20160509Malaga | Spain May 2016

May 9, 2016, Monday — Malaga

Malaga, Spain in 1572

Malaga

Malaga is a port city in Andalusia, southern Spain, on the Costa del Sol coast of the Mediterranean. Málaga's history spans about 2,800 years, making it one of the oldest cities in the world. It was founded by the Phoenicians as Malaka about 770 BC, and from the 6th century BC was under the hegemony of Ancient Carthage. Then, from 218 BC, it was ruled by the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire as Malaca (Latin). After the fall of the empire and the end of Visigothic rule, it was under Islamic rule as Mālaqah (مالقة) for 800 years, but in 1487, the Crown of Castille regained control after the Reconquista. The archaeological remains and monuments from the Phoenician, Roman, Arabic and Christian eras make the historic center of the city an “open museum”, displaying its history of more than 3,000 years. Malaga is surrounded by mountains. It lies in the southern base of the Axarquía hills, and two rivers, the Guadalmedina and the Guadalhorce, flow near the city into the Mediterranean. The inner city of Málaga is just behind the harbor. The quarters of El Perchel, La Trinidad, and Lagunillas surround this center. Most of the city’s revenue comes from agriculture and tourism. The Semana Santa (Holy Week) and the Feria de Málaga (Málaga Fair) are the two most well-known of Málaga’s festivals. Most important of all, Malaga is Juan-José’s home town! It is also the birthplace of painter Pablo Picasso, Hebrew poet and Jewish philosopher Solomon Ibn Gabirol, and actor Antonio Banderas.

In the morning we went to the marina in Malaga, saw the lighthouse there, and saw the tourist school from which Juan-Jo graduated.

View of the old Alcazaba

La Concepción, botanical and historical garden

marina

yacht in the marina

looking west down the coast

cathedral

Ferris wheel and government buildings

Bill and Georgena Stahl, Sonboon Higgs, Sandy Barnes, Isabel Sandez, Elaine Hein, Pat Nagy, Ingrid Yule, Judy Beck, JuanJo Perez, and Marilyn Zack

Sarah Kolb, Karen LeRoy, Cab Burgess, Bill Stahl, Sonboon Higgs, Sandy Barnes, Isabel Sandez, Elaine Hein, and Myrtha Saleme

El Faro (the lighthouse)

the tourism school that Juan-José Perez graduated from

Jacaranda tree in bloom

elegant houses on the top of the hill overlooking the marina

Panoramic view of Málaga from Gibralfaro

We drove up a hill to a park from which we could see the town and its bullring, La Malagueta.

The Malagueta Bullring

view from the hill down past the Malagueta bullfighting ring to the Mediterranean

view down to the Mediterannean

marina

view westward along the Mediterannean coast

view eastward along the Mediterannean coast. the yellow beachside buildings may be our hotel, Meliã Costa del Sol

Jacaranda tree

In one of the squares of Malaga we saw a statue of Pablo Picasso who was born in Málaga in 1881 in an apartment over the statue, and lived there for 11 years before leaving for Barcelona and then to Paris. We also saw many gorgeous Jacaranda trees in full bloom.

statue of Pablo Picasso, who was born in Málaga in 1881 and lived there for 11 years before leaving for Barcelona and then to Paris

Jacaranda flowers

Judy Beck sits with Pablo Picasso

Cab Burgess sits with Pablo Picasso

Mickie Santina sits with Pablo Picasso

Howard Deckelbaum sits with Pablo Picasso

Georgena Stahl sits with Pablo Picasso

plaque commemorating the site of Pablo Picasso's father's pharmacy

We saw an obelisk honoring General Torrijos and his followers who were fighting the dictatorial regime of King Ferdinand VII and trying to restore the constitution, but were caught and executed in 1831.

Solomon ibn Gabirol (~1021-1060) was an 11th-century Andalusian poet and Jewish philosopher with a Neo-Platonic bent who was born in Málaga

We drove by some Roman ruins

The Roman Theater

Roman Theater ruins

We went to a warehouse run by the Students Fraternity to house floats and artifacts for Saints Day parades. The floats and costumes and artifacts were amazing. It is considered a great honor to help carry the floats in the processional, and that honor is inherited from father to son. We noticed some dark crimson robes with high pointy hoods and asked Juan-Jo about them. It turns out they were the hoods and robes of penitents who follow in the processional. The pointy hats were supposed to bring the penitents closer to God. The costumes were much later adopted by the US's KKK.

doors to the "students fraternity" warehousing floats for the saints' day processions

May 9, 2016, Monday — Inside the Students Fraternity Warehouse in Malaga

float for the saints' day processions

float for the saints' day processions

penitents hoods and robes which follow in the processional. The pointy hats were supposed to bring the penitents cloer to God. The costumes were much later adopted by the US's KKK