We had been to Malaga before (a couple of times), but had really only used the airport to fly in and out of on our way south to the Costa del Sol. We were delighted to see that Malaga had much more to offer. The ship docked very close to the old city centre (walking distance anyway). We had lined up a "Free" walking tour, but the start time got changed at the last minute, and we couldn't join it. No problem, we wandered around the town ourselves, "hiked" up to the Alcazaba (though not enough time to go inside) walked back down into town and through the old town shopping streets. We spent a good bit of time in the beautifully restored Cathedral before making our way back to the ship. Altogether we really enjoyed our afternoon in the sunny port city of Malaga. Looking forward to coming back here one day, when we'll have more time to explore. This would be our last port of call before arriving into Barcelona, and vacating our 2-week "home" onboard.
This seaside walkway was our introduction to Malaga.
The lower section of the old Moorish Alcazaba, one of the best preserved in Spain.
Up the (steeper than it looks) hill to the entrance of the Alcazaba. By the time we got to the top, too many other tourists and tour buses had arrived, and we were running out of time, so we didn't go inside. We'll save that for next time. (And there will be a next time!)
Our "hiking" efforts were rewarded with this view of the more modern side of the city, with our cruise ship way in the background.
We saw many of these beautiful purple-flowered trees.
Back down the hill, into the narrow streets of the old town, with many shops and restaurants.
A lovely blend of old and new styles.
The main square, with the tower of the Malaga Cathedral in the background.
And look what we found - a shop selling Morrocan inspired lights, just like we found in Ybor City in Tampa!
This unique sculpture looked liked faces from several different angles.
Again, the north tower of the Cathedral. It is the second highest cathedral in the Andalusia area of Spain. The second (south) tower remains unfinished.
Inside the cathedral, the craftsmanship, artwork and restoration was some of the best we've seen.
An opulent organ is situated in the middle of the church.
One of the altars along the ambulatory behind the main altar.
This was in one of the altars - no idea what it did, but would love to see it working with it's odd propeller-like blades.
Another look at the well restored/maintained interior.
A very impressive altar took centre stage. The smaller altars of the ambulatory were behind and to the sides of this altar. Altogether, there weren't all that many seats or pews. But we were "lucky" enough to have one of the seats occupied by someone who took about a dozen phone calls in the surprisingly quiet church. Sounded like the church was his office for the afternoon.
Just outside the grounds of the cathedral was the colourful Bishop's Palace. It's now a museum of modern art.
One last look at Malaga as we made our way back to the ship. Very much looking forward to returning one day, and having more time to spend here.
NEXT: (Day 17) Barcelona, Spain - Day 1
PREV: (Day 13) Tenerife, Canary Islands
Transatlantic - May 2018