Our next port was Malaga and we were very excited about this stop because we were meeting up with Aleesha and Ryan. They were at the beginning of their trip through Europe.
It was so good to see them. We spent the morning wandering around the city with them.
After some lunch we went back to the shop to get ready for Aleesha’s 30th birthday celebrations.
We had booked a tapas tour and flamenco show. The tapas was great and we tasted some traditional Spanish food and wine.
Malaga is famous because it is where Pablo Picasso grew up. So we visited his statue and saw the house he lived in.
The flamenco show was amazing. Great music, singing and dancing. The floor was wooden and when they were clapping they were also stomping their feet. From where I was sitting I couldn’t see their feet so I thought they had a special clapping technique. They were all. Clapping and stomping together in unison. The sound was amazing. Then they started the flamenco dancing. It’s was intense! They were telling a story as they danced. Through their facial expressions, the clapping and stomping you could feel the passion of the of the story they were telling. And the clicking of their fingers sounded like castanets! It was a fabulous experience.
The next day Aleesha and Ryan were moving on. It was so good to see them and it was great to celebrate Aleesha’s birthday with her.
We had two days in Malaga so we had time to do a walking tour.
Before the walking tour we did a bus ride around the the outskirts of Malaga and stopped at a look out.
After the look out we went through Alcazaba Palace which was amazing. We started at the top so we avoided the climb up.
This amazing fortress was built by the moorish between 1057 and 1063. It was built as a fortress to protect the city and as a place for the people to enjoy. So it was essentially a fortress palace. It is set high on the hill above Malaga with great views out to the Mediterranean Sea and over the city. A perfect vantage point to watch for invaders.
It is the best preserved alcazaba (which means citadel in Arabic.)
Alcazaba was built on Roman ruins which was only discovered in 1951.
Walking further through the town we came to the cathedral. We had a quick look inside and then had some time to ourselves.
Malaga was a beautiful town with lots of restaurants and bars. It would be nice to return and stay in the town to enjoy the vibe and eat more traditional Malaga food.