Discovering Malaga: One Step At A Time

The Roman Theater

    Beneath our feet we could see the remains of ancient stone bins where Roman fish sauce (garum) was made. We were standing at the glass pyramid in Malaga near the ruins of the Roman Theater. Carmen our guide, filled us in on the varied and colorful history of one of Europe's oldest cities. An interesting side note to the history lesson is that as a youth Antonio Banderas performed here. Leaving the theater, the Phoenicians, and the Romans behind we began our journey up to the Alcazaba.

    The path, surrounded by all matter of flowers and foliage was cobbled of bricks and stones and all up hill. Soon we were surrounded by the scent of orange blossoms and wisps of the skirts of long departed Moors. She's becoming poetic you think. It's unavoidable with the scent of those blossoms and soft hum of the bees. What's likely in her mind is, "Where can I buy marmalade or some of that honey?"

    The Alcazaba (citadel) is the best preserved Alcazaba in Spain. It was both a fort and a palace with beautiful gardens and fountains surrounded by defensive fortifications. I have a romantic version of Spain's history with the infusion of the Romans, Moorish, Jewish, and the Spanish though I tend to see Isabel and Ferdinand and the Church as dark figures. Carmen was a lovely guide who led us through the labyrinth of the palace explaining the history of the Moors and the aftermath. It was a fascinating few hours followed by a walk down the hill to the Plaza de la Merced and the most delicious croquettes. This plaza has been part of the city since Roman times. Amazing!!

The home of Antonio Banderas who is in town right now, could it be??? Doubt it!

    After lunch we stopped at the market on the way home for yes, more fabulous Spanish brandy, marmalade, mandarins, and tomatoes. Once home, I used the time to do a bit of painting, inspired by all I had seen.

    Today (Friday) it was frio and we were both happy that we brought our puffer jackets along. We took the Hop On-Hop Off bus but we didn't hop off, too cold! 

After the ride we decided to try the Picasso Museum but the line was not moving. We decided we would get tickets later online. So what next? Tapas? No Raciones. We don't understand the difference but this weekend we'll find out from Ana. And finally I found a DRY white wine. Perfect. It is from Rueda. So happy!

From the mouth of Dennis:

    Cindy filled you in on our visit to Alcazaba so I won't rehash what she's written other than to say an Alcazaba is a fortress (citadel) built by an Arab Muslim family around the 10th Century AD. It's quite something to see. It's on a high prominence overlooking Malaga, a short distance from the Mediterranean Sea. 

    One of the things I remember is how cold it was today--in the fifties with a 20-30 MPH wind!! Thank goodness we packed our "puffer" coats in Chicago. After visiting the Alcazaba, we did what we usually do when staying in a new city, we hopped on the "hop on-hop off" sightseeing bus to get a lay out of the town and what we want to go back to later. Probably not a smart thing to do on a cold day. 

    We climbed up to the second tier and luckily got a seat up front behind the windshield. There's no side window so after completing the hour twenty minute circuit, the "shrink factor" had set in on me and the few other males on the bus and we were NOT going to make a second circuit. 

    When Cindy suggested we visit a few shops, I was all for it. They had heat on in most of the shops. I'm not fond of shopping but this was a wonderful respite. Next we stopped for some food and a bottle of wine but she already covered that. Tomorrow our friend Ana from Madrid is taking a train and staying with us for a few days so we'll meet her at the train station. More to come...