Artfully Ann's Adventures

Travel - May 13 – Monday – Malaga, Spain

When we arrived in Malaga, we were not sure if it was going to rain or shine.  As the day went on, the sun broke through, and it was a beautiful day.  John and I signed up for a tour and were glad we did.  Both of us were here in the late 1990s while living in Russia.  Neither of us recognized the place.  There were so many new buildings, it didn’t look like the same town.  Not a town any more really, but a very large city.

The port where we docked was fairly new, as was this whole waterfront part of town.  I’ve taken a picture from the boat to give you an idea of our first impression.  It is a beautiful place.  All the cities along the coast of Spain have been enchanting, each in its own way.

 

Malaga enjoys a high number of budget airlines that serve the area airport; it is Picasso's birthplace and sports a popular beach, acting as a honey-trap for very pale northern Europeans, too eager to catch some sun, rather than venture somewhere else.  When we were here last, all we remember were German tourists dominating the beaches and shoreline; as two of a very few Americans, we really felt outnumbered.  We wanted to see the countryside and not the beach.  I guess we really didn’t get it at the time.

The best time to visit Malaga is during the Feria de Agosto (August Festival, sometimes known as the 'Feria de Verano', 'summer festival' or 'Feria de Malaga'), which takes place in the third week of August.  It’s the biggest festival in Andalusia (“an da LUTH ia” as we hear it).
 

The best place to see bullfighting is Malaga in August, which is usually the most active month for what some Spanish consider an art.  All you have to do is listen to a Malaganian speak of bull fighting or see a Matador practicing his trade to understand some of this powerful tradition.
 

Many locals here love their sport and the matador’s fluid and highly expressive moves when approaching a bull.  Bulls raised for the ring are very expensive and treasured animals.  In spite of huge investments in each, not all these bulls are selected at four years for the ring.   

I know many are deeply offended by this expression of Spanish culture.  I’ve tried to leave my mind open, at least to the extent that I wanted to listen to the Malaganian explanation of their heritage.  It’s almost a religion to them. 

We visited the Malaga bull ring and its museum, and we got to watch a very young man of twenty-two as he demonstrated some of the traditional moves in fighting bulls.

If a beach is really what you are looking for, then Malaga has many beautiful ones.  But if you are looking for lots to see, I think we pretty well covered it in a day.  We drove past where Picasso was born and spent his early childhood.   

 We also walked through the ruins of the Castle of Galbraifaro; the name relates to an Arabic expression for a navigation light on the mountain.  The castle overlooks the city and dates back to the Phoenician period.  There is little left but broken walls, but the view is beautiful. 

Back in the city, we walked around the new shopping mall and business district.  This certainly was not there when John and I visited last time.  It looked like any big, well known shopping street in any given city.  Nothing of interest to shop for here that we could not find in London, Seattle, San Francisco or New York.   

By far, the best thing we saw in Malaga was a presentation of traditional flamenco music and dancing at the “Interactive Museum of Malaga Music.”  “Outstanding” or any superlative praise you can think of do not do it justice.  I’ve included a picture of a spectacular flamenco dancer.  I took movies, but there would be no way to download them on the ship’s system.

Back on the boat we enjoyed a nice dinner in the dining room and then headed to the Silk Den bar.  This last decision was not a good one, but I’ll tell you more later.  Stay tuned to Artfully Ann’s Adventures…Adios, me amigos for now!!