Malaga

Marianne had suggested that I have a paella for dinner one night so I started to do more on-line research about Malaga. Soon I found that the most interesting part of town was to the east so I headed off.

It's so nice to see palm trees in a city.

To the east of this river / ditch is more interesting.

A boulevard to stroll along.

Flower sellers.

One of the recommended places to drink rather than eat is the Antigua Casa de Guardia which sells Malaga which is a sweet wine grown from local grapes. It's an odd sort of place with no seats. You stand up at a bar across from the barrels and order one of the names.

They tell you if it is sweet or dry and then write the price in chalk on the wooden counter. I started talking to the couple ( Ian and Marie) from London who were standing next to me. They were sharing glasses and ordering a few of the different varieties. I had a fino (dry) and a Malaga which was as sweet as I expected. They were not particularly complex wines, but it was fun to try them.

Ian and Marie kindly paid for my two drinks. Perhaps I will run into them again one day and return the favour.

Ian and Marie told me to visit the market which was nearby so I toddled over.

Unfortunately I was too late and most of the shops were either shut or closing.

Still, it was a lovely afternoon and I strolled on. I get the feeling you could spend quite some time walking around here here before you got bored.

The main cathedral is a monster.

I did not go inside. However on reading the Wikipedia article I saw that the Spanish composer Morales worked here. Try listening to one of his most famous compositions which I find absolutely gorgeous. I first heard the piece in this version with a curious saxophone accompaniment. Opinions are divided as to whether the idea works or not. I prefer the piece without the saxophone but it is interesting.

And for my sister, Anne, a version from South Australia which is pitched differently and appears to be a different version. Very curious.

A rather spectacular colour.

The Alcazaba which I will save for next time or if my walk tomorrow along a gorge is washed out by rain. After my hike at Gibraltar, I was trying to take it easy and not do too much walking.

This was what I had really set out to see. A Roman amphitheatre which is situated next to the Alcazaba.

It's not particularly large but it has been restored and appears to be in reasonable condition. It dates from the 1st century BC and was rediscovered in 1951.

There are a lot of churches in Malaga. This one certainly is colorful.

The old buildings have lots of balconies.

I also visited the Picasso Museum which has a lot of his works on display. Photography is not allowed. To be honest, I am not that keen on his work and I have to admit that I don't understand it at all. At least I can take joy in being a partial Philistine.

Another church, details below.

I was intrigued by the patterns painted on the wall.

And this building.

Years ago, Robin declared that she wanted to own a lolly shop. This one looks good.

After wandering around at random for a while, I finished up back at the market. My legs were tired so I went back to the hotel.

The old city area is wonderful to stroll around. One of the nice things is not be pestered by hawkers as in Egypt and Morocco. It's also good to see prices on items for sale and not having to barter. It makes travelling much more relaxing.