There’s a majestic old ruin in Malaga, perched high atop the city, called Castillo de Gibralfaro.   Many weeks ago we decided that every morning, we would walk to the top and back, thus earning various wine and tapas credits for the rest of the day.

The path upwards is long, steep and paved in flagstones.  The views are staggering.  Ross, his breathing laboured and clearly imagining his own, imminent death, wonders aloud how the hearse could possibly get up here to retrieve his cold, dead body.  We find out later that there’s a far more gentle route to the top, it’s much longer, but not as steep, and if required, it could certainly accommodate a hearse.  Good to know.

The Castle of Gibralfaro was built in 929AD on a former lighthouse site, which is how it got its name (gebel-faro, meaning rock of the lighthouse in Arabic and Greek).

We love Malaga because it has absolutely everything – culture, history, a long coastline, fantastic architecture, an international airport, an international shipping port, great food, sensational local wines, a balmy winter climate, and a particularly happy disposition (because some places are just more cheerful than others).  Today we lunched at Rocamar, a beach-front chiringuito (open air restaurant) where the grilled octopus and sardines were cooked on the charcoals outside and served directly to us (kitchens are soooo over-rated).  The sky was impossibly blue, and the Mediterranean sparkled before us.

For the Spanish, the day for exchanging gifts has not yet arrived.  This happens on Three Kings Day (6 January) so to say the streets are still full of Christmas spirit is an understatement.  The effort Malaga makes with its Christmas lights is inspiring, and every night, at 6.30pm and again at 9.30pm, there’s a light show, choreographed to music.  By 6.29pm, the Plaza de Constitution was jam-packed with families, children, and us….all waiting for the light show to begin.  It did not disappoint – we just loved it!

Intent on using  some of our hard-earned wine and tapas credit, we head to Jamones, a tiny little tapas bar only 2m wide and about 10m deep. As luck would have it, it’s just 20m from our apartment (dangerously close, although as Sally pointed out, not close enough to pick up the wifi from our apartment).  Jamones is owned by three brothers and tonight, we were served by brother number 1, Raol. His English is good, and he teaches us new Spanish words. Word of the day is “otro” which means another (ie “otro vino tino por favor”.  Javier, the second brother turns up a little later.  With his tattooed arms and piercings, I’m sure he could teach us some Spanish words too (but I don’t think they’d be suitable for repeating in my blogs).

 

I’ll  finish with some numbers ……..

• The number of sales assistants it takes to sell Kari and new iPhone – 4
• The number of times I have nearly been hit by a car after stepping onto the “empty” street, after looking the “wrong” way – 3
• The number of times Ross has littered the pavement with his debit card / 50 Euro notes from his pocket without realising – 2
• The number of siestas (extra large “grande”) we have managed thus far – 1
• The number of taxis, restaurant or bars in Spain (so far) that accept AMEX – 0 (LOL).

Buenas noches (goodnight). #IloveSpain