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¡Adiós a Malaga!

I could have definitely stayed another few days enjoying beautiful Malaga but as always it’s nice to be back home.

For our last day there, we took a train to Torremolinos to enjoy a bit of sun and sand. The train ride is about 20 minutes and costs €1.95 each. The short but meandering walk from the train station to the beach is lined with cafes and shops (mostly touristy stuff but a few artist shops).

Torremolinos Beach ~ looking toward Malaga

Torremolinos Beach ~ looking toward Malaga

A la Playa

A la Playa

Spain 2013

Spain 2013

On the Boadwalk in Torremolinos

On the boardwalk in Torremolinos

Fountain in Torremolinos

Fountain in Torremolinos near Train Station

One of the hotels in Torremolinos

One of the hotels in Torremolinos

Clocks in Torremolinos

Clocks in Torremolinos

Looking Fierce

Looking Fierce

While it was nice to spend time walking along the beach and having lunch on a patio enjoying the sunshine, I’m so glad we chose to stay in the city rather than at the beach. So much more character in Malaga and lots more cultural things to do. We stayed at Barcelo Malaga hotel located adjacent to the Malaga Maria Zambrano train station. Very contemporary decor, friendly staff, large rooms and great location. So easy (and cheap) to get to the beaches and airport. The walk from the hotel to the town center or to the Pier took about 10-15 minutes. They have a slide in the lobby which Logan couldn’t resist:

Slide at Hotel Barcelo in Malaga

Slide at Hotel Barcelo in Malaga

On our travels, we usually purchase an item to remind us of our visit. I prefer to buy from local artists so I was excited to see a shop in the town center which carries only local Spanish artwork. It’s called “Versión Original Málaga” and is located at Calle Granada, 71.  I’d popped into the shop several times and finally decided on hand painted poppy earrings:

Poppy Earring from Malaga (local artist)

Poppy Earring from Malaga (local artist)

And for John’s Valentine’s gift, I bought a hand painted mask. We’ve collected a few masks on our travels so this will add to the collection. How could I go wrong with fish and gnomes on it…

Hand-painted Mask from Malaga

Hand-painted Mask from Malaga

Logan and I definitely fell in love with Malaga. We’re excited to return to Spain and we’ve already booked a visit to Madrid ~ thanks to Easy Jet for the $126.00 roundtrip flight from London to Madrid.

A highlight of our trip to Malaga was being able to practice our Spanish. It was wonderful to communicate in another language and actually understand when they spoke back to me (as long as they spoke slowly!). It warmed my heart when my daughter said she was so proud of me for speaking Spanish even though I’m not fluent. Hopefully, I set a good example of what a traveler should do ~ respect the culture, attempt the language (even if it’s rudimentary) and keep an open mind. Now, here’s hoping the people of Madrid are just as patient with us.

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A lot of the Museums and sites in Málaga are closed on Mondays (during the winter months) so we decided to make Day 3 (Tuesday) our full-on tourist day complete with the “hop-on, hop-off” bus tour. We hopped off at “Cafe con Libros” in Plaza de la Merced. The outdoor seating area included swings:

On a swing at "Cafe con Libros" in Malaga

On a swing at “Cafe con Libros” in Malaga

Pablo Picasso was born in Málaga but left when he was nineteen years old and never came back (not even for a visit). Even though he had a “distant” relationship with the city, there’s a lovely Picasso Museum just off the Plaza de la Merced. The pieces on view in the permanent collection showcases eight decades of his artwork. It was fun to go through the museum with my daughter who hasn’t seem much of Picasso’s work ~ wish I had some of her reactions on video. Nothing like seeing the nude acrobat painting for the first time and trying to figure out which end is up. The entrance fee is €6 and well worth it. Logan was free. It’s closed on Mondays except in July and August. Photography is prohibited and backpacks must be checked at the desk.

More of Málaga from the bus tour:

House in Málaga

House in Málaga

Horse and buggy in Málaga

Horse and buggy in Málaga

Official Building in Málaga

Official Building in Málaga

Beach in Málaga

Beach in Málaga

Seems everyone rides motorcycles/scooters around town.

Motorcylces

motorcycles

Just before sunset, we went to see the Alcazaba (Palace/Fortress) which was built in the 11th century for the ruling Muslims. We were the last people to enter for the day and pretty much had the place to ourselves. Entrance fee for both of us was €2.55. What a bargain for a chance to see a beautiful location, high on a hill, overlooking Málaga.

Entrance to Alcazaba

Entrance to Alcazaba

Doorways

At Alcazaba

At Alcazaba

Tub at Alcazaba

Tub at Alcazaba

Sunset in Málaga ~ lighhouse at Pier

Sunset in Málaga ~ lighhouse at Pier

The Pier at night is so pretty ~ it’s lined with shops and restaurants.

Pier in Malaga

Pier in Malaga

Water Fountain at the Pier in Malaga

Water Fountain at the Pier in Malaga

Park at the Pier, Malaga

Park at the Pier, Malaga

Along the Pier, Malaga

Along the Pier, Malaga

View into town from the Pier, Malaga

View into town from the Pier, Malaga

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More Malaga

It took us no time at all to get on to “Spanish Time” ~ we got up too late and missed breakfast, then didn’t have lunch until 2pm, we’re almost done with siesta time and then it’s off to explore until our 8:30 dinner. Thankfully, Logan has a few more years before she gets to experience the midnight to dawn bar crowd.

We wandered around town again today. It’s just as pretty in daylight hours. Unfortunately, the weather turned a bit colder and is very windy but still better than London weather so we’re happy. I’ve been attempting to speak Spanish as much as possible and am thrilled at how patient the locals are with me. No rolling of the eyes like when I was in France and tried a few phrases in French. Granted, everyone I’ve spoken to here has had to have me repeat myself but they always let me have a second try (even if they speak English).

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Note to self: No matter how cost-effective ~ do NOT book a 7 am flight out of Gatwick on a Sunday morning. Since we don’t have a car in London, we rely on public transportation. On Sundays, the trains don’t run as early as during the weekdays. The 5am train was packed and we got to Gatwick with only 1 hour and 20 minutes before the flight was scheduled to take off.  Not much time to check a bag and get through security.  Thankfully, we made it to the gate before they closed the doors. Confession: we did cut in line at security.

All the travel stress melted away when we landed in Malaga ~ it was a balmy 21° (68° F) and sunny! Oh, how I’ve missed you Vitamin D. Logan and I checked-in at the hotel and promptly got into the Spanish culture by taking a 2 hour siesta.

From our hotel, we walked about 10 minutes to the town center and came upon the end of Malaga’s Carnival celebration. It’s a beautiful town and we only heard one other English-speaking couple. This area is a bastion for British visitors but my understanding is most go to the beach resorts just outside of town. Logan and I preferred to get a little more into the Spanish culture and practice our Spanish (such that it is) so we opted for a stay in Malaga.

Fountain in Malaga

Fountain in Malaga

Glimpse of the Cathedral in Malaga

Glimpse of the Cathedral in Malaga

Carnaval in Malaga 2013

Carnival in Malaga 2013

Logan in Malaga

Logan in Malaga

Statue at PLaza de la Mercer

Statue at PLaza de la Merced

Malaga Carnaval decorations

Malaga Carnival decorations

We decided to eat dinner at “La Lechuga” ~ a place called The Lettuce seemed like a good start for a couple of vegetarians. It’s located at Plaza de la Merced ~ birthplace of Picasso. La Lechuga was a great choice ~ very yummy! And not for just veggies, there were chicken, duck and other animals on the menu.

Mozzarella and tomato salad

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