Twas weird flying in from Edinburgh, the cold, blizzards and dour expressions replaced by a warm family atmosphere that showed many failings of life back home!
I just walked around! I gained blisters as I tromped from the center of town to the promenade and back again and in some peculiar way I felt that I was in Miami! I say peculiar because I dislike the inane American showing of bad taste immensely but Malaga I came to like - even if I cannot pinpoint the exact similarity!
Malaga is very typical of many Southern cities of Spain! Built for tourism it has an endless stream of hotels, guest houses and apartments but in these winter months the emphasis lies on the Spanish, the Brits and the Germans absent until the summer months creep back in again! Where the sand in Miami is golden brown it is black here! Where Miami runs on looks and the art of showing off, on big tits and roller bladers, scantily dressed woman and bare-chested ignoramous, Malaga in winter runs on families, on the art of relaxing and of simply being what one is.
Along the promenade on a Sunday morning the families are out in force. Little children run around, grandmothers hobble along supported by faithful daughters and granddads gather to talk in groups, about politics maybe or to grumble about unimportant things, the next-door neighbor perhaps. There is no rush here! The pace of life is slow, time just mumbles along and when it is time to go home they will but nobody is checking their watch to see!
I am sure that when the tourists come, when the sun is too hot to meander under and when the streets are packed with sex-seekers and drinkers all will change. Just now though life looks good - a moment perhaps for the locals to enjoy there city as it once was.
It may resemble Miami in some peculiar way but I thank my lucky stars it is not!
I am very happy to admitt my love afair with malaga. I found it a few months ago and now am having a hard time parting with it. Malaga like myself are often misunderstood, but if you want a city with a small town feel its the one for you. The best advice I can give you is ask around what are you looking for what kind of vacation do you want and this place will have whatever your little heart desires. Some of the locals are a little crazy but that is true in almost everyplace in the world. I hope you find it as intresting as I have. P.S. the men are great:)
ReplyDeleteI agree completely with you both. I spent my Erasmus semester in Malaga, living directly in the city centre, next to the cathedral. It was like living in a dream, yet it felt so real, and I knew right away that the departure six months later would break my heart. It might not be one of the most exciting places, but it feels good just to be there, to sit in the sun and enjoy life.
ReplyDeletep.s.: This comment is dedicated to alex, who wrote to me about this page on Myspace