We went from Marbella up to Ronda last night to see the racetrack and the new Jaguar XF. Marbella Spain is a beach town..... lots of hotels, golf courses and foreigners....Brits, germans and Poles seem to be pre-eminent. So when the team asked us if we'd like to travel inland and see the race course the still camera guys were working on, we bit. Everyone told us how spectacular the drive would be. Vast cliffs, gorges, etc. Well, we started our drive up and it was a bust...... nothing more special than Topanga Canyon in LA. Nice but known.
Then we came into a quaint town at the top of the mountain. Things got much better. The ravine that split the town in two is of "Lord of the Rings" proportions. Vast. 500'? 700' down. Spectacular. We checked into our rooms in an amazing old townhouse from the 17th century. Our rooms were on the gorge side with floor to ceiling french doors.
It's hard not to be a little weary of getting too close to the edge. The rail guard was maybe 24" high. Perfect for falling over into the abyss. I was glad that, when I entered Ellen's room, she too kept one foot well behind her in case one's center of gravity might suddenly change and catapult one out into oblivion.
We walked around the narrow cobblestone streets and eventually met up with the still photograph team (the same brit blokes from last year in Rome).
After some chit chat and a bottle of excellent local wine, we went to a local restaurant for a great meal.
This morning came much too early and at 6:45AM we were out the door to go to the race track.
It seems this is the only private race course in the world. The millionaire inventor houses his collection of vintage cars here and is letting Jaguar rent the place out for a few days. Security is tight since this model will not be introduced for 8 months. The lovely Jaguar people want to show me the car but security would not let them lift the cover. I'll see it next week. There is a 2 mile stretch at the back of the track which seems safe from prying eyes and 600mm lenses.
We said our hellos and Ellen shot a bit of footage to be used later next week. The location manager offered to show us the ancient town of Zahara, close to where tomorrow's shooting will occur. Teenie Tiny roman town with a huge rook still standing. Lots of moor-ish influences with ceramic finials in blue and white.
This was Spain. Not the endless deck chairs several thousand feet below us in Marbella.
We rode back down the mountain. The air is saltier and the sun brighter and warmer here by the sea.
Tomorrow we go scouting with the local crew to figure out what our end of the shoot will entail.
