Spain: Malaga

Last stop… Malaga! We were pleasantly surprised by Malaga.  Because we were flying out of Malaga (the busiest airport int he Costa Del Sol), we added a couple days to the itinerary to explore the city.  We were disappointed to learn Rick Steven doesn’t recommend Malaga and barely mentions it in his guide book – we even considered changing plans at the last minute, but found it to be too big of a hassle.

I don’t understand what Rick Steves doesn’t like about it — tons of history,  sightseeing, and one of the best pedestrian areas I’ve ever seen.  And I LOVE pedestrian zones.

These two are becoming quite the troopers.  It was a bit of a walk from the cab to the hotel as the hotel was located in the heart of the pedestrian zone.  Though we must have walked right by it at least five times – Google maps was not cooperating and the hotel didn’t have any signs.

Waiting patiently for Google Maps to produce

This was the view from my room — overlooking city’s main plaza which provided great entertainment while Clara was sleeping.  

Ready to explore!

We visited Alcazaba and the Roman Theater barely discovered in 1951.

We meandered the grounds of the Alcazaba – an 11th century Arabic fortress.

Benny was getting a little too close for comfort.  It was a looong way down!

Maybe one day Derek think about photobombs before he snaps the picture. Haha!

Poor Derek twisted his ankle pretty badly on the stones in the ground, so a “horsey ride” was a welcome idea.  Clara was in heaven.

From the carriage ride we took a ride on the giant ferris wheel.  The kids loved it! And we had great views of the city from the top.

 Can’t do anything without a little wrestling!

Malaga’s Bullring

Yum… we found the Golden Arches! It was the most the kids ate in one sitting the entire trip!  Derek and I passed and opted for the largest cappuccino ever made.  You can’t tell from the picture, but the mug was at least the size of a large cereal bowl.

A playground + beer service = fun for all!   We logged a lot of time parked at this table. 

admiring the princesses

I always enjoy fun artwork and painted murals throughout the streets.

It is not a myth that Spaniards are night owls! The commotion on the streets woke me up numerous times.  This video was taken at about 12:30 AM.  Tons of people wandering around…

…so it’s no wonder the streets look like this around 10:30 in the morning.

I’ll never forget this Mickey.  I watched many entertaining Mickey encounters from the balcony of our hotel after Clara had gone to bed.

Love these two.  And I love this picture of them!

Whew!  Our trip to Spain is complete!  It only took me a year, but I got through it!  It still feels weird to fly into Venice as our home airport.