Our second day in Malaga greeted us with sunshine and high temperatures.
Malaga is a great place to wander around and explore by foot as it has more museums than any other city in Spain and many interesting archeological sites and monuments from Roman, Moorish, and Christian eras. Malaga is also the birthplace of world famous painter and sculptor Picasso, and therefore some of us started out with a lovely history and art walk through downtown Malaga to the Picasso Museum.
While travel by foot is a great way for intimate tours in historic city centers, travelling with a fleet of bicycles also gives us the freedom and opportunity to explore a much bigger range. Malaga is a great place to do so as it has excellent bicycle paths around the city. In the afternoon, a handful of adventurous explorers embarked on a 16 km bike ride east along the Costa del Sol. They observed some of its most popular sun bathing beaches and beautiful villas as well as bustling restaurants and cafes. Needless to say it was tempting to jump into the water (and some did!), and also a perfect opportunity for a gelato and cerveza while we were at it!
While some were busy exploring the city the rest set out into the Andalusian countryside to get a first-hand understanding of the lives of the local residents. We had traditional lunches in local women’s homes and learned about the process of making extra virgin olive oil, tasted churros (Spanish fried dough), and tested out our Spanish skills while trying to communicate with the lovely families that hosted us – what a wonderful way to spend the day! Among other things we spotted numerous orange, almond, fig, and avocado trees along the way and those who embarked on Mr. Henderson’s railway hike also saw rare orchids and colorful flora while hiking along the river towards the charming mountain village, Ronda.
All in all an amazing day that was wrapped up with some educating recaps, smooth “Macarena” dance moves, and a sunset cruise by the rock of Gibraltar.
