Malaga

As stated in our brief note, we have been away for a while, seeking sunshine and warmth.  Seduced by the "Sol" in Costa del Sol, our first stop was Malaga, Spain.  And it was sunny upon our arrival, if not particularly warm.

Since we were close to Gibraltar, we had to see the rock, unfazed by a little rain that rolled in the next day.

The next day was sunny again and warm if you were sheltered from a stiff breeze, and we set about exploring Malaga.

..., such a lovely place...

I should mention that Malaga is the birthplace of Pablo Picasso, and the house where he was born and a museum of his art are major attractions here.  Having just seen the Picasso exhibit in Firenze, we had seen enough misplaced body parts and decided to pass on things Picasso and go for more ancient history.

The Roman Theater from the first century CE.  In the background: the Alcazaba

lunch break!

Malaga has a long history.  The Romans took control of the area around 200 BCE.  The muslim Moors invaded in 711 CE and governed for eight centuries, leaving their legacy of mathematics, art, and architecture.  The principal Moorish structures in Malaga are the Alcazaba and the Castillo de Gibralfaro.  The Alcazaba was the citadel of government offices. Due to the huge number of photo opportunities it offered Carmen, will be the subject of our next post.  The Castillo is the fortress on the same hill as the Alcazaba and connected to it by a covered walkway.  The Castillo fell to the forces of Ferdinand and Isabella in 1487 in a three-month siege, not by direct military action but by starvation.  Not feeling magnanimous, F & I enslaved the Malagans and confiscated their land, making enough money in the deal to bankroll the speculative venture of that handsome Italian Chris Columbus five years later.

We reached Castillo de Gibralfaro via a walkway with many switchbacks going up from the center of the town.  Here are some scenes along the way and in the Castillo.

there are many beautiful homes in Malaga

Malaga City Hall, viewed from the path up to the Castillo

Further up, a view of the central traffic circle.  Note the eight-point star for later reference.

On top of the Gibralfaro, looking northwest

Ramparts of the fortress

You may remember the ghost story associated with the fortress in Dubrovnik.  We were astounded to hear almost the same tale associated with Gibralfaro.  In the Spanish rendering, the unfortunate guard Silvio haunts his neglected guardpost while his girlfriend, a Moroccan dancer named Ruby, is cursed to wander the ramparts for eternity.  As in Dubrovnik, legend has it that their ectoplasmic images sometimes appear in tourist photographs.

As a segue to the photo essay of the Alcazaba in the next post, here is one of the many floor mosaics in the Gibralfaro--again with an eight-point star design.