Ready, Set, Explore

There's more to do in Malaga than one would think. As our trip planning went on, there became more places to visit (and that's outside the day trips you can do in Andalusia). Tonight, my friend and I headed out for a relaxing intro to the city. Being Sunday, there was a calm to the streets, and we were surprised it was so quiet for Madrid's 2nd most populous city.

The beach was on the agenda of course, a welcome space especially since we've been in autumn back home, but along the way, we walked through Mulle Uno, Malaga's boardwalk by the port. Restaurants, tented shops, it reminded me of the Canada Place waterfront at home combined with a market. Here we also saw more people. A good number are wearing masks and keeping good distances. Having not been to markets since the summer before Covid, it was a real treat to wander through the stalls and check out the offerings. From crafts to jewellery, it was a beautiful space to check out.

Onwards to Malagueta Beach, one of Malaga's most well known. The locals were out enjoying the sun and sea breeze. For a quieter beach, we headed further east to Playa de Caleta where I also took in my first sunset of the trip, and a reminder that it's vacation and perhaps to slow down and enjoy and relax as opposed to go go go.

Dinner was a bit of a hunt. Folks eat later here, after 8pm and by the time we made it back to the center, many places were full, especially all the tables outside. There's definitely something about dining al fresco and here in Spain, the weather is too nice to eat outside. We ended up finding our way back to Taverna La Malaguena by the Cathedral.

Our first lesson on the trip, the portions are bigger than we think. Our 2 person paella was enough for 4 people, especially since we added two appetizers as well - fried aubergine with cane sugar and ham croquettes. Yum! The paella was delicious and not too rich. Even though we didn't finish, we definitely gave it our best shot and made sure we at least finished the seafood.

Too stuffed for ice cream after so that'll have to be another night. There'll be lots of stuffing ourselves with good food, but we're pretty confident we'll be walking more than enough to burn it all off.Read more