Making the Rounds in Malaga

I've made it to the final stretch of the journey to the south of Spain, I'm now in the Costa del Sol. And hot and sunny it is. After a few days here, I will head a little inland to see a couple of what I hope will be highlights of the trip. I'm really excited about them! And I've had to wait until the near end to see one and "do" the other. I'll let you know when I get there...ha!

Malaga is the biggest city in the South of Spain, a port city long contested between the Moors and Christians. Fittingly, its two major sites are one of each. And throw in a bit of Roman too. I took the train from really close to my campsite, and was in the central city in less than 15 minutes. Europe has such good public transport, makes it so easy to get around without a car. I headed into the old part of the city and passed a nice flower market,  then walked up one of the main avenues that is a park on one side.

I soon came to a couple of really nice buildings. First was the Bank of Espana, a beautiful building built long before ATM'S became our banks. Right next door was the city hall, a classic yellow building with just enough ornamentation.  My next goal was the Alcazaba of Malaga, a fortress and palace built on a small hill overlooking the harbor. The complex is huge and in very good condition. Did I mention it was hot? I was a sweaty mess the whole day and I lacked the foresight to wear a shirt that wouldn't show it...

The Alcazaba was a maze and even though they gave me a map,
I was still lost quite often. For a while I seemed to be trapped in an endless loop, continually seeing the same things over and over. It was better when I finally busted out of the loop and found my way to the inner courtyards.  The gardens and fountains are nice, though maybe not the nicest I've seen on this trip. It was just a bit of a letdown, though it really shouldn't have been. It is still a fantastic place as you will see.

I wandered around and saw all the buildings and gardens and then made my way next door to the Roman Amphitheater that is literally up against the fortress's wall.  It is in pretty good shape and I do love me some Roman ruins! You can sit on one side and see both at the same time. Pretty nifty for a history buff. Literally on the next street over was the Malaga Cathedral.  I went in and paid for the full ride...a climb up the bell tower to the roof, and then the Cathedral.  They sent me out to a garden to wait for my turn to go up. That's when I knew I had made the dreaded mistake of joining a tour! Usually you can walk yourself up these towers, but no...here I waited until there were a thousand people (a slight exaggeration) standing with me and then we all slowly climbed 200 steps together. Then we went out on the roof and every time you had to wait and wait until the last person got there. I was annoyed, but it was pretty and the views were nice.

Once that ordeal was over, I finally made it into the church. And what a splendid church it is. The columns inside are massive, the stained glass is everywhere,  and the side chapels are full of gold. What more could you ask for? It was very impressive and I marveled at its enormity. It's not as ridiculously massive as St. Peters in Rome, but it's still huge. And pretty. Job well done...now if they would work on that climbing tour it would be perfect.

I don't usually mention lunch, but this time I'll even post pictures! I was hungry, and nothing looked good until I came across a place grilling these massive potatoes out front. I had to have one.  It had butter and sour cream,  Roquefort cheese and masses of ham on top. I ate every bit,  even the skin. It was heavenly, and someone should open a chain of these places. Then it was off to the Malaga Picasso Museum. He was born there, so they have a museum with paintings mostly donated by family members. It was okay, but if you really want to see a great Picasso museum go to Paris. There were a couple of pieces I liked, but they didn't allow pictures. The Louvre will let you snap pictures of the Mona Lisa, but a second-rate Picasso museum forbids it. Go figure...and I got a picture off the net of the one I liked anyway, "Nude woman with mirror and irises". Really, it's classic Picasso.

After that I wandered around the city,  went by the bullring and some parks and more fountains, and then called it a day because you know, it was hot.