Malaga, Spain

April 15, 2023

As I’ve been writing my last few blog posts, I’ve been finding it harder and harder to to decide what to write about each port. I don’t know if it’s because we had 7 port days (with excursions) in a row or if it’s because these cities have felt familiar in some way (all Western first world countries) or if it’s because I was not feeling 100%. The more exotic places we’ve been have been easier for me to write about. It’s probably a combination of all three with a little cruise weariness thrown in. None of this, however, has affected how much I’ve enjoyed visiting these European cities. Each one has its own unique feel and today’s visit to Malaga was no exception.

After a much needed sea day, we were taking another independent excursion with some of the same people we went with on our Villefranche tour. This was going to be a half day tour seeing the highlights of Malaga and ending with wine and tapas at two bars. Leaving the cruise port, we drove through the city on our way to El Castillo de Gibralfaro, a Muslim fortress built on the top of a hill in the middle of the city. It was a beautifully clear day and the view from there was lovely. We could even see the bullfighting area below. It made climbing all those irregular steps up to the wall worth it!

We left the fortress and traveled into central Malaga. I admit, I like looking at the scenery.

Once we reached our location, we left the van behind and began our walking tour of the city. I soaked up the sights and sounds of this lovely place.

Malaga is the birthplace of Pablo Picasso and, in addition to seeing his works in a museum, you could have your picture snapped sitting next to him on a bench.

I hadn’t expected to see more Roman ruins today but we did. This is El Teatro Romano, built in the 1st century BC.

There are wild parrots here, too.

According to our guide’s schedule it was now 11:00 am and time for wine and tapas. Evidently, the two taverns we were going to didn’t have that schedule. They weren’t opening until noon. We now had some free time to wander around the area. Brian and I found a pharmacy where I got some more cough drops and sanitizing hand gel. We also found a bakery that sold the most delicious cookies. We bought an assortment for cabin snacks and managed not to eat them all at once!

Noon arrived and we headed to our first tavern. Each of us got to order one tapa from their menu and could have wine, beer, or a soft drink. We sat at a large table on the sidewalk in the shade. The day was really lovely. Before we headed to the next tavern, I took a look inside this one. Charming!

A couple blocks away was our second stop. This time we sat inside and followed the same procedure: pick a tapa and choose your drink.

We returned to port relaxed from the wine, having thoroughly enjoyed our day. We rested to in the afternoon. Tomorrow we’re going to Marrakech!