Spain (Spring 2023) - Malaga (Day 2)
Since I wasn’t sleeping anyway - went for a run in the morning down to the beach. There is a nice boardwalk and you can actually go quite a distance up the coast.
The beach itself was quiet in the morning but plenty of people on the boardwalk walking, running, and biking.
Mercado de Central de Atarazanas
We strolled over the main marketplace in old town in the morning. Plenty of tourists of course but it’s where plenty of locals come to do their grocery shopping. You can tell the tourists from the locals as the locals all have these little rolling baskets for their fresh purchases.
The produce and meat/fish vendors occupy the middle sections while the on the ends are some vendors providing food and beverages
Marisqueria El Yerno
This is the place we chose to start the day at the back end of the market. Had some good morning beer & wine along with boquerones and grilled seafood skewers. They have a selection of seafood skewers behind the counter so you can see what looks good to try. We decided on the octopus and shrimp with a cajun type seasoning.
Antigua Casa de Guardia (oldest bar in Malaga)
This is the type of place I want to seek out when travelling.
The place opened in 1840 and probably looks exactly the same as it did except for maybe some upgraded plumbing. No seats at the bar and everyone just stands to have their drinks.
Lots of liqueurs dispensed out of the barrels to try but the Malaga sweet wine is the classic. They keep track of your tab by writing what you owe in white on the wooden counter and wipe it clean when you pay.
They have a glass cabinet full of tapas plates. There is usually a guy by the tapas case and you pay him directly when you order from him. The anchovy wrapped olives with red pepper were great.
This is a place we would return to because it is conveniently located and makes for an easy, cheap, and very good place to take a little break during the day.
Next Level Specialty Coffee
Took a short coffee break around the corner from Antigua Casa de Guardia. Tiny, tiny space for hipster coffee. We decided it was good to get caffeinated before doing a lot of walking for the rest of the day.
Walk up to Mirador de Gibralfaro
We walked from the center of town to Mirador de Gibralfaro which is this high point overlook where to can look up north the coast at the beaches as well as back towards Malaga.
The uphill walk can get hot if the sun is out but you get rewarded with great views. There is also an ice cream stand close to the top if you are really suffering. You can also take a bus if you really can’t stand the walk.
The overlook backs up against the Castillo de Gibralfaro which is a 10th century castle sitting on top of the hill. It’s a nominal few Euros if you want to go inside the castle.
Alcazaba
Having done the hard walk up, we walked back down to visit the Alcazaba. This is the ancient fortress sitting on the edge of town. Having been built up over the centuries, there is a mish-mash of styles in terms of Moorish, Roman, and Spanish styles throughout the structure. Some parts look ancient while some parts are newer (like only 500 years or so old).
It’s not expensive to enter and there is a self-directed walking tour through the complex and you get great views of the city from the top of the fortress.
Teatro Romano de Málaga
The Roman theater sits right at the base of the Alcazaba. Malaga itself is ancient. It’s estimated the Phoenicians settled it in 770 BC. This Roman theater only dates back to the 3rd century BC so it’s like a new build.
The theater itself was re-discovered in 1951 during construction.
Casa Lola
We headed back into the center of town to start the evening eating/drinking cycle. I believe Casa Lola has a few locations around town. This location we went to was in a prime spot in the center of a square so it can get quite busy.
The place has a French bistro type feel with a decently sized menu so you are pretty sure that you can find what you want. We sat outside but the inside looked just as busy.
An English menu makes it easy since this is a touristy type spot and the world’s tourists communicate in English.
Film Festival
We decided to walk up to Plaza de la Merced where they have a life sized Pablo Picasso statue sitting on a bench. What we didn’t realize was there was a film festival going on and some red carpet event had a lot of streets closed off with fans and cops everywhere.
People were really jazzed up about all the Spanish celebs of whom I had no idea who they were. Maybe if I watched Money Heist before we left I would have recognized some of them.
Life sized Picasso on a bench
Palermo Specialty Coffee and Cocktails
Across the square from all this hubbub was this little cafe. The outside seating was full so we went inside. We could still see all the red carpet activity from inside.
Surprisingly good bartending here. It was just an Old Fashioned but it was properly done.
The Pharmacy Speakeasy
Walked to the edge of the old town area to get to this bar. They have an anteroom and you enter through the door on the other side (not really that secret).
Excellent drinks here. Kind of feels like you are in a NYC speakeasy cocktail bar. I was impressed that the server got my drink which was filled right up to the rim all the way to my table without spilling any of it.
Taperia el Beato
We needed some food before turning in for the night and we came upon this place. Seemed like more locals than tourists at this place. People were super nice here and the food was good as well.
We saw “Russian” salad on the menus in Spain and wondered what it was. It is just some version of potato salad. I guess there had been talk about whether they should rename it after the Ukraine invasion.