A New Place, a New Favorite

Catedral de Malaga

     Making numerous weekend trips to cities throughout Spain, one would think that eventually you'd come across at least one that didn't suit your taste. Or that they would all start to be the same, kind of like driving down I-40 and seeing repeats of basically the same small town with a different name. However, thus far this has not been the case in Spain. Every place we have gone never fails to posses its own unique charm, history and culture.
     Our trip this past weekend was to Malaga, an area on the east coast of Spain in the Andalusian region. When we first left the train station we weren't exactly sure what to expect as walked through the less aesthetically pleasing parts of the city. However, as soon as we crossed over the river into the city center we realized just how beautiful Malaga is. The center streets, for pedestrians only, are gorgeous tile. As Hana said to me, "It feels like I'm walking inside." Literally, you felt as though you were walking through one giant indoor building. Incredible. The center had amazing restaurants, shopping, and bars. Luckily our hostel was located basically directly in the middle of the center.
    We got to our hostel and were met by the usual kind and helpful owners. We were shown to our room, left our things, then set out to explore. We realized we were extremely close to the museo de picasso so we decided to check that out first. The museum boasts a private collection of Picasso's work. Picasso was born in Malaga, so we also saw the home he was born in. It was amazing to see some of his original works of art. It was easy to imagine Picasso himself creating the piece years before. After the museum we found a nice restaurant and had dinner. We spent the rest of the night, por supuesto, out on town ending with some late night pringles.
    On Saturday we decided to start the day with some sight seeing. We decided to go to the castillo - little did we know it was miles of walking straight uphill. After multiple breaks, we realized the view from the top was most definitely worth it (not to mention the burnt calories).

 

    Once we got back to the bottom of the castle (much much easier coming back down), we were famished so we grabbed some lunch before heading to the beach. The beach closest to us was a bit touristy, but enjoyable nonetheless. It was also my first time in the Mediterranean Sea (well my feet anyways, it was super cold!) We hung out for a few hours before heading back and going to dinner. The best part about eating out is simply finding a restaurant knowing nothing about it and deciding "sure why not, let's try this." I must say we have yet to have a bad meal. We again spent the night out, going with people from our hostel. Funny story - Hillary and I end up running into some Canadian guys we had met twice in Lagos.. it seems to be a smaller world every day.

   On Sunday we woke up and decided to go to a beach farther away, 15 minute bus ride, but supposedly really pretty. After an hour of searching for the right bus line and waiting for the bus we finally got there. The beach was dark sand with clear water, worth the bus ride. We had lunch and amazing Sangria ("Malaga's Best") at a nice beachside restaurant. The waiter asked where we were from and the responded by saying we had the best basketball, baseball and football americano - but of course they had the best futbol. The guy sitting at the table next to us then proceeded to tell us we have the best wars - what a great reputation we have. We headed back from the beach in time to grab our things, get possible the best McDonald's hamburger I have ever had, and catch our 8pm train. 

      Malaga is definitely a place I would recommend when traveling to Spain. The city is beautiful and the beaches are great. I just still can't believe how much I love every place we travel too. Spain literally never gets old. I can only imagine what it will be like traveling through five other countries. This weekend were doing a day trip to Cadiz, and I'm excited to do some things around here in Sevilla the rest of time, since we seem to leave every weekend. But seeing as it's Siesta time here, I think a nap is calling my name. Adios!

** Quick Note: I just finished the novel Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet and I highly highly recommend it. Absolutely one of my new favorites. I guarantee you will not be able to put it down.

In 1986, Henry Lee joins a crown outside the Panama Hotel, once the gate way to Seattle's Japantown. it has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has discovered the belongings of Japanese families who were sent to internment camps during WWII. As the owner displays and urfurls a Japanese parasol, Henry, a Chinese American, remembers a young Japanese American girl from his childhood in the 1940s - Keiko Okabe, with whom he forged a bond of friendship and innocent love that transcended the prejudices of their Old World ancestors. After Keiko and her family were evacuated to the internment camps, she and Henry could only hope that their promise to each other would be kept. Now, forty years later, Henry explores the hotel's basement for the Okabe family's belongings and for a long-lost object whose value he cannot even begin to measure. His search will take him on a journey to revisit the scarifies he has made for family, for love, for country.

"Sometimes in life, there are no second chances. You look at what you have, not what you miss, and you move forward." - Henry, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet