Ever since I started as a paper boy (illegally – aged 11) when my first round was in a spread out country area of Warwickshire, the first cuckoo is something I have always looked forward to and April 22nd is probably the earliest I have experienced .. (… the cuckoo comes in April, sings its song in May, changes its tune in merry June and in July it flies away….). Unfortunately, although birdsong  was strong in the Thorpe Meadows area and woodpeckers were relatively common, there were three Springs out of fourteen that I spent in that part of Peterborough when I did not hear a cuckoo at all.
During the tour of villages, we visited Zahara de la Sierra and photos of that are included here.
On Sunday morning I managed to lock us out. I had a key in the inside of the front door in case my visitors wanted to go outside while I was preparing breakfast. On leaving I forgot to remove it and after closing the door realised what I had done. The other key therefore of course would not work – I tried it! All windows were closed and the downstairs windows anyway have decorative (and secure) metal bars. The upstairs windows were also closed. I have a small rear courtyard with a c12 foot high wall separating the neighbour’s courtyard from mine. As tends to be the case here, there are three generations living next door – the owners, their children and one set of parents (usually those of the lady). The old mother answered when I rang the bell but did not understand – or did not want to understand – my pleas for help. Her daughter though was there and understood my predicament.  On their side the wall is (only) c9 feet and they had a small set of stepladders. We put a chair on a table and I was able to reach the stepladders over but had to be very careful as the necessary drop caused the ladders to bounce, which could have toppled them. Incredibly they stood up!  I then climbed over and carefully lowered myself onto the ladders which again incredibly stayed upright. There were many ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ from the old lady and much hysterical laughter from the younger. My in-laws in the meantime were discussing where they might stay if I was unsuccessful and wondering what the emergency services number was if I had fallen (.. 112 in Andalucia, not 911 or 999).
I am now preparing to leave and hope to have most packing sorted so that I can relax over the weekend. On Saturday I shall have a few drinks and a meal with some of the friends I have made. I leave on Monday, stay in Palencia that night (300 miles), then drive to Santander ( 310 miles) and from there take the ferry to Plymouth on Wednesday, arriving on Thursday evening when I will stay with my mother-in-law in Bridgwater and will get back to Peterborough some time on Friday afternoon.
I will be back in Ronda in October and will again stay over the Winter – until March.
Having researched the ruined house mentioned at the start it seems the story is that the owners had an 8 year old daughter who was murdered and her body was placed in the nearby tower. Her ghost is said to haunt the ruins. Another version states that the owner was a successful local dignitary who led a secret life as a warlock and his daughter was murdered. Both stories talk about paranormal activity at the site and there are even rumours of extra terrestrial visitations…………….. to be concluded.

Monday, April 9, 2012

Semana Santa Views

In Malaga waiting for the doors to open.

Christ on the cross. There are approximately 260 people carrying
that platform. One of them might just be Antonio Banderas.


The Virgn Mary.


Back in Ronda. Jesus with Mary.


The very start of a procession. It is perhaps not too unkind to say
that the local TV reporter on the right has a face perfect for radio.



Semana Santa Views Part 2

That is a steep slope down which to carry the platform.

The ladies carried The Virgin Mary magnificently.

The point in Ronda that all processions have to pass.

A view from the city wall. Mary is half way up the hill.
'My house' is just to the right of the large building top left.
The red car is parked in front of my favourite Bodega bar.

The ladies successfully reversing into The Virgin Mary's resting place.