Today is the 17th anniversary of the day I met Rita, who became my wife two years later. Yes, it was the Friday evening of the Feria y Fiestas de Pedro Romero. The year was 2008.
I had flown in from Frankfurt Hahn airport and had arrived that morning at Malaga airport.
I had just broken up with my girlfriend in Luxembourg, where I had spent the summer helping out with DIY and house renovation. She said it was just a summer romance. I thought it was more than that and I was devastated. So, I decided to fly to Spain and spend a long weekend in Ronda (I have property there).
I met up with my pal Michael who had moved to Ronda from North Wales a few years before.
His brother was visiting from North Wales with his girlfriend, so after an early dinner we all headed off to the Recinto Ferial. I was not keen - I was tired - but they talked me in to it.
On arrival we entered a caseta, a sort of beer tent, which was full of guiris (what the Spanish call us northern European immigrants). I already knew a handful of those present, as I'd been coming to Ronda frequently for some eight years. As I went round the group, at least 20, I was introduced to each one in turn.
The rather lovely lady who appeared to be on her own, ie not with a bloke, and who had a funny accent, was a German divorcee who was living in Montejaque, 20 minutes from Ronda. I'm a fluent German speaker, so she was delighted to chat with me. When I found out that hefr name was Rita, I immediately christened her the "Meter Maid" (The Beatles, 1964 - geddit?).
We saw each other again that weekend and agreed to keep in touch. We were both smitten with each other. Over the next four months we courted in England, Germany and Spain and then, just before Christmas of 2008, I emigrated to be with her.
Two years later we got married in Maulbronn Abbey in Germany, the school there having educated Hermann Hesse, who would later be the author of "Steppenwolf".
Now, 15 years later, we're still together living in Ronda.
Funnily enough, we have never been to the Feria since. Rita doesn't enjoy such things, and I'm hardly going to go on my own (I might meet someone else -¡Ojala!)
© Pablo de Ronda