Settling In

Settling in to the 1st full day of the trip, it was a bit of a sleep in. The AC stopped working last night, so that combined with a bit of jet lag made sleep a little elusive. A bit of a late start, but we sorted out our bus tickets for the next day to Granada and then headed towards the city centre.

I really enjoy the city center and just wandering around. The smooth stones of the street challenged my feet for sure, or maybe I just haven't broken in my sandals yet. I was told by Ecco they didn't need breaking in, so I'll have to give it another shot on different pavement.

1st stop - Mercado de Atarazanas. There's a beautiful stained glass at the back of the market. Make sure you go around to the outside so capture it all. A number of stalls were closed (perhaps due to the Spain's national holiday tomorrow), but there were some meats, veggies, fruit and even food stalls still open.

From there we headed further into the center to check out Malaga Catherdral. Perhaps it's been awhile since my last cathedral, not many take my breath away, but there's something about Malaga's that you can't miss. Make your away around the various chapels and check out the stained glass as well. And above all, make sure you add the roof top visit. It will be the best 4 euros you ever spent. Don't let the 200 steps intimidate you. There is a break so you're not going straight up. The views from the roof are stunning as you are led up and around, affording you 360 views of Malaga. See Castle Gibralfaro and the Alcazaba. Take in the rooftops and the view of the sea.

We attempted to go the Alcazaba today but got misled and started the trek up to Gibralfaro instead. There's a good viewpoint if you make it up there, but we decided we were good with the Cathedral climb and no need to climb higher. That said, the Alcazaba remains on our list when we're back in Malaga next week. If you're interested in visiting the Alcazaba, the entrance is just up the path right next to the tourist info centre. Do not go around per the map.

The rest of the day was spent meandering around, taking in food and shopping. Treats like cheesecake and homemade lemonade from La Tarta de la Madre de Cris. It's small cute shop not to miss, especially if you're a cheesecake lover. They've got regular, blue cheese and hard cheese. The regular is nice and fluffy and the lemonade just refreshing.

Another stop later, my friend brought me to Bodegar Antigua Casa de Guardia. This non descript wine bar has barrels of wine you can drink inexpensively and some tapas. I'd only previously read of this as something to experience on a Rick Steve's show, and it's as cool as it sounds. We had the moscatel of course, and then realized they had 4 kinds, so we'll be back to have more and some tapas ;)

Also ventured to the northern section of the centre for bubble tea at Tapio. Yes, even on my trips, we seek out bubble tea to see it fares in each country. For bubble tea fans, I'm happy to the say the pearls are chewing, the flavor is pretty good and it's a good if you have a craving. I ordered the lychee green tea over the classic, it's good, but they added slices of lemon, which changed the taste from what I'm familiar with from home. Still, if bubble tea's your thing, why not if you have time.

Shops galore fill the streets of the centre, so whether you're into shopping or not, there's something cool to check out. There's a few familiar stores like The Body Shop but there's also Spanish clothing stores like Pull & Bear.

Dinner was fried mixed seafood at El Chinitas Restaurant. We were smarter tonight and made reservations so we didn't have to wait. The food was delicious, and for you sangria lovers, you can a enjoy a glass here for just 2.75 euro. Once again we found out how big portions are. Even a half portion is enough for 2 people, that said, perhaps the warm weather is making us eat less.

One last treat for the day, ice cream! Catching a break where they had no line up, it was the best way to the end the day. Both the oreo and the kinder bueno for A-awesome. Casa Mira Helados is a good bet, and there are others we intend to try as well when we return.Read more