24 hours in Málaga

Following my day trip to El Torcal with my friend Theresa, I had 24 hours remaining in the city of Málaga.  Our first stop was a trendy rooftop pool bar at the Room Mate Valeria Hotel.  The views from the patio were phenomenal, overlooking the harbour and ocean. Cocktails came at a price, but they were delicious and the location seen below made it well worth it.

We spent the evening searching for sea glass as we walked along the shore and then sat down at one of the many beachside restaurants for a couple of Theresa's favourite local dishes including Espeto (roasted sardines) and Berenjenas con Miel (fried eggplant slices covered in honey or molasses). We called it an early night (in Spanish terms, at least) and I got some nice rest back at my AirBnB before a long awaited relaxing day of solo wandering to follow. 

Though I'm an extrovert, I crave time each week to just be on my own.  After two weeks with my parents this time had been long overdue.  I started my morning with a visit to a local bakery where I ordered my favourite simple Spanish breakfast of a pastry and orange juice to enjoy on the terrace while watching tourists in the adjacent square.  Next I stopped by a Casa del Libro bookstore to find an english copy of the sequel to the book I had finished in Italy two days prior.  An afternoon of reading on the beach was calling my name.

Before I got to that, however, I decided to go for a little self-guided photo walk. One of my favourite things about exploring on my own is that I have the freedom to stop and take photographs of whatever catches my eye.  I wandered through town, snapping photos as I went, and made my way to the trails along Castillo de Gibralfaro – a hillside fortress with panorama views of the city.  This path is full of lush vegetation despite the extremely hot Andalucian summers and I had fun playing with the greenery in my lens as I made my way uphill.

Lunch consisted of cheap Paella – a Valencian dish of fried rice and seafood – and gelato for desert before I finally found myself laying on the beach digging into my new book.  I had time for a quick swim as well before clouds formed overhead and the wind picked up enough to give me a bit of a chill.  A quick change of plans found me strolling along the boardwalk, popping in and out of shops as I went.  I also navigated my way back past the cathedral famous for its incomplete tower to a Moroccan store I had visited earlier and picked up the perfect unique wedding gift for my best friend back home - a beautifully decorated tajine dish.  

And just like that it was time to grab my backpack and hop on the train back to the airport to catch my next flight.