The Road from Santiago

  We left Malaga having been finally Castillianised in 1487. This was not entirely what the locals wanted.  When Ferdinand of Ferdinand and Isabella fame died in 1516 - the place revolted. Personally I’ve always thought of his as charming and dodgy since he was played by Jack May in a Radio 4 play about Joanna the Mad and Ferdinand grabbing power from her. As he also played Nelson Gabriel in the Archers and had black satin sheets, what can you expect?  The result was that the Admiral of Castile was put in charge until 1530. The city grew, despite a 16th century full of epidemics, poor harvests, floods and earthquakes. The 18th century was happier and the general notion of industrial revolutions took hold here - with Spanish Liberalism triumphing. The late 19th century was less happy, with the collapse of the iron, wine and sugar indust ries but the 1960s Costa del Sol tourist boom set things on an upward path. Population wise Malaga numbered 71000 in the 1840s. It hit 137...

  We are going for a walk through Malaga today. It is the real city centre experience - packed through with shops, people and a mildly confusing directions. I remember Burgos had such a thing that you felt you were going one way and small changes lead to a ninety degree misdirect.  Anyway, back to Malaga. Malaga has a population of nearly 600,0 00 people, making it the second largest city in Andalusia and 6th in the county. According to the sort of people who make it their business to know this kind of thing the Phoenicians turned up in 770BC and felt this river mouthed place would make a jolly decent town. From the 6th century before our Lord and Saviour the Carthaginians popped up till, in 218BC, the Romans Romaized the place.  Fast forward through Visigoths and Moors to 1487, when Castile took the place and, as a kingdom that was founded in 1065, conveniently tacked on another 350 years and announced it has reconquered the place. We have lots of Malaga to do and a lot ...

  Why change a happy format.  Since half way through Blighty we have had route and photos along route.  Today it is more a case of snaps from the castle till we get down out of the castle.  Enter Malaga Castle.  Well, we will enter Malaga castle by nipping down to the lift at the foot of the castle and whizzing straight to the top.  Welcome to the Alcazaba of Malaga. It is, yes, let us use the word, a splendid castle complex on top of the cliffs, over looking the gleaming med.  It was begun in the early 11th century and it was added to across the century. It got a major rebuild under Nasrid emir, Muhammad II, who upped the palace quotient at the top.  On 6th May 1487 the Army of Castile arrived, with cannons, and began a siege. On 18th August the place fell.  By the 18th century its function as a military post ceased and people lived in it.  That all ended in 1933 when it was taken back, archaeologised and generally restored - although w...

Well I can’t find it. This is not much of a shame but there is an anecdote connected and why not. If you are going to die doing it to save a loved one from a fire or similar act of humanitarian relief is at least notable and worthy.  Choking to death on a pork scratching, while having a comic element, is less blue plaque worthy. Let me take you back to a day in the middle 2000s.  It was a day over Easter in which all the shops were closed but a single minimarket a decent walk from where we were staying. We were leaving that day and various sweetmeats and the like were needed. I set out on a quest to find such.  I bought some things. They had pork scratchings. I have never had Spanish pork scratchings. I thought I would try some. It started well enough until one got stuck in my throat. I will spare you the details save I was choking.  By myself. Without any necessary form of relief.  I consider that when my body is found there is no way to link it to my wife and ...