Travels in Spain before Covid: Malaga Day 17

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November 5

Our ship docked at 9am, with easy access to the recently restored Old Town of Malaga. Malaga, we are told, is the main city of coastal Andalucia, along the Costa del Sol, and, like many of the towns we have encountered, retains a distinctly Spanish flavor, with twisting, narrow streets and a lovely waterfront promenade. Tall palm and plane trees, bougainvillea, aloes, and geraniums all made for views that said ‘tropical paradise’ alongside the clean, modern port. Picasso said of his birthplace, “to be a Cubist you have to have been born in Málaga” although I don’t see the reference, I’ll take his word for it. Malaga was a popular winter holiday site for the 19th-century wealthy. We were told that today Malaga is where the rich and famous hang out, although none were in sight today.

Our tour began with a leisurely walk taking us to the ruins of the ancient El Teatro Romano or Roman Theater, built more than 2,000 years ago by Augustus. It had been used for two hundred years, before falling into neglect. This theater is the oldest historic monument left in Malaga after the city was bombed by Nationalist sympathizers during the Civil War. It was originally built in the 1st century AD on top of the ancient baths. In the 5th and 6th centuries it was used as a cemetery. Since the theater was conveniently nestled into the hillside beneath the Alcazaba, stone was easily moved from here to refurbish the Moorish construction of the fortress, where you can still find capitals and shafts of Roman columns. After remaining hidden for centuries, the Roman Theater was discovered in 1951. It has three parts: the ‘caea’ or stands, the orchestra pit or semicircular area between the stands, and the stage. The theater has been restored for its original use for concerts and theater productions.

When we entered the theater, the sun was behind the buildings putting us in the shade. The winds swept by chilling Dave and me as we sat on the cold stone steps listening to our guide describe the social seating arrangements for the 7,000 theater patrons. As much as I was interested in the history, I was more interested in leaving for a place in the sun, so we did just that, we left for the sunnier Alcazaba.

The famous fortress, or literally citadel, Alcazaba de Malaga is comprised of two walled enclosures. It was originally connected to the city ramparts that formed a third defensive wall, now only two inner wall remain. The second inner area of the fortress was completely enclosed and punctuated with several defensive towers. The outer citadel is accessed through the “Puerta de la Boveda” or Vault Gate, then the gate doubles back, a design to make it nearly impossible for a surprise takeover of the fortress. We walked some of these dark stone returns imagining the an invader’s shock at what he would find around the next corner.

There is a lot of climbing in these old ruins, which will warm you up even if the sun doesn’t. The pathway we were on wound up to the enclosed gardens and lovely fountains, where we all took turns posing for photos. We then passed through the Gate of the columns, later called the Tower of Christ, that also served as a chapel. Another inner enclosure is accessed through the Gate of the Granada Quarters that acts as the defense for the western side of the palace. This is one place you would not want to go to uninvited (or at a minimum without a tour guide!).

Inside the Alcazaba we found remnants of decorations that had covered every space, no matter how small it was. Most of the decorations are lost but we still saw some fragments of the Mudejar decorated ceramic and plasterwork that brought life to the room. We entered a room displaying Hispanic Muslim Medieval Nazari Pottery that was found in the Alcazar. The art and architecture of the Nasrid period originated in the Kingdom of Granada. The art and architecture of this period represent some of the most beautiful works of Muslim art in Spain.

With tired legs we plugged on towards Malaga’s treasure, its massive cathedral. Known as the Renaissance Cathedral, the official name of Malaga’s Cathedral is Nuestra Snora de la Encarnacion or Our Lady of Incarnation but locally it’s just referred to as The Cathedral. This important church was constructed between 1528 and 1782 and is not only a religious building but also a national landmark and the pride of Malaga. The large cathedral has three naves with ambulatories and is considered an evolution of Gothic art. It features a Brunelleschi cube, elevating its interior and bathing it in golden light but what impressed me most was the beautiful choir with its 42 wooden carvings of saints by Pedro de Mena and its magnificent organ with more than 4,000 pipes. I would have loved to be in a service listening to that. Who wouldn’t be moved?

Despite the impressive size and elaborate interior, this cathedral has only one bell tower. Most major churches have matching bell towers but the second tower was never finished earning the monicker ‘the one-armed woman’. We did not learn why the second tower was not completed but there is a plaque on the side of the building saying that funds were donated to help the US colonies gain independence from British rule, so we may be responsible for the one-armed woman, but, as a US citizen, I thank you.

Our tour guide was eager to show us El Pimpi, a famous restaurant located in an 18th century Malaga mansion named after a Malaga character named Pimpi who used to help the crews and passengers from the ships that arrived at the city’s docks. Tour guides regularly brought their clients here for lunch looking for the rich and famous or just the vibes from the historic clientele who haunt these kegs such as the Picasso family, the Duchess of Alba and Antonio Banderas. I thought our guide said that Banderas now owns this bodega but I may have misunderstood because in my research I couldn’t find anything to verify this claim.

By the time we arrived it was already very busy with local elite patrons dining at the bar or near the old kegs. We were taken into the restaurant past the narrow bar with photos of its famous patrons, and 100 year old decorations, out into an alley access to the tiny Carmen Thyssen bar.

Enquiring minds want to know, at least I did. I looked up Ms Thyssen on the internet and found she was a former Miss Spain and 5th wife of Swiss industrialist Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza. The Baroness, with the help of her husband’s money, amassed a substantial collection of important works of art that are now housed in the Carmen Thyssen Museum in Malaga (but no time to explore here, another trip).

Soon we were back out into the street where we parted company, giving us time to explore on our own, or, return to the ship for a nap as Dave later did, but first we were hungry. I had wanted to explore the Picasso Museum so we agreed to look for a restaurant nearby to calm Dave’s hunger pains. We found the cute little Bodequita El Gallo or Taberna el Gallo, directly opposite the museum, how convenient! There was no-one inside the small restaurant so we opted to eat in the tables outside despite the chill in the air. We ordered some delicious wine and I had my fresh anchovies in vinegar with bread and Dave had meatballs in almond sauce, we shared a goat cheese salad and relaxed while I gathered enough energy to resume my own tour of Malaga.

For a little treat after our meal we walked a little ways down Granada street to the Pasteleria La Princesa where we drooled over the pastry offerings in the window. We found a local treat called a Borrachuelos that had a slight licorice flavor that we both enjoyed, as if we needed more to eat!

Tired and cold, Dave left to return to the ship for his nap while I chose to tour the Museo Picasso Malaga across from the Bodeguita El Gallo. I did not purchase tickets in advance but thankfully there was no problem entering, although I did need to give them my personal affects. When I entered the museum I purchased an audio guide that, as usual, proved most helpful. The museum opened in 2003 and houses over 200 of his works covering eight decades including paintings, sculptures and ceramics that were donated by members of his family, so in I went, eager to compare this museum with the Picasso Museum in Barcelona.

This museum is located in the spacious Palace of the Counts of Buenavista. Built in the 16th century, it features a mixture of Mudejar and Renaissance elements. It was built on top of what is believed to be the Nasrid Palace. Archeological remains from the Phoenician, Roman and Moorish eras were unearthed and are now part of the museum’s permanent collection. This building was previously home to the Museum of Fine Arts of Malaga, so when the museum was repurposed for the Picasso works, “it was enlarged with a series of modern structures that extend in the manner of a traditional white Andalusian village”.

I began looking at his early works completed when he was just 13 and slowly moved through the galleries exploring his many sketches and paintings, many of them focusing on a bull. His ceramics are both beautiful and playful, one in particular his Bust of a Faun on a plate that made me smile. Some works by Alexander Calder were included here to focus on the creative connection between these two modern masters.

I took my time in the museum to enjoy many of Picasso’s works in metal like his Woman in the Garden, Spring 1930, but Picasso’s unique creative vision combining odd objects to make something new such as his Head of a Bull from a bicycle seat has been “described by Roland Penrose as Picasso’s most famous discovery, a simple yet ‘astonishingly complete’ metamorphosis”.

Leaving the museum, I continued down the street towards the Old Town stopping to by
some fresh roasted marconas from a man on the street, then went into a shop to sample some almond brittle. Just enough to give me energy to go on shopping and absorbing the culture of this city. Luckily, as I was heading towards the ship, I passed by a shop with beautiful woven shawls hanging outside. Without a moment’s hesitation, I purchased a beautiful shawl (made in Italy) for only 20 euro that I gladly wore whenever I got a bit of a chill.

The ship left port at 8pm, giving me plenty of time to explore Malaga, photograph the city in the afternoon light and return to the ship in time to get ready for dinner and a show. Although our stays in each port have only been for one day, it is enough to get to know a place to take away a little understanding of the area, and to see if we would like to return to explore an area longer.

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