Malaga, the Moors, and a Man called Pedro



Entrance to the Alcazaba



Our first port stop was in Malaga, Spain. We were delighted with this seaside city in southern Spain with its craggy mountain backdrop and interesting historic sites. We wandered on our own beginning with the Alcazaba, a palace-fortress built by the Moors in the 10 hundreds. Moorish influence is strong here since the Moors occupied Malaga for about 700 years.



Reflecting pool in the palace of Alcazaba



The fortress is positioned on a steep mountainside so we wandered up stylishly patterned brick and stone walkways passing thru Arab keyhole archways and portals. The Palace sits at a high point overlooking the city, with beautiful gardens, fountains, and reflecting pools -- like a mini-Alhambra for those of you who have seen the Alhambra. The Moors had a thing for water; it was valued as the equivalent of “gold“ to them, since it was never available in abundance. A network of brick water troughs still channels water to all the plants and trees and fills the fountains and pools. 



Castel Gibralfaro with view of the harbor

 The Castel Gibralfaro sits even higher on the mountain peak. We took a taxi cab to the top and walked back down to the city (a good move!). We walked the old ramparts taking in the excellent views including one of our ship clearly visible in the harbor below. We also got a great top down view of Malaga’s impressive bullfighting arena. 



Goofing around at the Castel

 After descending from the mountain, we hiked across town enjoying the great vibe in the winding streets of colorful mansions and pretty outdoor cafes. Our goal was the Malaga Wine Museum. Pedro, the museum host, was very curt and not the least bit welcoming. We quickly toured the small museum after which Pedro poured us some Malagan wine. He really was quite rude, but I guess when he saw how interested we were in the wine, he started to warm up (or maybe it was because we bought a couple bottles!). The history of Malagan wine goes back to the Moors who made wine (even though the Koran forbids the drinking of alcohol). Malagan wines are fortified wines with alcohol levels of 18-19%. The dry ones are sherry-like, but the most typical wines are very dulce (sweet).

Pedro became such a good buddy; he even recommended his favorite restaurant to us, which turned out to be a wonderful suggestion on many levels. We don’t know if Pedro let them know we were coming, but the folks at La Garrafa treated us incredibly well. It was a cute wine tavern where we sat on little stools surrounded by wine barrels. We ordered several tapas (including giant meatballs made with hamburger and almonds - called “albundigones”, that were really good), and the staff added a free plate of excellent roasted peppers (maybe they thought we needed a veggie?). They must have thought we needed a sweet too because when we declined dessert, they brought us two slices of free cheesecake! Thank you, Pedro!!

Our lucky streak continued when we boarded the ship. The Celebrity rule is that any wine (or alcohol) purchased in a port must be stored by them until the end of the cruise (they really want you to buy your drinks on board). But no one said a word as they x-rayed our bags with the 3 wine bottles.



In the gardens of the Alcazaba