Day out to Málaga ..... May 2011

31 May 2011

We decided to do a daytrip into Málaga while we were in Caleta de Velez, and even had enough sense not to go on Monday when the main sites would be closed!

The bus trip took about an hour and a quarter along the coast road - through all the towns, villages and resorts along the way, somewhat slow with all the stops but interesting to see the coastline from land for a change.  It is not all tourist developments, their are many local homes painted white and decorated with local tiles to remind you that you are certainly in Spain.

Málaga is another port city with a very long history, nearly every civilisation that invaded and occupied all the other Mediterranean ports had their turn is Málaga too.  It has quite a Moorish flavour to it, the well preserved Alcazaba  dating from 1057 is perched on the highest point.  We enjoyed walking through the well shaded gardens,  and exploring the chambers and rooms.  There are ongoing restorations and it is all in very good order.   

Set into the hillside below the Alcazaba  is a small Roman theatre, guess the Romans were here too!!   Some of the pavement around this area is made of thickened glass, there are obviously many ruins underneath and the glass enables an insight into what lies below.

It was one of the warmest days we have had this season and all this sightseeing takes its toll.  We headed for a cute little outdoor cafe adjacent to the Alcazaba and topped up our fuel tanks with a couple of cool drinks and a tapas tasting menu, excellent.

Time out for tapas

Next up was the Picasso Museum, located in the ancient juderia sector of the old town, sited in the 16th century Palacio de Buenavista, a beautiful building but it should be, it has recently undergone a €66 million restoration!  Pablo Picasso was born in Málaga, although he moved to Northern Spain with his family at a young age.  His family have donated over 200 of his works, spanning his career.  There were two or three that actually looked quite “normal” looking paintings, the rest - well they were definitely what you expect a Picasso to look like.  

The other main attraction was the Cathedral, built during the 16th and 17th centuries it displays mixtures of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles, guess that happens when somewhere takes two hundred years to complete, and then they never completed the southern tower.  It is an enormous building and dominates much of the old town.

The bus back to Caleta de Velez went on the motorway, for a while we were worried we were actually on the wrong bus but it was an express and got us back in 45 minutes, it had been an enjoyable day out.  We had seen everything in the area now, it was time to move on – next stop Fuengirola.

Entrance Fees:  Picasso Museum €6     Alcazaba €2.10    Cathedral €6    Buses:  €2.56 pp each way