Malaga... I like repeatedly saying that name, gradually becoming more unhinged each time: Malaaagaaa... MaaAaAalaarrrggghhaAAaa!!!

Ella LOVES this.

While I had heard of Malaga before, I certainly didn't know anything about it. We were kind of forced to stop here, because Tarifa is a small town without many connections to anywhere - and Malaga is the nearest big city. So I thought hey, let's spend at least a day there, and see what's around? On the bus I did some research - did you know Malaga is the capital of the Costa Del Sol region, which is a real thing and not something Final Fantasy 7 invented? Sadly no ferries to Junon were available, but there certainly were tourists and things to do. We quickly saw our one night wasn't going to cut it, and in the end we wound up staying for three. We knew Malaga was kind of a special place once we got to our hostel - in the distance we saw a cat on a windowsill, and wondered if it was some kind of art or a real cat. As we got closer, it gave a big meow, jumped down, and aggressively demanded pets. After a few minutes of running back and forth between us, its human opened the window and called him back inside. Off he went with a spring in his step, and our magical encounter was over. If we just turned around and went back to the station, Ella would rate this city 10/10 based solely on that. Yes we saw hundreds of cats in Tangier, but this was a "petty and meowy" cat. So we knew then we had to extend our visit to a few days at least.

Now with more time in Malaga, something on the list was to go out and see the beach. It had been a while since either of us had been at a proper beach (the Tangier ferry terminal doesn't count), so we weren't going to miss this opportunity. I'd say it was just okay. The sand is a bit rough, but you could certainly have a good time there - plenty of people were. I'm pretty spoiled though, because it's rare that any beach comes close to Thailand's. But I still like Malaga a lot more than Seville, as it's impeccably maintained and easy to navigate. I think it's a better looking city, and there's also a lot more energy, with countless bars and restaurants overflowing their tables into the alleys. They also like street art, and of course, so many churches. Maybe more churches per capita than any place we've been yet, Ella and I saw probably a dozen. I'll put a bunch at the end, but don't ask me where they're from - there's practically a church on every corner. But I gotta admit, they're pretty pretty. The cathedral costs 10 euros to go in, which I thought was a bit overpriced. Ella wanted to see it though, and she went in herself while I had a beer in the park. I'll let you ask her how it was, but the impression I got was more or less "Very pretty, but Seville's is better."

Actually funny story - while I was in the park, this group of British retirees sat next to me, so we had a chat. While we were talking, two people approached and tried to hand me a flower, saying "Free free!". Because I figured this may be a scam, and I am jaded and dead inside, I refused. But her partner had better luck convincing the retiree group before I could warn otherwise. Then they went into a spiel about how this flower is a symbol of etc etc, and asked for a donation to their whatever. Now I know why scammers do what they do, because amazingly it worked on the retiree group. One of them actually got their wallet and pulled out 10 euros - an already ridiculous amount for some little flowers. But as he was holding the wallet, the scammer saw a 20 euro note poking out, and fast as lightning, quickly snatched it, and holding it in front of the group saying "This, this!". Well, I give them credit for their bravery, but I think most wouldn't take kindly to a stranger pulling things out of their wallet. I kept an eye on everyone's bags while a big argument ensured, and then the retiree group forcefully returned the flowers. I can't say I'm surprised, but I think this is my golden rule of travel - if anyone approaches you to offer something, just refuse - it will never be a good deal for you.

I think there are two other spots in Malaga worth mentioning though, the first being the Malaga museum. I guess there isn't too much to say, but it has a lot of nice art in a building which is basically a royal palace. It was not crowded at all, and I think the building was at least as pretty as the art. Actually I find that I like Spanish art, or at least Andalusian art, more than others. Still, good museum. As discussed many times, I am not much of an art guy, although I do think it's worth the time to visit art museums. First, I came all this way, and these things are famous, so why not? And more importantly, Ella loves art, so I'm happy to see her happy. Still, I do get arted out, so I started a new game where I look at the paintings and think "How could I meme these later?" While I have a few, I'm quite proud of the one I'll include below. Ella absolutely adored this museum. I think she'd put it up there among her favorites in the world, and I'd say it's a contender. I liked the one in Seville more, but it is absolutely worth the €1.50 entrance fee, for the building at least.

 

The other site of note in Malaga is the Alcazaba, a fort built by the Muslims when they controlled Spain, and for €3 it is also probably worth it. We got there before it opened, and pretty much had the place to ourselves. It's similar to the castle in Tarifa, but more "fortish", with lots of defensive structures. It's also very well maintained and quite pretty, and has a lot of cool photo opportunities - or to reenact the beginning of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. By the time we left there were several school groups coming in, which I'm very glad we avoided.

So yeah, Malaga, good surprise! It may seem like not so much happened, but I  really liked it here. We spent a lot of time just visiting churches, drinking wine in the park, and eating many delicious pastries. It was a nice time-out from the hectic pace we were on, for the two of us to talk and figure out what should be the next step of our lives. But for now we're continuing the journey to our original destination, Granada.