Málaga

The Yellow group with Victor in Málaga

Málaga is the birthplace of Picasso, Antonio Banderas, and our guide Victor. We could see his top floor apartment from the square next to the port. Malaga was founded by the Phoenicians in 770 BC. We walked the old city, which is changing like so many. Residents can’t afford to live there as the apartments are converted to short-term rentals for tourists. These rentals are marked AT, Apartment Touristico. The Cathedral of the Annunciation has only one completed tower. The money to complete the second tower was reappropriated to aid the Americans in their fight against the British. The Marquis de Galves sent Spanish troops to defeat the British at the battle of Pensacola.  The money to complete the second tower has just been approved including $3 million from the American Sons of the Revolution.

Picasso's Minitaur

We visited the Picasso Museum. 187 works of art were donated by Picasso’s daughter. I’ll admit I’m not a fan of his art, but you could see his childlike nature in his art. Underneath the museum are the foundations of buildings built by the Phoenicians and Romans. We sampled salted almonds grown in the region and Muscatine wine as we toured the old town. The highlight of the morning was seeing the religious floats used in the Holy Week processions. These are maintained and carried by Brotherhoods (Confraternities). 250 men lift the 2 ½ ton floats at the sound of the bell, followed by 500 men in hooded red robes, Capirotes, through the streets from 7 PM to 2 AM.

Holy Week Float

We then had a home hosted lunch with Naria and Francisco. Their apartment is on the third floor overlooking the Sea. Naria volunteered for these lunches because she wanted to better learn English, since her husband, daughter, and son all speak it. We had a lively conversation and delicious meal of local dishes: Russian salad, potatoes omelets, and prune flavored pork.

Alcazar and Cathedral from the Castle

In the afternoon I climbed to the Castle of Gibrafaro originally built by the Phoenicians with a lighthouse. Most of the structure today is from the 14^th century. In 1487, the castle was sieged by the Catholics for 3 months forcing the Arabs to surrender. Below is the Alcazaba built in the 11^th century. A double wall was constructed between here and the castle.

European Union Lecture

In the afternoon, Professor Juan Zaro lectured about Spain and the European Union. Spain has historically had an inferiority complex with respect to Europe probably because of the Moorish occupation. The European Economic Community was created in 1957. It became the European Union in 1963. Spain joined in 1986 after it had been a democracy for several years. It is now the 3^rd largest country in the Union. Countries are represented based on their population. There are 24 official languages. Associated with the union is the Schengen treaty, members allow freedom of goods and people, both for labor and immigration, within the region. All EU members except Bulgaria, Romania, and Cypress belong. The EU has strict standards for food safety, consumer rights, and environmental protection. It has no army that is provided by NATO. Foreign policy and social programs remain the province of the individual countries.

That night we had a session of fairy tales. The trip leaders were the actors for the first, while we provided the actors for the second. 

Fairy Tale from trip leaders