28th of February, 2015
During my stay in Nerja, I visited Malaga for the first time. It was a cloudy day and not good for pictures, which was too bad, as the view over the city from the Castillo de Gibralfaro is stunning. The Castillo is situated above the Alcazaba. It is not an easy walk up to the fortress, but there are buses going up and down regularly.
Malaga is worth a visit. Not only the old centre with the Cathedral, the many churches, the house where Picasso was born, the Roman Theatre, the Alcazaba and the many musea. Also, the Paseo along the harbour, where in the weekends the Spanish people and their children are enjoying a day out, is a must!
This second visit took place during Andalusian Day and this time it was a warm and sunny day! There was so much going on in the city and the atmosphere was so relaxed. 
I met an old friend in Malaga and in the evening the city was full with mainly Spanish people, going late out for dinner or tapas in one of the many bars and restaurants in the old city centre. On this evening in February, we still could sit outside. Spain for me is tapas and I just love to try all kind of different ones and make it into a meal. On Saturday artists were selling paintings along the harbour and games for the children were set out. Around 12.00 we joined the Spanish people by eating olives out of a bag (like you eat french fries in Belgium or the Netherlands) with big pints of beer on a terrace, with a view on an enormous cruise ship.
Once my father told me he would like to live in a penthouse in Malaga……While eating my olives, I looked up to one of the penthouses along the harbour and I understood why!
This second time in Malaga, it was no running up the Fortress or touring the Alcazaba; it was just enjoying the Spanish Andalusian way of life. Late in the afternoon, we had a meal of 6 different tapas, from “rinones al jerez” (kidney in sherry sauce) to “pato a la naranja” (duck with oranges), all in small portions…….An older man with no teeth brought us a beautiful serenade (Flamenco style) and the acoustic in the very small alley, where we had our meal, was just unbelievable. One of those moments you will never forget……..
