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 |
Goofing around at the Castel |
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 |
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