Photo: ingeniously created shade hangs over the main pedestrian street.
Sadly we missed visiting the famous Alhambra in Granada, where it was 100 F the day we would have gone by bus from Motril. Standing on line for hours and touring the huge complex in the hot sun would have done me in. Burger hates the cold and I hate the heat, so we try to avoid the extremes of both.
Luckily the August heatwave abated a bit (mid 80's) by the time we sailed down the coast to Benalmadena, so we took a 30 minute bus ride from there to Malaga, and visited the smaller but nevertheless impressive 11th century Moorish citadel Alcazaba instead.
Right next to the entrance to Alcazaba is the excavation site of a Roman amphitheater, and a large Cathedral renowned for its missing tower is down the street. Supposedly the funds for the tower were diverted to help the American colonists fight off the English during the Revolutionary War.
The highlight of the day was actually the Pablo Picasso Museum, wonderfully air conditioned, celebrating its 10th anniversary in a beautifully restored Renaissance palace. Picasso was born in Malaga, and family members donated many of his works to the collection.
We had lunch in a sidewalk cafe while being serenaded by a pathetic violinist who murdered Spanish love songs. He was so desperate for tips that he danced, laid down on his back, and did various acrobatics while his playing got worse and worse. No sooner did he leave than he was replaced by an equally bad musician. We were so pleased to hear a talented street guitarist later on that we made a point of complimenting and tipping him.
We strolled along the main pedestrian street of the Old Town, made pleasant with an ingeniously suspended shade cover (see photo above). A cruise ship was in port, and a guided tour group rolled by us on their Segways--why I don't know, since it's a very walkable city. It's also very bike-friendly, with a two-lane bike path winding around town, just like we saw in Palma, Mallorca. A wide, lushly landscaped park promenade, with shady benches and a playground, has been built along the waterfront, welcoming the cruise ship tourists ashore.
Malaga is a commercial port not known for its attractiveness, but their heavy investment in restoration and improvement has paid off, as they've been chosen as the 2016 European Capital of Culture. We unfortunately just missed the traditional 10-day annual festival, with bullfights, parades, Flamenco music, dancing and fireworks. But then, I muse, had we been there I would have melted during the heatwave. Why don't they schedule these things in the spring or fall, when it's cooler?
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