As I'm trying to collect all the material and readings for the final paper in one of the courses I took in the summer semester and also struggling with the summers writer's block, I decided to tell you this and that about my trip to Spain. Before I get down to all the tourist attractions and places worth seeing, I thought it may be nice to do a little review of what I liked and what I didn't fancy so much as it's been my 7th trip to Spain and 4th stay in Andalusia so I could look at things from a different perspective.
The last time I went on holidays to Costa del Sol was 7 years ago and I had nothing but the best memories form that time. In the meantime, I went to Costa Brava in 2015 (my Catalunya diary is to be found here), strolled around Barcelona, had the warmest of welcomes in every city I visited and fell in love with its coastline despite the not so nice beaches. And that's the picture of Spain I'd had in my head until reality ruined my perfect vision. Truth be told, I wasn't all that sad to head back home when the plane took off at 2am from the Malaga Airport. This being said, I owe you some explanation so let me begin with the things I really liked and can recommend.
Plaza de la Constitution in Malaga (as seen from one of the nearby cake shops)
THUMBS UP:
- Bar America (Calle San Gines 38, Torremolinos) - the friendliest and most hospitable staff I've met during the whole stay! I can truly recommend you their sangria as the best way to finish off the day. Also, the only place where I left tips because the service was perfect yet so discrete, I could easily feel myself at home.
- Granada - although the Alhambra and Generalife seem to be its main tourist attraction, the city itself is also very charming and worth seeing, even if it means walking past random streets. Also, taxis are much cheaper than along the coastline and the people do seek English and are really welcome.
- the Etnia Cosmetics stand at El Corte Ingles in Granada (Carrera de la Virgen 20-22) - even though I haven't bought there anything, I recommend it because of the cool shop assistant who advised me no to try their fragrances on those tiny papers you get but to spray it on my skin instead to get the right smell. That was so rare that without any doubt I can say this was the first time something like this happened to me. You can find Etnia stands in almost every El Corte Inlges so if you happen to visit one, give this brand a try (and try this fragrance).
- Lepanto (av. Condes de San Isidro 37, Fuengirola) - Lepanto is a chain of cake shops to be found in Fuengirola, Torremolinos and Malaga (at least these are the places where I was, if you heard about some other locations, leave a comment!) which a few years ago celebrated its 50th anniversary! Apart from cakes, macarons and other pastries, they have ice cream (also without sugar so a real paradise for all the diabetics), sandwiches and many more. So why do I mention Fuengirola and give it thumbs up? It's quite sentimental. The first time I came across Lepanto was years ago, in 2004 I guess, when I was staying in Fuengirola. It was just on the way to the hotel and I remember eating there delicious cheese and ham sandwiches. That was also the time when I first met the old lady who still works there and looks as beautiful as ever. She's so friendly and has a bright welcoming smile for every guest. Needless to say I was over the moon when I saw her still working this year (btw. paying a little visit to Lepanto was the first thing on my mind when I decided to go on holiday to Spain #priorities).
- luggage lockers at Maria Zambrano railway station in Malaga - if you ever happen to be in a need of some storage space while waiting for your overnight flight, go to Maria Zambrano! I came across this place on TripAdvisor and now I can fully recommend it myself! The lockers are of different size (I even read you can store your golf equipment there), once you put the luggage you get an individual code so it's 100% safe and there's no way someone can open you locker with some spare key. My advice: take a picture of the code you get (you get it printed just like a regular bill in a shop) so that it doesn't get lost or accidentally thrown away. Also, before you even enter the lockers section, all your luggage and bags are scanned the way it's done during the security check at the airport so it's another reason why it's probably the safest place to leave your belongings. Besides, Maria Zambrano is just one stop away from Centro Alameda, so you can leave your stuff and go sightseeing.
- Lepanto (av. Condes de San Isidro 37, Fuengirola) - Lepanto is a chain of cake shops to be found in Fuengirola, Torremolinos and Malaga (at least these are the places where I was, if you heard about some other locations, leave a comment!) which a few years ago celebrated its 50th anniversary! Apart from cakes, macarons and other pastries, they have ice cream (also without sugar so a real paradise for all the diabetics), sandwiches and many more. So why do I mention Fuengirola and give it thumbs up? It's quite sentimental. The first time I came across Lepanto was years ago, in 2004 I guess, when I was staying in Fuengirola. It was just on the way to the hotel and I remember eating there delicious cheese and ham sandwiches. That was also the time when I first met the old lady who still works there and looks as beautiful as ever. She's so friendly and has a bright welcoming smile for every guest. Needless to say I was over the moon when I saw her still working this year (btw. paying a little visit to Lepanto was the first thing on my mind when I decided to go on holiday to Spain #priorities).
- luggage lockers at Maria Zambrano railway station in Malaga - if you ever happen to be in a need of some storage space while waiting for your overnight flight, go to Maria Zambrano! I came across this place on TripAdvisor and now I can fully recommend it myself! The lockers are of different size (I even read you can store your golf equipment there), once you put the luggage you get an individual code so it's 100% safe and there's no way someone can open you locker with some spare key. My advice: take a picture of the code you get (you get it printed just like a regular bill in a shop) so that it doesn't get lost or accidentally thrown away. Also, before you even enter the lockers section, all your luggage and bags are scanned the way it's done during the security check at the airport so it's another reason why it's probably the safest place to leave your belongings. Besides, Maria Zambrano is just one stop away from Centro Alameda, so you can leave your stuff and go sightseeing.
one of the many sand sculptures you can see along the promenade in Torremolinos and Benalmadena (some of them even have candles around them and look so magical at night)
THUMBS DOWN:
- overpriced taxi rides - even though I tried to use public transport as much as I could (the C-1 metro one making it as easy as pissing), there were a few times when I had to use the taxi. I don't quite know how taxis along the coastline work but compared to Granada, the rides costed me and arm and a leg! Let's talk numbers! When I arrived to Montemar Alto (one of the C-1 stations), I called a taxi and from what I could read on Google Maps, the distance to go to the apartment was approximately 1,5 kilometres. Of course, I could have gone it on foot and I definitely would have, hadn't it been one big slippery slope. So, instead of bruising my legs which inevitably would have been hit but my suitcase had I opted for a walk, I went for the luxurious option which costed €10! I could hardly believe my eyes and even today I still don't get it how come the price was so high compared to my taxi ride in Granada which was like ten times longer can costed a little less than € 8 (the route was from the bus station straight to the Alhambra with multiple stops and a little tour through the city included). I know the difference lies in the initial tariff (almost €4 in Fuengirola and less than €2 in Granada!) but I clearly had the feeling I was either charged half the money for nothing or, as it was once in Fuengirola, the driver drove some extra mile to increase the final price. If anyone knows where does the tariff difference come from, any explanation would be appreciated cause I still feel as if I had wasted so much money.
- general unfriendliness towards almost every tourist - this is not to say I experienced it everywhere I went but I saw that the locals aren't as friendly as I thought (or remembered from years ago). Many times I had a feeling that I wasn't welcome just because I was a tourist. I was in Malaga and after a visit to the Museum of Contemporary Art, I decided to find some shade in one of the nearby cafes. Had I known I'd be told to literally get out, I'd much rather had spent the whole day without my daily dose of green tea. I remember arriving there like 30 minutes before 1pm and had no idea that the siesta time is the new holy Jesus and once the clock hit 1pm, the waiter came, gave me the bill and started mumbling something in Spanish without any notice that I do not understand. It was around 1:05pm when I left because I literally feared I may be forcefully dragged out of the place.
- almost no chance to speak proper English - imagine spending years on studying the modern lingua franca, doing your best to achieve proficiency and being as fluent in English as in your mother tongue and then going to one of the biggest tourist destinations in Europe and suddenly you can't even order 2 cups of tea! Not to mention dealing with some more complicated things like informing the reception desk about the rescheduled flight. Some years ago I read an interesting report on Europeans and their language skills and it read that the Spanish are the worst when it comes to speaking English. I remember it hit me as odd but now I can honestly say, that report told nothing but the truth. Once I was at El Corte Ingles in Malaga (the one near Centro Alameda station) and went to their cafeteria for lunch. Quite obviously I had problems with ordering my meal but when it came to the bill, I was left waiting for a couple of minutes and when I finally decided to take some action and asked the waitress when could I finally pay, she pointed at my table and started saying something in Spanish and clearly didn't seem to pay me much attention.
- the privileged nationality - we all pay the same price for our holidays but yet, there are some nations who can more. The Dutch who sort of colonised the area where I was even have beaches with Dutch flags waving along the Spanish ones. During my stay I went to the Tucan Beach in Torremolinos and noticed right away that the Dutch were the majority there. But fine, everyone has the right to travel, everyone deserves a little vacay and so on. I was trying to stay as positive as I could. Until the last day there. I went to the beach in the morning, found 2 free sunbeds and put my towels there. After a while, a lady (probably one of the owners/managers) came to inform me these 2 places were somewhat reserved and told me to take my things. Trying to still be polite I asked about remaining free places and told her I wasn't the Holy Ghost to know what is free and what not if something's not clearly marked (reserved places had little yellowish tables put on the beds and the ones I found had no table on them). And to my greatest surprise I was told the free places were some 4 beds with those tricking tables on them. I'm sorry but if you see some logic here, please correct me cause it's still a mystery of all time to me. I know business is business but, as I wrote in my Facebook review of this place, I still don't get how can someone reserve 20 sunbeds and I could hardly get 2 for me and Mum. Also, I think overconsumption of alcohol on the beach should be prohibited cause I'm not a fan of elderly people singing best of the best of the Dutch hits from the 60s and playing their music so loud as if they were the only ones around. Turns out you just can't buy savoir-vivre.
- almost no chance to speak proper English - imagine spending years on studying the modern lingua franca, doing your best to achieve proficiency and being as fluent in English as in your mother tongue and then going to one of the biggest tourist destinations in Europe and suddenly you can't even order 2 cups of tea! Not to mention dealing with some more complicated things like informing the reception desk about the rescheduled flight. Some years ago I read an interesting report on Europeans and their language skills and it read that the Spanish are the worst when it comes to speaking English. I remember it hit me as odd but now I can honestly say, that report told nothing but the truth. Once I was at El Corte Ingles in Malaga (the one near Centro Alameda station) and went to their cafeteria for lunch. Quite obviously I had problems with ordering my meal but when it came to the bill, I was left waiting for a couple of minutes and when I finally decided to take some action and asked the waitress when could I finally pay, she pointed at my table and started saying something in Spanish and clearly didn't seem to pay me much attention.
- the privileged nationality - we all pay the same price for our holidays but yet, there are some nations who can more. The Dutch who sort of colonised the area where I was even have beaches with Dutch flags waving along the Spanish ones. During my stay I went to the Tucan Beach in Torremolinos and noticed right away that the Dutch were the majority there. But fine, everyone has the right to travel, everyone deserves a little vacay and so on. I was trying to stay as positive as I could. Until the last day there. I went to the beach in the morning, found 2 free sunbeds and put my towels there. After a while, a lady (probably one of the owners/managers) came to inform me these 2 places were somewhat reserved and told me to take my things. Trying to still be polite I asked about remaining free places and told her I wasn't the Holy Ghost to know what is free and what not if something's not clearly marked (reserved places had little yellowish tables put on the beds and the ones I found had no table on them). And to my greatest surprise I was told the free places were some 4 beds with those tricking tables on them. I'm sorry but if you see some logic here, please correct me cause it's still a mystery of all time to me. I know business is business but, as I wrote in my Facebook review of this place, I still don't get how can someone reserve 20 sunbeds and I could hardly get 2 for me and Mum. Also, I think overconsumption of alcohol on the beach should be prohibited cause I'm not a fan of elderly people singing best of the best of the Dutch hits from the 60s and playing their music so loud as if they were the only ones around. Turns out you just can't buy savoir-vivre.
Don't get me wrong, just because I had a little rant above, doesn't mean Costa del Sol isn't worth those 3 hours on a plane. But having been there so many times, I'm much more critical and sort of notice the inconspicuous things which may even make other people's jaws drop. Still, despite all the bed memories I brought to Poland this time, I can tell that the south of Spain is still one of the best places to go to for a little summers getaway. It's my beloved Al-Andalus after all.
accidentally came across this marvellous example of Islamic architecture almost in the middle of Malaga
the Malaga Cathedral; alway crowded with tourist taking pictures (hopefully they know what they're shooting)
it just wouldn't be my blog without pics of cats here and there
my love for chandeliers continues; this time at Lepanto in Torremolinos
the streets of Granada are so charming (and many of them are very narrow so you get that extra bit of shade while trying to escape the 45 degree heat)
this is more or less the place where the bus from Alhambra stops (yep, there's a special bus taking you from the complex down to the city; again, I highly recommend even though the taxi ride is also a nice option compared to what I experienced in seaside towns)
I fell in love with all the ceramic street signs and this one has obviously been my favourite one (in case you needed, there's a kosher supermarket in Torremolinos and it sells kosher meat and bread; from what I know they also organize kosher catering for Shabbat and other feasts)
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