Málaga & the Mediterranean Sea

If you ride on a bus from Madrid as far south as you can possibly get without literally driving into the Mediterranean Sea, you will reach a port city called Málaga.

In Málaga, the air is salty and fresh, the ocean rolls gently against the shell-sprinkled beach, and mountains stand guard on all sides of the Andalucían municipality. Oh, and there also just happens to be either a bakery or ice cream shop every 17 feet.

This picturesque beach-side community is where I spent the past weekend exploring, swimming, and sun-burning.

Jessica, and I arrived at the central bus station at around 1pm. From there, we navigated the winding, marble-paved streets to our hostel in the very center of all the action. Standing at the entrance of the hostel, you could see clothing stores, tapas bars, gelato shops, and more without even turning your head.

While we waited for Tanvi to arrive on a different bus, I was able to maintain my tradition of entering the ocean as soon as possible after I arrive at a beach. The warm waters of the Mediterranean felt so welcoming, especially considering how absolutely dry Madrid is compared to the Land of 10,000 lakes. (We actually rejoiced the humidity).

Once Tanvi arrived, we hiked our way to the highest point within the city itself (pictured above). This peak holds a Moorish castle called an Alcabaza. These used to be essential structures in any port city as they provided cities the ability to spot oncoming ships and defend themselves from potential invaders. Now, its primary purpose is providing tourists like us fantastic views.

Its other purpose is realized at the base of the fortification. There lies the ruins of an ampitheater which have been restored to serve as a performance venue. The Friday night that we are there just happened to be the evening of a community festival called Vendimia (Pictured below). There were many performers, including a group of kids that performed a traditional Andalucían dance, as well as wine and food samples galore.

I had thought the marble streets were incredible during the day, but the way they lit up as we walked around after perusing the festival was really something else. I was actually pretty lucky to get a picture that shows the reflection of the lights, because for most of the night, the streets were packed shoulder to shoulder.

After ice cream and a few rounds of cards, we called it a night and slept in preparation for Saturday.

Unbeknownst to most, Pablo Picasso was born in Málaga, and the city now houses a museum with over 300 of his original works. So of course, this was our first stop on Saturday morning. The museum was divided into two collections, which moved chronologically through his life as an artist and captured the endless evolution he went through as an artist.

 Picasso lived through so many historical events which influenced his art even more than his interactions with renowned artists such as Velazquez and Rembrandt. Before he delved into cubism and abstraction, Picasso began painting before the age of 13, and was originally trained by his father in the more traditional techniques.

My favorite painting in the entire collection is actually one of his more "traditionally" styled works. Pictured below, "La Mujer Mirando un Baile/Woman Watching a Dance," really stuck out to me and drew me in. I am not really sure why. The depth and use of colors were really enticing and I could have looked at it all day.

The rest of Picasso's works were obviously incredible as well-- whether it was a pencil sketch, surrealist bronze sculpture, or abstract painting, each and every work was a masterpiece. Picasso believed that art is meant to be looked at and is only as valuable as the impact it has on its viewers. For this reason, his family made sure that his works were displayed for the public in this museum.

As beautiful as the museum was, I couldn't be so close to the sea without spending an ample amount of time there. So, the rest of our afternoon on Saturday was spent lounging on the beach. It was really surreal to swim in the Mediterranean Sea. I have always seen it in movies and read about it in books and revered it as the paramount of aquatic beauty. But to actually see it, feel it, and smell it was like a dream.

Luckily, the sun started to set before we became too sunburned, and we were able to watch the sun set behind the mountains from the luxurious comfort of the cinder block pier.

Much like my trip to Zurich just last weekend, the combination of fresh air, salty sea, and sun-induced delusion in Málaga left me feeling reinvigorated. I am sure the novelty of wearing a bathing suit outdoors in October  (sorry folks back in Minnesota!!) had something to do with how giddy I felt as we boarded the bus back to Madrid on Sunday afternoon.

I hated to wave goodbye to the beach, but luckily our group will be returning to Andalucía this coming week.

Next stop, Granada.