"The Center of the Costa del Sol " a Málaga Travel Page by hquittner

We arrived at the Costa del Sol by way of the Malaga Airport (from Madrid) and were relieved to be quickly at our 2-week abode in Torremolinos. After a day of orientation and rest, we returned to Malaga on an "included" tour. We did not expect much ( a l987 guidebook we owned described it as"hideous and sleazy" and warned of dangers to the pockets). We were pleasantly surprised. The first featur of our tour was a view of the port and the functioning lighthouse, then a ride up to the Gibralfaro (whivh once housed a lighthouse or more likely a watching post).

The fortress gave even better views of Malaga. On our return to the old town we were walked by the Roman Theater (under reconstruction) and peeked up at the Alcazaba (not visited because most of us would go to a better one in Seville). Down a side street we saw a shop where floats were being readied for the Easter Parade. Our last exhibit was the very large Cathedral with some comment. Again we encountered floats for the Easter celebration 2 days hence. We were then on our own briefly to eat lunch and return to home.

We were impressed by the vigor of the Spanish economy. Malaga is a large city (maybe bigger than our New Orleans after the flood). It is also a port city and is not much interested in tourists but enjoys its own life. The broad main street(Alameda) dumps into the Paseo del Parque and it was being readied for the Easter Parade (their equivalent of Mardi Gras). We had a lunch snack and were distressed too find there was no longer time to visit the Art Museum. Our tour now visits a new museum that celebrates the native son Pablo Picasso and substitutes a bullfighter for the cathedral exposure. (Picasso was so prolific and as almost contemporaries we have seen so many venues and retrospectives of his work that we do not feel deprived by time). Perhaps we will be lucky enough to return and experince more. This is certainly and easy place to use as a base or at worst visit from Torremolinos or elsewhere on the Costa.