Malaga, Spain

Monday, October 31 - Happy Halloween in Malaga, Spain
I had no idea what to expect because I had not found time to research this stop, but was very pleasantly surprised at what a beautiful and romantic town we found. Again, we took a five euro shuttle thru the commercial port and to the edge of town. We started out walking the beautiful gardens on our way to find an ATM to get more euros. There was a fascinating fort up on the hill we were anxious to explore, but it was clear that it would be a significant hike and I didn’t want to risk getting up there and not having the entry fee to go inside. Europe was not open to receiving US dollars like we had found throughout Asia. Three banks and two non-working ATM’s later we finally accomplished getting some euros. We first tried to visit La Alcazaba, but found it closed so we stopped at a tourist information center to find out what was opened to explore. Unfortunately only four of the many monuments and places of interest were open today. It was then a long steep hike up the hill to Castillo de Gibralfaro, the first of our four stops. During the climb we were able to look inside the bull fighting arena and see breathtaking views of the city. From the fortress walls there was an amazing view of the entire city and the mountains that surround it. There was also a small museum with artifacts from the Arab and Spanish times. We walked the rampart & merlons and explored the towers and turrets. It was easy to see why the structure had survived 700+ years. It was an architectural masterpiece.
We rewarded ourselves with a stop at an outdoor cafe after hiking back down to town. I went off and explored the cathedral while Gary relaxed over a beer. We then hiked together across town to the Picasso Museum and home, and passed by the ancient amphitheater for a quick look on our way. It had been a very exhausting day. We were both ready to work our way back to the ship and enjoy some sun and a dip in the hot tub before getting dressed for dinner and dancing.
The evening was filled with Halloween festivities. We could not believe how many had packed very elaborate costumes. There was a costume competition, haunting movies, a Halloween dance and games all evening. We were so glad that tomorrow would be a relaxing sea day as we sailed thru the Straits and into the open waters of the Atlantic on our way to the Canary Islands.