Well, here we are in Spain, our first country to visit on the European continent. The population of Spain is 48.6 million people who speak Castilian and Spanish. It has been described as passionate and sophisticated with the people loving the good life. And it is more diverse than you can imagine. It is a country that was created from great civilizations than have risen and fallen, but still leaving their permanent marks. Roman ruins, powerful cathedrals, Islamic architecture, among many other things, are all part of Spain's history.
All types of seafood, paella, tapas, and fine wines can be savored here. Have you ever tasted jamon iberico or Spanish ham, cured meats like chorizo, and so many varieties of olive oil? It is a must while in Spain. Flamenco dancing and even bull fighting can still be seen throughout the country. And that's Spain in a nutshell.
Today our port of call was Malaga, one of the larger cities on the Mediterranean coast, also known as Costa Del Sol. The Zuiderdam arrived on time after 7am, and docked close to the Silver Dawn, the same vessel that was in Tangier yesterday. The temperature was a crisp 53 degrees on our veranda at 9am, but the skies were clear blue with little wind. We had a feeling it might warm up later and would turn out to be a swell day. And we were correct – the thermometer climbed to the mid 70's, and we shed our long jeans and sweatshirts and put on shorts and short sleeve shirts.
There were six of us at breakfast, because many of our buddies were on tours today. There were three long ones with the best of Cordoba for $190 for 8 ½ hours, and another one was Granada and the Alhambra for $200 for 9 hours. A trip to Granada and Albaycin was $200 for 9 hours. City tours ran from $70 to $90 all about 4 hours. A drive to Mijas Village was $70 for 4 hours and tickets on the ho-ho bus was $25 for 1 ½ hours. Some of the longer tours came back late, but the ship waited to leave until they were back onboard.
We hung around until 10:45am and took the long walk off of the ship, down the gangway, and through a spacious terminal building. This terminal had many shops with everyday convenience items, some souvenirs, and even a deli. The INFO center was closed. Going down the escalator, and out the door, we boarded the free shuttle to town. It was a short drive from the port along the causeway and finally past a row of very nice restaurants and several small shops. The bus drop off was at Plaza de la Marina, right where an information shop was located. And they had real maps of the city….thank you Malaga!
We know we have been here at least three times on past cruises, but we sure did not recognize this nice port area at all. Back in the old days, we had taken tours to the Alhambra, Mijas, and Granada. So we have never been here to explore the city, and that was our goal for today. Arriving to Malaga this time of year brings the excitement of springtime as well as the busy time of Easter Week. A very Christian country, all of the major cities in Spain are loaded with churches and cathedrals and have the special happenings that are celebrated in a much different way than what we see at home. The first thing we noticed was a row of grandstands set up on the main road and up the pedestrian-only Marques De Larios. Wooden chairs were stacked up along both sides of the wide avenue in order for the folks to watch the procession that takes place on Sunday afternoon. We were told that the procession occurred on Holy Thursday and Good Friday as well. We wondered if we would see it today?
One thing for sure was that today being a Saturday brought out the locals to this area. Add the vacation folks, cruise line and ferry boat people, suddenly you have a crowd. These pedestrian streets and alleyways are full of high- end shopping, but not all of them were opened yet. The foot traffic increased dramatically the deeper we got into the maze. There is a number of churches in this part of town, but they were all closed to the public. Tomorrow will be their big day. The largest church was the Cathedral Nuestra Senora De La Encarnacion. We did locate this church, but it was closed for inspection….still impressive from the outside.
Trying to follow the map, we covered a lot of the alleyways and squares where the tables of the cafes and restaurants were filling rapidly. Many young kids were running around as well. We did cross paths with friends in search of the best paella in town, as well as Gyl and Howard who were searching for Popeye's Chicken. They said there was a sign at the bottom of the wide street pointing this way. We did see KFC and Burger King, but no Popeye's. We love the fact that no matter where we go, except for some parts of Africa, we can seek out the cuisine we like the best. For us, that could be pizza sometimes, and we do not apologize for it. Many of the choices today were international….something for everyone.
We headed back towards the port but decided to stroll through the Paseo Del Parque. We had spotted several horse-drawn carriages and we figured they would take folks for rides around this stretch of park. This strip was filled with indigenous as well as imported trees and shrubs. The tallest of the palms had huge nests in the tops. They were filled with some kind of noisy parrot. It took us a while to spot them, but we sure did hear them. The only other birds we saw were pigeons, doves, and seagulls.
Arriving at the end of the park, we crossed the street and entered the malecon that led to the port entrance. It was here that we had spotted a Hard Rock Café with indoor and outdoor dining. It was located right across from a colorful glass building, a museum called the Pompidou Malaga. It was our lucky day to find this fairly new Hard Rock which opened about four years ago according to our waiter. We took seats at a high-top table near the window and ordered two pints of draft beer. We shared a huge plate of nachos and added a dessert of apple crisp with ice cream. Perfect, we enjoyed the time we relaxed there watching the crowds wander by the souvenir stands nearby. Then before leaving we checked out their t-shirts, buying two of the city T's. That would be the extent of our shopping today.
There was a craft fair across from the restaurants, and it was hopping with customers today. Continuing onward, we took our time strolling past the hordes of diners in each venue that lined this side of the Muelle 1. That led us past the lighthouse, where we crossed the street to see the Playa de la Malagueta, the local beachfront. The sandy beach seemed to go on for miles and was loaded with sunbathers and families enjoying the sunny day. The water, however, look really cold.
This stretch of the Malecon provided wonderful views of the local boats, some fabulous yachts, ferries, and the two cruise ships docked at the far end. We were back at the terminal by 3pm where we kicked back in our room, catching up on all of the hundreds of photos taken today. As we had said before, at least one of tours came back by 6:40pm, even though all aboard was 5:30pm….proof that they will wait for HAL tours. Independent late tours….not so sure the ship will wait for you. The ship finally left before 7pm.
We had guests for dinner this evening, mutual friends…..Ginni and Rich. Unfortunately, Susie is still not up to par, so missed dinner again. We're all getting worried, but she is under the doctor's care. Woody always brings her something special from the dining room, such as fresh blueberries. Barb was happy to see her favorite meal…..liver and onions. Except it came so thin, it was barely there. We had one fish entrée and linguini with shredded beef rib meat in the marinara sauce. That was by far the best choice on the menu for at least two of us. Desserts were light with macadamia nut and mint chip ice cream. We all told our guests to visit our table anytime as they are always welcomed.
The next stop will be Cadiz, a short distance from here. Too bad we will miss passing the Rock of Gibraltar, since it will be on the starboard side around midnight. With the two- hour advancement of the clock last night, we are all bushed. And that was one of the reasons there was a movie in the World Stage tonight. No live show….again.
Bill & Mary Ann
