Malaga and a full circle coming to a close

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When I think of Malaga, I think of one thing - holiday resorts. The last leg of my trip was a day in Malaga before flying home to Ireland and my expectations were low. Fortunately I was proved to be wrong! I was staying in a hostel in the Old Town within easy walking distance of the centre. Malaga's history outdates Cadiz. Founded around 770BC by the Phoenicians, it has seen rulers from Ancient Carthage, the Roman Empire, and Arab Empire before coming under Christian rule again after the Reconquista. The archaeological remains and monuments all these eras have had the effect of making the city "open museum", displaying its rich history of more than 3,000 years.

After setting myself up in the hostel (with people again yay) I walked downtown to see what the city had to offer. It was a really sleepy Sunday and many places were closed. I walked down by the Alcazaba, an old Moorish fort with a Roman ampitheatre at it's base. I headed into the centre of town by Malaga Cathedral. Only one belltower was built, the other remained unfinished after the funds for it were given away. As a result it's known as La Manquita, the One-Armed Lady.

I headed into the Picasso museum which celebrates the works of Malaga's most famous son. The museum hosts a fascinating collection of paintings, sculptures, individual drawings, sketchbooks, engravings, and ceramic pieces. I particularly enjoyed the sketchbooks, they are a lot more intimate seeing how a piece would eventually come together. They museum itself is a piece of art too. An old Spanish palace, it was specially converted along with many other buildings around it to house the museum.

Later I walked around the park beside Malaga Harbour and down by the waterfront. It was strange for me to hear the waiters calling out in English after so long and ended up still speaking Spanish while they spoke English to me! I settled down to a swordfish steak dinner and watched the sun set over the harbour. Malaga has definately charmed me, it's a pity I didn't give myself more time here. So long Spain, I'll be back!

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