On my third day in Spain I started early with a walk up Alcazaba, castle ruins that were originally built by the Hammudid dynasty in the 11th century. The walk up and around it was absolutely beautiful, and some of the details were stunning. My only complaint would be there was next to no information in English at the displays of artifacts. Afterwards I took a free walking tour that was advertised in the hostel. Although I had already seen so much, it was great to learn some of the history of the city. After a short lunch break I set up the very steep hill to the other castle ruins, Gibralfaro, which dates back to the 10th century. Even the views from the hike up were absolutely stunning. The steep hike up was well worth it. The site was beautiful and peaceful. The scenery was perfect, hills to one side, city, and ocean to the other.
After all of the sightseeing, I decided to take a break from it all and check out the shopping mall in town. This took me to the other side of town that wasn't for tourists. As you could imagine, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing where real life took place in Málaga. I found the mall, and it had many shops I had never been to before, and some that don't have locations close near me in Germany like Zara and Primark. While I was in Primark, a super cheap (hit or miss) British store, I found a Ryanair carryon size suitcase that I bought on impulse. I already paid to check a bag on the way home, so now I didn't have to worry about cramming my stuff into the backpack.
On my last day, Friday, I started the day with a visit to the Museuo Interactivo De La Musica. The museum had exhibits of instruments throughout history as well as different types. There were some parts of the exhibit that were interactive so you could test out the sounds of unusual instruments. The museum was good and quick, so I went to another museum, Centro de Arte Contemporáneo de Málaga. That day was free entry which is always a bonus! It was one large room with dividers, but the modern artwork was really awesome. It was also displayed really well, which is something only art geeks like me could really appreciate. I would definitely recommend checking it out. My memory is a bit fuzzy about what I did the rest of the day, but I'm sure it had something to do with shopping. My brain was fried from all the museums and history, so I believe I went back to the mall, since I now had more space in my luggage :)
And my lunch! Roast beef with arugala and cream cheese. yum.
Overall, Málaga might not be Barcelona or Madrid, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. There were many other things to see on the list, but I had to pick just a handful-the ones I could understand and the ones I could afford. I would definitely recommend visiting this city if you ever travel to Spain. It was absolutely beautiful and charming, and being on the water is an added bonus.
