Early morning at Malaga
The Arab fortress/palace of Alcazaba
Early morning at a roadside cafe
The place didn't seem to look very different from cities in the middle-east
The 4-hour guided bike tour that I took helped to explore the city and learn its history
We cycled through the narrow cobble-stoned streets and the busy market-places as the guide explained interesting trivia and tales about the places
Most churches in the city, like this one, had been converted from old mosques. The bell tower on the left used to be a minaret during the Moorish days.
Statue of Malaga's most famous son - Pablo Picasso, at the Plaza de la Merced. In the background is the house where he was born.
The Picasso Museum. Frankly, I am not a fan of Modern Art and so, skipped this place.
The old jewish quarter
The impressive Malaga Cathedral.... Not surprisingly this was built over an old Moorish mosque.
That's our guide, explaining the history of the Cathedral to the group
The entrance to the cathedral
People begging for alms at the entrance to the Cathedral
Shops in the alleys
Pirate of the Mediterranean ?
Our bicycles wading past the cycle-rickshaws
Street-side restaurants - a typical scene in the city
The tour came to a temporary halt when one of the bikes suffered technical issues. Thankfully, the guide fixed it in no time
Cycling through 'Calle Larios' - the main shopping street of the city
A painter near the 'Paseo del Parque'
Cruise ships at the Malaga port
The wooden ship on the left is the replica of a Spanish ship that was captured by the British under Lord Nelson, during the Battle of Trafalgar !
Sea-front houses
After hours of cycling under the scorching sun, we arrived at the beach and stopped for some chilled beer
The 2.5 kms long 'La Malagueta' beach is actually an artificial beach created using sand imported from the Sahara desert, which is just across the Mediterranean !
The cycling group
The Malaga Town Hall
A wedding at the Town Hall
Shoppers at the 'Calle Larios'
The historic centre of the city is a maze of narrow, winding streets
The Malaga Cathedral seen over the buildings
Inside the Malaga Cathedral. It cost 4 Euros to get in
The interiors of the Cathedral
Proof that Spanish families can be even larger than Indian families :)
A fountain outside the Cathedral
Horse carts along the Cathedral
The Melting Pot hostel - it was quite a surprise to see my name on the board as I walked in :)
The Plaza de la Constitución, in the heart of the historic centre
Plaza de la Constitución
Residential blocks in the outskirts of the city. The place looked more like the Middle-East than Europe.
A plane approaches to land at Malaga airport
Villas near the beach
The playa (beach)
The runway of the airport is just across the beach
The town hall
Gardens in front of the town hall
Lady Vampires ? Thankfully, they were just models posing for a photoshoot
The Alcazaba (from Arabic Al-Qasbah) is a 11th century Arab fort and palace overlooking the city
The Alcazaba had been built on an ancient Roman site and recent excavations revealed this Roman amphi-theatre
Entrance to the Alcazaba is free on Sunday afternoons and that's when I went in :)
Inside the Alcazaba
The terraces of the Alcazaba
View of the port from the Alcazaba
A mother and child playing football inside the palace
The Alcazaba
The Moorish Arabs had ruled Spain for over 700 years until they were defeated by the Catholics from the north, led by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella
It was an arduous climb up from the Alcazabo to the Castillo de Gibralfaro (Gibralfaro castle) - again an erstwhile Arab strong-hold
A viewing deck on the way up to the 'Castillo de Gibralfaro'
Malaga as seen from the viewing deck
The Alcazaba (bottom left) and the Malaga Cathedral (centre) as seen from the viewing deck
I was told that under clear conditions, the coast of Africa can be seen from here
The Plaza de Toros - the main bullring of Malaga. Bull-fighting is still practised here.
The viewing deck
Finally on top of the Gibralfaro Castle
The name 'Gibralfaro' originates from Arabic Jebel-Faro - 'Rock of the lighthouse'
Standing on a hill overlooking the city, the Gibralfaro castle offers unmatched panoramic views of Malaga
The coast as seen from the 'Castillo de Gibralfaro'
What a location to have a villa ...and a private pool attached to it !
During the siege of Malaga by Ferdinand and Isabella, the Arabs had been holed up inside the castle, but ultimately had to give in when they ran out of supplies.
The viewing deck, on the way back down
The Alcazaba basks in sunlight, even at 9pm.
Streets of Malaga
Open-air restaurants
Street-side restaurants
The massive Aeropuerto de Málaga (Malaga airport) is the main airport serving the Costa del Sol region.
