We hiked up a massive hill to get to the castle, but the weather was so nice that we were wearing t-shirts all day. It was spectacular to be able to walk around in a tank top and sunglasses in December! It was quite the hike up the side of the cliff that the castle is atop, but the views of the harbour, bullring, and city were amazing.
This is a view of the city with the Malaga Cathedral in the middle of it all.
The first place we visited was the castle. It was not as impressive as the rest of the places we saw that day, but it was still beautiful. Most of the buildings are in ruins, but the outer walls are still there and you can walk along them in many places. Many of the gardens (like the one above) had been re-made and there was lots of information on the products of Spain and what the castle and its gardens may have looked like.
This is the amazing little restaurant we ate tapas at. We wanted to try real Spain food since our hotel's food was just like the food we can get here in Scotland. We tried excellent tuna and oysters from this little restaurant where the menus were still in Spanish! Again, you might say "duh, you were in Spain!" But everything in the stretch of coast to the east of Malaga is in English. The billboards, menus, maps, pamphlets, etc are all in English and most people talk to you in English. Malaga is only 10 minutes from were we stayed, but it had not sold out to tourism. We both enjoyed actually experiencing Spanish culture that day.
This is the Roman Theatre ruins that are being reconstructed. Part of the Arts College in Malaga has the students working on this theatre and the Alcazaba to reconstruct them to their old glory. 
We spent hours going through the Alcazaba. The walls all have ledges for you to walk along and see the city and, again, the views were amazing. There were lots of rooms and walkways in which the former decor (such as relief work and fresco like paintings on the walls) had been restored. Some of the pottery shards that had been found were put back together so we could see what they would have looked like. There was also a model kiln that would have been used. Every now and then we would turn a corner and see a random fountain, courtyard garden, or decoration on the walls. It was amazing and I would recommend that any one who visits the Costa del Sol see the Alcazaba in Malaga.
Many of the archways were like this, and these aren't even the most beautiful that we saw that day. The white checked tile rectangles hold water. And, again, other courtyards were much more impressive.
The rest stop was the Cathedral. By this time we were tired from walking all day and had thought of skipping this place. We are so very glad we just decided to do it. I love seeing churches. In Chile, Shannon and I saw many of them and every city we stopped in we at least visited one. Sometimes we even went to a city specifically to see a church. Mike and I are much the same. One of our favorite tourist spots here is the Glasgow Cathedral.
This is one picture that I took in the church. I am sure that I broke every Catholic Religious law by taking pictures inside, but it was too beautiful not to want to share what we saw. And in our defense, there were no "Do not take photos" signs like there are in so many other churches.
All the towns were decorated for the Holiday season. Not only for Christmas, but for Three Kings day as well. That is what the crown is for. 
1 comment:
That picture of Glasgow Cathedral is GORGEOUS!
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