In Malaga I stayed in a hostel on the west side, 5 kilometers from the center. Even though it was the beginning of March, the weather was quite good.
Having parked near the Faculty of Economic Sciences, the center was 1 km away. As I went down I saw buildings of little value such as a church or the brotherhood of the Cristo de la Sangre. Once in the center, I would enter the tourist office, which is located in a beautiful neoclassical palace built for the society of friends of the country. Interesting is the church that adjoins the palace, the church of Cristo de la Salud and its beautiful dome, decorated with different baroque paintings that can be seen below.

Very close to this church is the church of the Sacred Heart, which despite being quite modern, from the 19th century, is very beautiful, neoclassical in style. Next to it is a square where the Thyssen palace is located, which houses a painting museum inside. Also in this area is the church of San Juan Bautista, the most beautiful in my opinion in Malaga after the cathedral. It is neoclassical in style with baroque altarpieces and different chapels to the Virgin and Jesus. The church culminates in a beautiful 4-storey tower, which reaches the height of the cathedral tower.
After seeing all these churches, I would go to the west bank, visiting the central market of Malaga and the church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán, which is quite modern and has no cultural interest.



Pulling towards the cathedral of Malaga, also called the Santa Iglesia Catedral Basílica de la Encarnaciónand its surroundings, the first thing I see is the great episcopal palace next to it. It stands out in front of the great fountain in the square. The interior of the cathedral is quite voluminous being the tallest cathedral in height with large windows and stained glass windows that make the interior itself look like a large painted mural. Construction began in 1525 and ended in 1785 without having finished the initial project. That is why it is called "la manquita", lacking as elements the roof, the main sacristy, the central belfry, the sculptural ornamentation. It would begin to be built in the late Gothic style and ending with a Renaissance style that is predominant. On the other side is the Hospital de Santo Tomas.



Pulling towards the citadel, we pass by the Albeniz cinema and visit the Roman interpretation center where the Roman theater is located, recovered for the city not many years ago. From there you go up to the Alcazaba and the castle of Gibralfaro from where you can see the whole city. The citadel is a palatial fortification from the Islamic period, built on top of a previous fortification of Phoenician-Punic origin.2 It is located on the slopes of Mount Gibralfaro, in an elevated position but contiguous and linked to the historic center of the city, which constituted the old Mālaqa madina, and at the top of which is the Gibralfaro Castle. This castle was built on an ancient Phoenician site that housed a lighthouse, at the top of the city. During Roman times it would go unnoticed and it would be the Almohad kings who would build a fortress in its place. It was one of the most impregnable fortresses in the Iberian Peninsula. It consists of two lines of walls and eight towers. It would be the residence of King Ferdinand the Catholic before the capture of Granada. Below these lines view of the citadel from the park on the shores of the port.

It occupied the eastern end of the missing walled enclosure of the city, so that the southern, western and northern fronts were within the walls. Its current area of ​​15,000 square meters is not even half the size it was in its heyday, as shown by the preserved historical plans. This time I would not go up and go to the city museum. It is well worth it to learn about the Phoenician origins of this city, Malaka. There are many objects from the Roman period and a little less from the Arab period.





From there I will head towards the beach, La Malagueta. Going through Cervantes avenue where the town hall is located. I will also go through the port park and the lighthouse. There is a large area of restaurants and shops. With this I will conclude the visit to Malaga, in just over 5 hours. If you go up to the citadel you can easily go the whole day. Lastly, it would pass through the Málaga Bullring known as La Malagueta. Below these lines, views of the Tres Gracias fountain, designed by a French sculptor in the 19th century, located in the General Torrijos roundabout, with a view of the citadel and the Gibralfaro castle.

Day 8, from Malaga to Baza, knowing the peoples of Granada (click to continue)

March 4, 2022