Malaga

Moving further south along the Mediterranean coast of Spain we stopped in Malaga for a couple weeks. First impression of the town is a larger version of a cruise stop town. After spending a bit more time we found a town with more of a theatre vibe, not in small part due to our arrival at the end of their film festival.

There are clearly plenty of tourists wandering the streets and alleys of old town and sitting at the endless cafes throughout the historic center. Venturing even a block from the ancient town you find a fairly standard European destination with green spaces, museums, and cafes. Heading northeast from downtown the culture changes to a beach focused, vacation home ambiance. Being March it was busy but not packed. We enjoyed the stroll along the waterfront with far fewer cruise passengers lining the paths.

The Castillo provided nice views across the deceptively large city but it did cost us the price of hiking up the hill for the Sunday afternoon free entrance. The ancient site is really just a place to take in the city from its highest point as the museum was an afterthought at best with no more than a couple minutes of attention required.

One unusual experience arrived our second day in town. The sky became a haunting orange color for the few hours before sunset. As night fell the rains began and we woke to a coating of orange sandy muck everywhere. Apparently a large cloud of sand from the Sahara had made its way across the sea and mixed with the rain that fell across the city. Much of Saturday was spent dodging the streams and sprays from the locals attempting to clean the sandy covering from their houses and walkways. The pictures of the orange afternoon do not reflect the undertone of eeriness that was experienced.