Blogs from Malaga, Málaga, Andalusia, Spain, Europe

On our return visit to Ronda, we took a tour of the bull fighting ring, one of only a few operating in Spain. Bull fighting is still legal in many regions although its popularity has been diminishing. In the early days, bull fighting was forbidden by the church as it was a sin to put your life (soul) in danger. Originally bull fighting was done on horses but transitioned to the matador on foot which is today’s practice. Debra refused to attend a performance and I’m less enthusiastic about a sport where the winner is pre-determined! The tour of the Ronda bull ring was interesting as it’s one of the oldest in Spain (built in 1785) and still in operation holding appx 5000 people. There is also an information/museum section that provides a good background on ... read more

Today was a down day, with nothing much to do. Manoli had looked over the map to see what might be interesting. We left the pension around 11am or so, and headed to the beach. It was a fairly long walk, but pretty interesting too. We arrived at Malagueta Beach, one of the main beaches in Malaga, and after a short walk along the beach, Manoli spotted the Chiringuito Sicsu Bar. She had heard it served pretty good food, so we stopped. Pretty much every table was outside, but covered with awnings to keep off the sun. Also, since they had the area cordoned off, we had to wait in line for a few minutes to get a table. We sat down, looked over the menu, and ordered our lunch. Manoli decided to try their seafood ... read more

Today we planned on taking a bus to Nerja, a town not far from Malaga. Nerja is famous for three things; the Balcon de Europe, a balcony on a cliff overlooking the beach; the Cuevas de Nerja, a pretty famous cave in which was discovered remains from prehistoric times; and as the location for a famous television series "Verano Azul" and the boat that appeared in the series, La Dorada Primera. We walked down the street and took bus 1 to the bus station, meeting up with Salome. We waited a bit, then took the next bus to Nerja. After we disembarked in the town, we strolled down to the beach. Here is where the Balcon del Europa was located. First we walked through a small opening, then took a walkway to the beach. After a ... read more

This morning we had planned to go out early because I want to be back in time to see the Queens funeral. The black out curtains put paid to this as we don’t wake up till 8am (that would be 7am back in the UK). I can’t believe it’s so late, Ian says I fell asleep around 6pm last night - I must have been exhausted. We decide to skip breakfast and go straight to the cathedral. The tourist office assured us it would open at 9am today although our guide book said 10. Out of date guidebook? It’s a half hour walk to the historic centre so we won’t be there at opening time…but near enough. We arrive at the cathedral. It doesn’t open till 10! We walk around the outside taking photos. It’s much ... read more

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 ... read more