In the land of Nelson. This title really has no connection with that has to follow.

 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 industries but the 1960s Costa del Sol tourist boom set things on an upward path.

Population wise Malaga numbered 71000 in the 1840s. It hit 137,000 in the 1880s, stagnated a bit till the 1910s when it rose to 150,000 by 1920, 236,000 by 1940, 500,000 in 1980 and 578,000 today.



We are ambling towards the Museo Carmen Thyssen Malaga. Here we see streetview in 2009 and 2011 - being built.  https://carmenthyssenmalaga.org/  The website is well worth a wander as it has art which doesn’t normally get seen by the causal browser of the internet. I’ve out in Passage of the Train for a bit of turn of the century Basque landscape. It has the usual mix of towns, hunkering down in the landscape and wild gipsies.  Google picks 10 top review words so I am going to pick on review from word 1,5 and 10.

1  19th Century.   Jan  wrote ‘The Carmen Thyssen Museum has a fantastic collection of art from the 19th century and a smaller collection of art from the first part of the 20th century. Right now also a special loan from collections from museums in Seville. The collection that was hung from the 20th century puts into perspective the many unknown Spanish artists who were contemporary with Miro, Picasso Salvor Dali and who were fully on par with more internationally known ones.’

5 Sorolla.  A beautiful museum with paintings from different periods. You can admire paintings by Dalí, Sorolla, and Velázquez, among others. Some of the exhibitions are temporary, and they are worth seeing. I will gladly return to this museum because the architecture of the building is also amazing.

10 Art of Belgium  Of course, as expected after visiting the Madrid branch, a very serious collection of art, well curated and fascinating. A vast collection of Spanish art of Spanish themes, but not only. The main exhibition is 3 floors from the collection, in more or less permanent curations, probably with slight changes. 4th floor has a changing exhibition, currently about Belgian art, was very cute and educational. OK entrance price at 10€, 1h-1,5h enough. Nice shop at the entrance with posters etc. Very much recommend!

We are very much in narrow streets tucked between castle and river territory.  We are going to turn off and to the mercado de Atarazanas - which gets 4.6 stars from 47000 reviews.  Apparently it is an LGBTQ+ friendly market and is one of those splendid buildings https://mercadomalaga.es/mercados/mercado-central-atarazanas/ which is open 9-2 every day, save Sundays, and is well worth a potter.  Memories are moments which should be conserved and bottled. The warmth of the roasted almonds and the hand of a small boy reaching out for them is one such.

Two hours ago Tim wrote ‘The Atarazanas Market is an absolute highlight of Malaga! The architecture is stunning, especially the massive stained-glass window and the historic iron structure. It is such a beautiful place, full of vibrant colors, incredible smells, and so much to see and try.


Beyond just shopping for groceries, it’s a fantastic spot for lunch. You can grab a seat at one of the small bars inside and enjoy a cold drink alongside some of the freshest tapas or seafood you'll ever have. It’s a feast for the senses and the perfect way to spend an afternoon in the city!’


Over the road is Bar Los Pueblos.  It used to boast of how quickly you would get served. It may still do so. It did Menu del Dia and was very prompt and was thoroughly enjoyable. https://cartadigital.barmanagerapp.com/site/index/show/HELENA  It is a daytime working place - open Monday to Saturday 7 till 5.  Six days ago eva wrote ‘We stumbled upon this bar yesterday for lunch and went back today. The menu has a wide selection, the food is delicious, the portions are just right, and the price is exceptional. The waitress who served us was very efficient and friendly, and the rest of the staff were very attentive. The place is cozy. We'll definitely be back before we leave Malaga.’


We end on the Alameda Principal. It is a joy, a tunnel of trees surrounded by the cliffs of tall buildings. All the buses run through here and it is bustley and is a shady space in a hot land.  So we come to the end of the day.




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