Malaga, Spain - Part 2

In Malaga, the first thing we did just before visiting the botanical gardens was to travel up one of the hills behind the city for a panoramic view of the city. And what a great view it was! We could see our ship anchored below, most of the buildings and even a bullring. 

The only problem that day was that the entire sky was covered with clouds. As a result, it was very hot and humid. It was predicted that the temperature would be 36 degrees that day, but while the clouds lowered the temperature a bit, the humidity was very high and most unpleasant. Our guide assured us that they only get clouds about once a year, and said “ We have just three seasons - summer, spring and summer”. The downside of their idyllic weather and their complete lack of rain is they are in drought conditions. The city’s river has run completely dry. We saw the dry river bed ourselves. I am not sure how they get their water, but what a problem!

On the way up and down the hill we saw some very expensive-looking mansions which must have had superb views. Mostly rendered in warm autumn colours, they had simple lines which gave them a stately, dignified appearance. 

Down in the city we went on a fascinating walking tour. We were taken to a square where Picasso was born and once played, though apparently, even as a child, his play was very different to that of  other children - the play of a gifted young artist. We saw the apartment building where he was born, a bronze sculpture of him sitting on one of the park chairs, and another building that was dedicated to the Picasso Foundation. Elsewhere in the city is a Picasso Museum. 

But that was not open, because 1 August, the day we were there, is a public holiday, marking the start of August during which all factories and most businesses shut down. Our guide told us that if you have a plumbing or electrical problem in August in Malaga, you cannot get any service. You have to wait until September. Imagine how frustrating that would be!  

Anyhow, we then walked to the ancient city wall and saw where some old Roman ruins are now being uncovered. They looked like the steps of some kind of forum or theatre. The tale behind that excavation was most interesting. The city fathers were very worried that General Franco would raze Malaga to the ground, out of jealousy of this thriving, virtually independent city.  Much of its success apparently was due to Picasso, who is revered here. 

So they decided to build Franco a palace backing onto the city wall and invite him to open it. But when they started digging, they found the Roman steps. What a dilemma! They could not un-invite Franco, so they kept building the palace but did not extend it very far back so as to protect the ruins. Franco arrived in an entourage of cars, just stuck his hand out of the window of his car and cut the ribbon from there, and drove off, never to be seen in Malaga again!  Nevertheless, the palace remained until quite recently, when a benefactor paid for its removal and the digging of the Roman ruins.

We also saw a huge cathedral with an interesting story behind it as well. Malaga was occupied by the Moors for nearly 800 years. It was one of the last of the Moorish cities to be taken over by the Catholic monarchs. With the eventual conquest of Granada in 1492, Islamic rule over the Iberian peninsula was ended. But they left behind magnificent palaces, fortresses and mosques. The Cathedral of Malaga, as it is called, was built between the 16th and 17th centuries by the Spanish, in a place formerly occupied by an Arab mosque. One of its towers is still not quite complete. Its lower walls are built like a fortress, and its upper walls are built in the style of Spanish Renaissance architecture. The city still faced threats of attack, for example by North African pirates, so this would help stop any attacker entering the cathedral. However, we also saw a very old church in the city that once was a mosque but instead of being demolished was converted to a church after being dedicated and blessed according to the Catholic traditions at that time.

After that we saw a bustling shopping area along narrow streets, in another city square and along a very long mall boasting many exclusive shops. All were full of shoppers. Outdoor cafes were doing thriving business everywhere as well. The shopkeepers were not going to let a public holiday stop their businesses . . .

We finally went back to our coach for the trip to the ship, but were astonished to find out that the wall between the city and sea, and the back wall of the cathedral were once at the edge of the sea. A huge area of Malaga has been reclaimed from the sea. This must have been a massive project! 

Overall, I really enjoyed my day in Malaga. We are going back there on this cruise, but I have booked to go to an Andalusian village up on the side of a mountain that day.  

 

The view of the city without using the zoom.

Zooming in. Our ship is the one in front.

Zooming in on the bullring.

The view looking to the left from the same spot.

The view looking to the left from the same spot.

A typical street in the city.

In the square where Picasso lived. The building with the cafes below was the apartment building where he was born. 

A closer view of Picasso's early home.

The bronze sculpture of Picasso in the park in which he played.

The building of the Picasso Foundation. There was just one building in the square separating it from the building that was his birth place.

The sign marking Picasso's birthplace.

The very old church that once was a mosque.

The sign above the main entrance of the old church. The building had quite a number of sea shells on its old wooden door as well as here. Unfortunately I cannot remember what they symbolised. 

The old Roman ruins being uncovered.

This part of the ruins was visible under the walkway near the ruins, seen through the pyramid in the next photo.

Lots of people having a peek at what was under the paving.

Part of the Cathedral of Malaga. Notice the different kind of brickwork on the bottom left.

One of the streets in the shopping precinct.

The more exclusive shops along the mall. It has an attractive, light fabric covering to protect the shoppers from the sun. 

The old city wall, seen as we hiked back to our coach.The old Roman ruins were just on the other side.

A most unusual multi-coloured glass museum near the port, seen through the tinted windows of the coach.