|
Home | Uniquely NZ | Travel |
|
|
Cunard Queen Victoria 2022 Western Europe Cruise Part 3 - Malaga |
Hover over a Port or Area for more information then click or use the links above
December, Malaga - Spain
This was our second visit in just over a month and we have visited many times before that on the Queen Victoria in recent years – in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016. Our visit earlier this year is at Malaga during a Western Europe Cruise in 2022. There is a comprehensive guide to Malaga for the First Time Visitor at the end of this page.
Malaga was founded in the 8th century. On the Costa del Sol, it has a combination of golden beaches and an Old Town, which makes it perfect for tourists. Its most famous resident was Pablo Picasso, recognised at his birthplace and a dedicated museum. The Queen Victoria was moored right outside the cruise terminal. From there it was a pleasant walk to the lighthouse and then to then quite a long walk on into the city It took us almost exactly 25 minutes including time for a few pictures - there was a shuttle bus service to the Piazza de la Marina on the edge of the shopping area predicted to take about 30 minutes. Last visit we did the climb up to the Castle of Gibralfaro so this time we decided to visit the Alcazaba - a much smaller climb but likely to be much more busy especially with tour groups. But first there were several famous Beléns to visit which were also expected to get very busy as the day progressed.
The first Belén we wanted to see was at the Cathedral. We have visited the Cathedral in the past but it is quite expensive, fortunately there was separate access to the which was free and nothing like as busy as we had been warned with only a few minutes queue. We haveshown too many picturers from Beléns already so we will keep the numbers down!
We were encourage to try the other famous Belén in the town hall which was a few minutes walk back towards the ship and in the row of majestic buildings just in from the water front. We passed another small Belén in the entry to the Museo Revello de Toro on route which was again free and we have noted the museum for a future visit. The town hall was set up for big queues and was also busy with weddings. We were fortunate and again we has to queue for less than ten minutes. It was a spectacular display and the lighting gradually moved the scenes from day to night allowing some interesting photographic opportunities.
It was time to go back into town and went through the park of the Mercado de la Merced where there is a life sizestatue of the famous artist Picasso on a seat in the park. The larger locally-owned Maskom supermercado was further, opposite the Museo Casa Natal Picasso, with an excellent snack bar also selling hams and cheeses. We bought a jamon bagette for lunch and managed to resist buying another 3kg Manchego round cheese which had won prizes at International cheese competitions. Last visit we took one home as a centre piece for our party and we still have a little left. On the way back towards the Alcazaba we stopped to look into another spectacular church, I can not identify which from the pictures. Could it have been the Church of Santiago where Picasso was baptised?
Near the Alcazaba is the Roman Theatre, which we missed last time, as many interesting museums were closed on Mondays. It merited a quick visit before facing the crowds in Alcazaba. It features a display of some of the masks which were an important part of Roman Theatre
<There is a small charge to visit the Alcazaba and if you are really energetic there is a combined ticket with the Castle of Gibralfaro. Tickets are only sold from machines so there are long queues of people who do not understand what to do. Much of the site is [currently] closed off but it was still worth the visit.
You might expect we would be flagging by now but we still had the energy to walk down some of the streets with their Christmas Lights, they would have been more spectacular if the sun had not been so low as to be casting shadows or, of course, at night but that was not an option. We made a quick visit to the main Atarazanas Market which has magnificent cast ironwork and a huge stained glass scene covering the whole end of one of the bays. By now it was definitely time to head back and en route we noticed there seemed to be a Ferrari Rally with many bright red brand new looking Ferraris full of elderly boy racers roaring through town.
We had the option of catching the shuttle bus but preferred to stroll through town then along the wide Paseo del Parque passing the monumental buildings of the University of Malaga, the Bank of Spain and the back past the Town Hall where we had seen the Belén. The beautiful Pedro Luis Alonso Gardens, next to the Town Hall, were named after the first post-WWII Mayor of Malaga. In the centre is a statue of a traditional El Biznaguero, a man selling white biznaga flowers. There is a fountain and several mosaic-decorated benches and walls. Malaga has a long golden beach beyond the Bullring. It is a popular place for local families and for ships' crew because it is close to the ship, there is no entrance charge, and most passengers do not go there. Continuing past the modern Malaga Pompidou Centre and along Muelle (Dock) 1 then towards the lighthouse gives the chance for final shopping. The Cerveceria la Surena offered draft beers and we were delighted that a “copa” was still only 2 euros. We had several. Refreshed we walked back to the ship. We recovered in the evening with a Flambeed Duck. It is a hard life!
Malaga for the first time visitor
The port is quite a way from the main city but there are shuttle buses into the Plaza de Marina, free on full Cunard fare, or a little blue tourist train to the port gate at 3 euros. We usually decide to walk leaving early before the crowds gather. There are several alternatives to start the visit but on a nice day it is a nice vigorous walk up to the Gibralfaro Castle, on the top of the hill overlooking Malaga. It is a pleasant climb up a wide twisting path with a number of view points where we took some pictures back towards the harbour and ship. One finally passes the Parador hotel which seemed very empty but had some marvelous views. Last time we reached the top just before the opening time of 0900, not bad for the walk across town and a 400 foot climb! A Cunard tour bus arrived shortly afterwards. There was a lot more to see than we expected including a small museum area with a history of the fort. We walked all round the main ramparts, which have a narrow path with lots of steps up and down. There used to be a route down to the Alcazaba below which was again fortified on either side but that was not accessible, which was fortunate as we would have probably felt obliged to descend and re-ascend the extra couple of hundred feet. In 2013 the views were excellent in all directions and the day clear and blue so it was well worth the trip up. We must have spent an hour looking round.
We started back down the same route rather than the long way down the tour coaches have to take – the path is quite steep and the stones are well polished so it would be a nightmare in the wet. The Tunnel de la Alcazaba led to the Placa de la Alcazaba and then to the Plaza de la Merced. The birthplace of Picasso, now the home of the Picasso Foundation, was on the corner, but closed. Malaga has unearthed a Roman Theatre at the foot of the Alcazaba and some of it extends beneath the foundations and we like to visit to see how their excavations were progressing. The interpretation ‘portacabin’ shows a video about the development of early theatre, and contained a small museum of pieces found on the site. It was free and there was limited access to the theatre and the workings on a boardwalk. The wide street led on, past the tunnels de la Alcazaba to the Plaza de la Merced. Here there is a market hall, not very interesting now, and there used to be a small supermarket but we could not find it.
We then spent a while in the Church of Santiago where Picasso was baptised which is very richly decorated in the Spanish style with all the statues dressed in sumptuous robes as part of the celebration of Christmas. It must count as one of the most beautiful churches we have been in. It reminded us of the statues in the churches in Malta and in the Canary Islands.
The narrow streets are very pleasant to stroll along, and we were looking for a small supermarket to buy some extra coffee for the rest of the week. We had been told that Starbucks, who do the best decaffeinated espresso coffee we have found, has a shop near the El Cortes Ingles department store, but that was quite a long walk so we hoped to find a smaller shop. We did not find any coffee but did find another beautiful church - the church of the Martires Ciriaco and Paula, which we had plenty of time to admire before it was closed for lunch at 1330.
Everything seems to stop around 1300 or 1400 for the afternoon siesta. Walking back towards the Plaza de Marina there was a sign towards the Atarazanas Market. We had not been there before and were pleased to find a traditional metal framed market hall with meat, fish, cheese, bakeries and bars/cafes. It was very hard to walk around and not buy the spanish hams. On our first visit to Malaga we were dining with the Staff Chief Engineer and to also have a pre-dinner snack of spanish cheese and smoked ham would have been excessive. In other visits we have been tempted.
The centre of town has Christmas decorations, mainly silver, and the Plaza de la Constitution area was again the most impressive with a large conical artificial Christmas tree. In 2014 there was a row of tall silver arches the length of the Calle Marques de Larios, which made the entire street resemble a cathedral.
Finally we turned away from the port towards the cathedral and the bishop's palace. The Cathedral is one of the standard tourist destinations, with good reason and it justifies a visit the first time you go to Malaga. The cathedral site was originally an old mosque, and building of the cathedral began in 1538 and it was partially consecrated in 1588. There was an earthquake in 1688 which destroyed part of it and building recommenced in 1718. It is in Spanish Renaissance style.
One returns back to the ship along the Paseo del Parque. It is an area of substantial public buildings including the Bank of Spain and the City Hall.In 2014 a demonstration by local workers was in progress, with rhythmic whistles to encourage passing cars to blow their horns in support. Pedestrian access to the cruise terminal was then by the marina and the lighthouse, and in contrast to 2013 there was sunshine and there were people strolling along the edge of the sea and some were in the water.
