by Berti Pozo
Apart from Málaga’s famous sons, Pablo Picasso and Antonio Banderas, no one really talks much about this sleepy port city. Situated in Andalusia, southern Spain, on the Costa del Sol coast of the Mediterranean, Málaga is steeped in history.
With two days off, a willingness to go anywhere and a method for choosing a destination that was about as well thought out as any involving a globe and a dart, my three friends and I – found ourselves bound for Málaga, Spain, the gateway for the Costa del Sol. As with most places referred to as “gateway” cities, the idea is that you enter through this one, let’s just call it a gate, and promptly shut it behind as you rush on to some more exiting, more glamorous destination.
Had we actually had anything that resembled a plan, I have no doubt that this would have been ours, as well. I had repeatedly been told that there was nothing to do in Malaga, but if you go to x, y or z, then ... wow! The problem was that with our (very) last minute decision, we had no time to make arrangements to go anywhere beyond the immediate vicinity of the gate. Yet, it was an opportunity for a change of scenery, some good food and what was certain to be good weather, so there we were.
The drive from the airport to the hostel revealed a dirty, characterless city under what seemed like perpetual construction that only served to reaffirm every bad thing I had already heard. Then in less time that it takes to pick a crappy destination, we turned a corner and saw a beautiful harbour. We looked the other way and saw a fort up on a hill. My friend, Diana, pointed out a gorgeous pedestrian street bustling with activity. All of a sudden, things were looking up. By the time we arrived at our hostel, the ultra inviting Babylon Backpackers, I was sold.
Sure, I half-heartedly inquired about going to Granada to visit the Alhambra, but I already knew that even if all I did was hang around this typical Spanish house turned hostel and chat with its multi-cultural owners, the trip would have been worth it. Of course, now having had a brief glimpse of the city, this was not really an option. We dropped off our bags, headed to a cafe that sits on the doorstep of the building where Picasso was born and were soon faced with the best food that we had tasted in weeks.
To hear us ooh and aah, you would have thought that we had been living on a steady diet of bread and water since arriving in Amsterdam. This was only to be the start of a trend that would continue for the duration of our brief stay. I suspect that if we had set out to find bad food, we would have failed miserably. Everything was just so flavourful and so fresh and so not fried (seriously, I now think instead of windmills or wooden shoes, the Netherlands should be represented by a massive fry cooker). Score another point for Malaga. Then there was the sight seeing. There were manned tourists kiosks all over the city, ready to hand out free maps and brochures, answer questions and lend helpful advice. They pointed us to the Alcazaba, a Moorish fortress dating back to the 700’s, which is wonderfully preserved and since it sits smack in the middle of the “gateway”, surprisingly free of tourists.
The same could be said of the ramparts of the Castle of Gibralfaro, which offer postcard perfect views of the city and its busy harbour. After touring the perimeter of the 14th century former refuge of Ferdinand and Isabella, we found ourselves to be the only patrons at its cafe with its stunning views and even more stunning, as in cheap, prices. Add to that a handful of museums, lots of “Antonio Banderas was here” memorabilia, the requisite grand cathedral and it is one hundred more points for Malaga.
In the end, I don’t know if we just got lucky (possibly), if it was just a good mix of people and place (partially) or a combination of both (probably), but I, the maniacal travel planner, am feeling very swayed by the desire to sharpen those darts, spin that globe and see what happens next.
The Phoenicians from Tyre founded the city Malaka, in about 1000 BC. The name Malaka is probably derived from the Phoenician word for salt because fish was salted near the harbour. In the 8th century, Spain was conquered by the Moors, and the city became an important centre of trade. Málaga was first a possession of the Caliphate of Córdoba. After the fall of the Umayyad dynasty, it became the capital of a distinct kingdom, dependent on Granada. During this time, the city was called Malaqah.
