Malaga

We started today as a dry run of our Sunday rush to catch the train to Madrid. John wanted to make certain that we knew where we were going and had sufficient time to get there. The trip turned out to be much more than this.
We had a giggle on the train as a tribe of school boys were being taken on an excursion by their brave teachers. How they managed to collect all of them upon arrival was a master feat of logistics. The boys were so charming and full of energy; it was hard not to smile at their antics. Some of the boys were trying out their English on an Englishwoman who was really enjoying their efforts. Cheeky little monkeys.
Leaving the train station, we walked through a large number of policemen who were keeping protesters out of the train station. The Spanish government has passed a bill through their parliament to assist with the Euro crisis which started with Greece and looked to be spreading to Spain and Portugal. Whatever decision was made by the government, it did not appear to be agreeable with the railway workers. John managed to snap off a few pictures before we got out of the way.
We went on a self directed walking tour of the old city which caused blisters on my heel; about 5 miles in 3 hours. We started the adventure with the every present search for coffee and, by European standards, found a good sized cup of Americano. We enjoyed this will some tapas for lunch.
We walked along the main drag, the Alameda, and saw the Mercado de las Flores (flower market). I think that Spaniards take flowers home more often than we do. It is really a common site to see a woman with a huge bouquet of flower and a baguette sticking out of their bags. There were 6 or so marquees in the middle of the road selling beautiful flowers.
Further along, we found the city’s Catholic Cathedral. All Spanish cities seem to have them. It is a highly ornate and very large building. Not far from this site, are a Roman amphitheatre and an archaeological dig still in progress which we understood was the Phoenicians. However, the highlight of the day was the Alcazaba de Malaga.
The Alcazaba is a group of Moorish building built and rebuilt from the 11th to 14th centuries. For defensive reasons, it was constructed into the hillside with a number of walls and angled gates. A significant portion of the site is open to the public to walk through and it is all uphill with many steps and steep bits. A palace was built in the last walled precinct. Some of the rooms hold exhibits of their ceramics and pottery.
Near the top, there are beautiful views of the Malaga harbour where there were many different types of vessels including a cruise ship, a masted sailing ship and many freighters.
Upon exiting, we took a rest in a beautiful park with plants galore. In the streets, I saw tiered planters, well over 7 feet high, filled with red geraniums. Along one of the bridges, similar but shorter planters were on both sides and full of plants. Yet another idea to try replicate at home.
Malaga is the home of Picasso and there are many streets and squares named after him. His house and a museum are open to the public to show his life and work. Lacking steam and interest, we did not visit either site.
Went back to the room to clear out the remains in the fridge for dinner and have a glass of wine.