After a long delay of finishing up the chronicles of our European Adventure, finally I’m back to do the last few entries. After our fun time in Jaen, it was time to head back to Malaga where we would spend one last night in Spain before heading back to England.
We took a bus from Jaen to Granada, and another bus from Granada to Malaga and made it back in good time. It was late afternoon by the time we got to Malaga. We didn’t have reservations at any hotel, so we asked the tourist information kiosk at the Malaga bus station, and they gave us a map of hotels in Malaga. Not only did the map tell us where the hotels were, there was a write-up about the hotel, hotel reviews, and approximate prices. So based on price and proximity to the beach, we decided to try the Hotel Bahia Malaga and took a taxi there. If the hotel was sold out, we were within walking distance of 4-5 more hotels, so we figured it was a good try.
Luck was with us – the Hotel Bahia Malaga looked nice, and they had rooms available (reasonable room rates). So we checked in and quickly went up to our room. Again, a nice room with a balcony. Here’s a view of the cool looking old building across from us:
[[image:eur109.jpg:View from the balcony:center:0]]
Also, if i zoomed in as far as the camera would zoom, we could make out the Alcazaba far off on a distant hill. Remember the Alcazaba? We saw it from a different angle from the Parador de Malaga Gibralfaro when we first arrived in Spain.
[[image:eur110.jpg:Alcazaba:center:0]]
Before it got dark, we decided to explore what was within walking distance of us in downtown Malaga (since we were up on the Gibralfaro when we first got there). First we walked around and got a drink in a little cafe in front of a cathedral. I think it was called La Catedral de Obispo (The Cathedral of the Bishop), but I forget exactly.
[[image:eur111.jpg:The Bell Tower:center:0]]
[[image:eur112.jpg:Top of the Cathedral:center:0]]
[[image:eur113.jpg:A Convent with the Virgin Mary right across from the Cathedral:center:0]]
We went to the Centro Historico, which is an area of historic buildings that had been closed off from traffic and was an all pedestrian area of shops, cafes and restaurants. Here are some pictures of the Centro Historico:
[[image:eur115.jpg:Plaza in the Centro Historico:center:0]]
[[image:eur116.jpg:Picturesque building:center:0]]
The Centro Historico reminded me of pictures of the New Orlean’s French Quarter (pre-Katrina, of course), with buildings built close to each other, narrow streets, and balconies with beautiful wrought iron railings. However, to my great disappointment, many of the original ground floor insides and facades have been redone to create modern teeny-bopper euro-cool shops. It was irritating and very sad that the Centro Historico would be dominated not by history but by modern shops that can be found at any mall anywhere in the world.
Wherever we went in Malaga, we saw these tower of flowers that I kept wanting to put my hand in to feel how they did it. They came in all kinds of different colors too. It’s a cool effect:
[[image:eur114.jpg:Interesting Flowers:center:0]]
We finally made it to the beach, too! The sea in the background is the Straits of Gibraltar, and I of course dipped my feet in the water. Which was cold.. (brrrr) I saw Spaniards swimming in this cold water. It wasn’t as cold as the Atlantic ocean in New England (in the height of summer, late August, it’s only about 45-50 F/ 6-10 C) but it was not the tropical seas of Teluk Batik, I can tell you that! I wasn’t going swimming in that water anytime soon.
[[image:eur119.jpg:Vin on the beach:center:0]]
[[image:eur120.jpg:Me and the Straits of Gibraltar:center:0]]
We walked by the Jardines de Pedro Luis Alonso (The Garden of Pedro Luis Alonso) with its cool water pools, little water canals, quiet fountains, and hedge formations:
[[image:eur118.jpg:Fountain:center:0]]
Unfortunately it started getting dark and Vin and I were starving so we did not get to explore the Alcazaba. Our flight out from Malaga was early the next morning, so we wouldn’t be able to do any exploring in the morning. Now I have plenty of reasons to return to Spain. We leave Spain with this image of the Alcazaba in the setting sun:
[[image:eur117.jpg:The Alcazaba:center:0]]
