Spotlight: Malaga, Spain

 Spotlight: Malaga is the second largest city in Andalusia. Situated on the banks of the Mediterranean Sea, in what is known as the Costa del Sol ("The Coast of the Sun"), it is a hot tourist destination for Spaniards as well as foreigners. Malaga was founded in 770 BC by the Phoenicians from Tyre who were trying to establish trading outposts across the Mediterranean. Rome took control of the city in 218 BC following the fall of Carthage in the Punic Wars. After the fall of Rome, it was controlled by the Visigoths until the Moors invaded the peninsula from Africa in the 8th century. In 1487, Castile took control of the city in the midst of the Granada War. Today, Malaga is the 6th largest city in Spain.

Malaga

Activities:

 Beach: Due to its prime location on the Costa del Sol, Malaga is a popular vacation destination for beach-goers. Since Malaga has hot summers and mild winters, with about 300 days of sun every year, you can see visitors on the beach most of the year. However, only the most intrepid beach-goers will go in the water in the off-season since it doesn't warm up until mid-summer. The month of July is the most crowded time to visit since most Spaniards use that month to vacation on the coast. In fact, many wealthy Spaniards own a second piso (apartment) in a coastal city where they vacation for several weeks every year. One of the most popular beaches is Playa La Malagueta, which is clean and free.

Beach bums

Mediterranean Sea

- Location: Paseo Marítimo Ciudad de Melilla, s/n, La Malagueta

- Cost: Free

- Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Alcazaba and Castillo de Gibralfaro: The Alcazaba was constructed during the Islamic Era under the rule of the Al-Andalus. The current fortress was built in the 11th century along a ridge of a large hill that looks out over the city and the Mediterranean Sea. The ridge was previously occupied by the Phoenicians circa 600 BC. Excavations of the hill have also uncovered a Roman Era theater that was built into the western slope of the hill in the first century AD. The fortress comprises two walled enclosures (one within the other). The inner enclosure encompasses the hills summit and encloses the palaces within its gates. The whole structure can be accessed by climbing a series of stairs and ramps that climb the hill, passing through various gates with beautiful views of the city.

The Alcazaba

The Castle of Gibralfaro was built in 929 AD by Abd-al-Rahman III, who was the Caliph of Cordoba. The castle is on the site of an ancient Phoenician lighthouse (from which it got its name "Rock of the Lighthouse"). It is connected to the Alcazaba by a double wall. During the Christian conquest of the city, the Arab defenders were well-defended inside of the castle. This was one of the first conflicts in which both sides used gunpowder. The defenders finally surrendered due to extreme hunger after a 3-month siege by the Catholic Monarchs. 

El Castillo

- Location: C/ Alcazabilla, 2, Distrito Centro, 29012 Málaga

- Hours: Summer: 9 am to 8 pm; Winter: 9 am to 6 pm

- Cost: 5.50 euros (for both monuments)

- Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Museo Picasso Malaga: Pablo Picasso, the famous Spanish artist who painted the most famous painting of the 20th century, Guernica, was born in Malaga in 1881. The Picasso Museum of Malaga was opened in 2003, and features hundreds of famous paintings of the artist. The collection is housed in the Palacio de Buenavista (declared a National Monument), which was built in the first half of the 16th century over the remains of a Nasrid Palace. Although the museum isn't home to Guernica (the artist's political protest against the bombing of the Basque town of that name), it features many other famous pieces that were donated by family and friends of the famous artist, and shows the metamorphosis of his style from amateur artist to the inventor of Cubism to his later re-workings of the Old Masters.

Museo Picasso Malaga

- Location: Palacio de Buenavista, C. San Agustín, 8, Distrito Centro, 29015 Málaga

- Hours: 10 am to 7 pm

- Cost: 9.50 euros; 7.50 euros (with European Youth Card); teachers are free (with proof of employment)

- Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Things You Should Know:

- Despite being on the "Coast of the Sun" the water in the Mediterranean was still really cold in early June.

- Guernica, the most famous of Picasso's paintings can be seen as the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid

Nearby: El Caminito del Rey - a fabulous hike (60 km NW of Malaga); Antequera - a typical Andalusian city (52 km north of Malaga); Gibraltar - English territory that controls access to the Mediterranean (134 km SW of Malaga); Cordoba - the Islamic capital of Spain during the height of Al-Andalus (158 km north of Malaga 49 min. by train); Granada - home to La Alhambra (126 km NE of Malaga).