Day 8 - Malaga

We slept until after 11:00, and it was fabulous! After breakfast, I went upstairs and took a nap which was also fabulous. Then we started walking around the city.

First of all, let me say, Malaga is beautiful. I had been to Spain twice before and really liked it both times, but for some reason, I have always still thought of it as somehow less than the rest of Western Europe. I don't really know why. After being in Malaga, though, I will never think that again. Spain is gorgeous and fun to visit. Maybe if we never have kids, we'll get an apartment there. For serious. I love it.

So, we just kind of wandered around, loosely following a walking tour we found online. Malaga is the birthplace of Picasso, so they have a Picasso museum there which was really the only thing I knew about to do there. We did go, and it's a very different collection of his work than I have ever seen. Most of the works were donated by Picasso's family members, so there are a lot of sketches and studies for other paintings as well as a lot of his later work. Jonathan and I both really loved one particular painting called "Minotaur with Glass," but alas! it was not available in the gift shop and I've been looking for it online, too, and it's not there either! So, we settled for buying a poster of another painting we both liked called "Bather."

Just like I thought I knew how I felt about Spain, I also thought I knew I wasn't a big Picasso fan. But after we bought this poster, I realized I now have three Picasso posters for my house. I guess I have to realize that I am actually a fan. I think the problem is that when I go to a museum, I get a little sensory overload and don't appreciate everything I'm seeing. But when I go to a small museum or exhibit that is dedicated to one artist or style of painting, I can absorb it. That's when I've found these posters I like. With Picasso, there is almost always one that really makes me think and that I know I won't getting tired of looking at.

From the museum, we went to a little bar called "El Pimpi" that seriously had the best sangria I've ever tasted for less than 2 euros a glass. And apparently Antonio Banderas goes there a lot (he's also from Malaga). He had autographed one of the wine barrels and they had his picture up. Sounds silly, but it wasn't really over the top. If you ever go to Malaga, I suggest you stop by and taste their delicious sangria. So good!

We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the Alcazaba which is the fortress built by the Arab rulers and seeing some of the Roman ruins. Beautiful!

For dinner, I had migas which are completely different in Spain than here (they're better here), and Jonathan had monkfish which looks totally crazy. I had a dream about it last night. Here's a photo. He, of course, did not eat that whole thing.