Tuesday 6 October 2015

Malaga - and Oxgate Farm.

Revamping the kitchen, sorting out tax and finances, a lot of twin babysitting ... and I've been invited to try my hand at some interesting projects which I hope to share with you soon.   Seems like a perfect time to share the pictures of Malaga that I promised months ago. 

But, first, I just want to mention that on the way to the DIY superstores in Brent (a place which could act as a location shoot for a dystopian movie) I passed an amazing house on a dreary road. Surrounded by light industrial and nondescript semis, it was in a ghastly state of repair and partly boarded with corrugated iron.  But I knew from its shape and construction that it must be really old, so when I got back I googled around and found that it is called Oxgate Farm.  Take a look at the pictures on its Facebook page, specially the ones where they've dressed up the inside. Wow! What an extraordinary survival - and to think Shakespeare himself might have visited. It's very much at risk, and so I've written to the SPAB about it and joined the FB page and I hope something can be done about it.  I will keep you posted. 
  
I've chosen some of the Malaga pictures to give you a feel of what it's like to spend a day in the "old town" (as distinct from the touristy bits which look much the same all along the coast).   The photos were taken in February, and show why Southern Spain's such a good place to escape the English winter. 

So, early one morning, we got up and wandered into the main squares in the town. Felt like paradise after England's grey winter skies. Here's someone having breakfast and reading the paper in the slanting morning sun. 


Because it's winter the shadows were long but very pretty.


Always there are little shrines in the wall - and isn't this wall painted up interestingly. I think it must be a Moorish design. 


Spanish shops often seem to be shut, or at least they are when I need them, but they are open on weekday mornings. We often go to the indoor market to get food, but delis are also fun, and this one, with its toys and sweets alongside the nuts and dried fruits, must attract kids as much as adults.



We always eat fish when we go to Spain and this is the kind of stuff we buy for souvenirs.



Yes, Spanish dancing outfits.  The twins already have them as their other grandparents have a holiday home in Spain.  They don't half look cute in them.



Are these hats?  The window sign says "biretta" but I mean, seriously, what are they?



About midday, we strolled down to the port, recently redesigned in striking style with a dazzling white canopy like a snake skeleton. It was like being inside a giant architectural model, all clean lines and glass, a beautiful bit of architecture. You can see the canopy reflections in the shot below, which was taken through a sheet of glass.  I love the bright blue and white feeling of it all.  It reminds me of my childhood when I would get on a boat often to go somewhere new.



All so bright and twinkly.



Further along there is the wide sandy beach, swept clean, with empty kids' play equipment and  nobody swimming.  February is February, after all!



There's an old Moorish castle on the hill above Malaga so we went there as the afternoon siesta took hold of the town and all the shops closed.



Past the cathedral en route.



And from the castle, there were  wide views over the town.  The holiday flats in the background are typical of the places that give the Costa del Sol a bad name, although I expect those who own them have a great view of the sea!



The castle's main structure is restored, though the elaborate interiors have been mostly left plain; I can't begin to think of the cost of restoring those.  It's none the worse for it, though, and we were happy to amble round the gardens and pathways and sit in the shady corners.  



I wished, though, that I could have brought along my friend Yehuda, a keen amateur bricklayer who would have gone into raptures over this restored ceiling.
 

When we got back to town, evening was coming on, the clear sky was a deepening blue, the street lamps were on. Things were starting to come to life again. 



By 7 PM the streets were bustling with shoppers, the marble pavements reflecting the light from the windows.  I bought some almonds from the almond seller who had been sitting there all day.  There he is on the left, with his tray of almonds.


And by 8.30 the bars and restaurants were showing a few signs of life.  I've never got used to the late eating hours in Spain, and in February the old town doesn't have all that many foreign tourists who keep earlier hours.   This is the El Jardin restaurant and bar.


Here's a close up of the traditional Amstel pump on that counter.

 

If we'd been with friends and family, we'd have waited to eat until the restaurants filled and to hell with the indigestion.  But we didn't want to wait, so we set off to find a restaurant where we could eat outdoors, just because it was February and we could sit outdoors....   


A fantastic paella and a lovely evening.  Guitarists jammed away happily in the dark shadows nearby



And the cats came out to claim the night.


 PS.  I didn't mention the Picasso Museum, but it deserves a post of its own. Since I can't do it justice here, this video might give you a taste of it, and



here is one of my favourite pictures in it.



It is also a gorgeous building. Look at the contrast of this wooden ceiling with the plain walls and staircase.  One of the things I love about Spain is the sense of style.

 

46 comments:

  1. I do enjoy travelling with you. How lovely to see the real town. On a long-ago misguided holiday in Palma Nova I spent my time wandering in Palma - a different world.
    Those hats are surely lampshades? What beautiful gifts those boxes of sardines would make. So much better than chocolates.
    I hope the twins are making the most of their flamenco outfits.

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    1. I have to admit they're rather baffled by them. By the time they've figured out what the fuss is about I fear they will have grown out of them! No, they're not lampshades. Puzzlingly.

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  2. I think if I went to Spain I would never want to leave. Just glorious!

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  3. We stayed in Malaga for a couple of weeks back around 2000, enjoyed it, but did find it very touristy.

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  4. You pick up on the details that I would never see. It makes me wonder if perhaps the crappy town that I live in, isn't crappy, I'm just blind.

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  5. I loved Malaga - though came out of the Picasso museum needing cake and the waiter refused to understand me. I ended up texting a daughter, teaching in Caracas, who shushed her children for long enough to text back, 'I understand cake emergency ...' (still can't remember the Spanish for cake, but at least I know daughter is always on my side!)

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  6. This must be a lovely time to visit Malaga, enjoy some winter sunshine and have it almost to yourself along with the locals. I have never visited but imagine that it is quite a different place during the summer months. I prefer to be here for our summer - come rain or shine, and enjoy sunshine in other places when the winter months are with us here.
    Those tins of fish are the kind of souvenirs we like to pop in our suitcases too.

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  7. Old houses of that vintage are not unusual around this way however I would not expect to find one in Brent! A million or so might help it stay up.

    The second picture from Malaga is way ahead of the rest! Super stuff!
    i could feel the warmth in February as you walked around and the siesta idea is a good one which I have copied these days. I prefer the castle and those brick roofs to the drunk infested holiday flats overlooking the bay.

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  8. I've only been to Malaga twice and, frankly, saw very little of it really but it did give me the impression of being a place I should visit 'properly' one day. However as I've only been to Spain a handful of times to visit friends another visit seems unlikely in the foreseeable future. Which is a very long-winded way of saying that you've whetted my appetite. And, of course, I want to see where the two lovers met. Doubtless you can guess that my favourite photo was of the almond seller.

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  9. A beautiful February day! Next time i'm sniffling with the cold here in the coldest month of the year, i will try to remember and look at your Spain pictures to cheer me up.

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  10. Another place I would love to visit, especially in the peacefulness of the morning. Those people keep too late hours for me.

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  11. The cathedral is amazing. Even more amazing when I googled more photos of it! A shame about those awful holiday apartments though. Such a hideous contrast with the older buildings.

    I'd be ecstatic if I came face to face with all that delicious-looking dried fruit.

    That restored brick ceiling is wonderful. But the brickie must have had a hell of an aching neck by the time it was finished!

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    1. Hm, yes, didn't think about his neck. But I am sure you are right. Arms, too.

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  12. I fall in love with Spain every time I visit. You make me want to go again.

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  13. Fantastic, absolutely fantastic photos....how stunning they are, one and all. Thanks for sharing. :)

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  14. Thanks for bringing us along! (And for the cat pic.)
    That museum is art in itself. Love your favorite painting, too. :)

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  15. The biretta sure looks interesting. :)

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  16. Thank you for this tour of a fascinating place! My favourite picture of this lot is the wall lamp with its shadow. The Moorish castle looks like a place I'd love to spend an afternoon at, too. As for the late eating, I'm not too happy about it, either, but I can adapt when I am not on my normal work schedule. Usually by the time dinner comes round I am past being hungry, though. (It is the same in Sicily, and so I can compare, even though I have never been to Spain myself.)

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    1. Eating too late just gives me indigestion. I think my body feels it deserves a break from digesting by about 11 PM. :)

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  17. I like all the photos. That brick ceiling is really stunning and the wooden one is also intriguing.. I always love to look at store displays and shop windows - but those odd hats remind me of gumdrops.

    I was never a huge Picasso fan, but that museum is fantastic. And I do like the child on the donkey.

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    1. The "hats" (if that is what they are ) are definitely like some kind of candy, or else a sort of soft furnishing.

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  18. I hope to read more from you about Oxgate later on.

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    1. I'll let you know. It's a real bit of history.

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  19. The parts that are not built specifically for tourists are the best, the "real" place.
    Beautiful light

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  20. Wonderful photos and descriptions of Malaga. I can see why people would want to vacation there although maybe not in one of those high rises. Going back to look at Oxgate now.

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    1. Wish I'd been able to take a photo, but I didn't have my camera with me, not even my phone!

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  21. Hats ... or lampshades?
    Never made it to Malaga so I appreciate these pictures of the place.
    I hope you keep us posted about the old building.

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  22. A lovely trip, and your photos are gorgeous, Jenny. It shows what a good photographer you are that you can get such great evening shots. I never realised Malaga had so much to see in the way of architecture and beautiful historic buildings. Thank you for taking me there!

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  23. We've been to Spain many times over the years, and if you avoid the touristy areas it really is very beautiful, and the sun in the winter months is a real bonus! Love all your photos.

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  24. You forgot to send me some of those sardines!

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    1. I love them because the tins are so decorative!

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  25. Spain seems like the perfect place to go when your body and soul are starved for some warmth and sunlight during the dead of winter!

    I absolutely love your picture of the kitten coming out to claim the night.

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  26. Hi, Jenny!
    It was interesting to see Malaga, beach, hotels, houses ---all what I was wanting to visit for years. I've been to other touristic areas in Spain but never in Costa del Sol. I laughed reading the shops are always closed when you need them. Happy October!

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  27. Gorgeous...... such lovely light!!

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  28. Marvellous photos. Málaga is one of those places I have to visit one day because my wife's family on her father's side comes from there. :-)

    Greetings from London.

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  29. Now I realize that Spain has such beautiful places to visit. I went to Toledo 30 years ago. Wow, that was a long time ago!!! That was my first trip to other country and I was very impressed by the different
    atmosphere and the history.I especially like the seventh photo.

    Thank you for your comment on my recent blog. As you say, yes, many local people come to visit the port to buy fresh fish!!

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    1. I have never been to Toledo, Tomoko! But I was talking to a friend only today about Spain and she told me it is worth visiting.

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  30. I love that I get to live through you vicariously through all of your travel photos. You get to visit some of the most interesting places! I am now following Oxgate Farm on facebook. It's too bad that it needs so much work. It's so beautiful.

    Thank you for your contribution to Chico's Cancer Fund. I truly appreciate more than I can ever express. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

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    1. I'm glad you're following Oxgate farm, it'll be interesting to see what happens. I hope that you meet your target and I'm glad that Chico is on the way to getting some help for his condition.

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  31. How lovely! I have, by chance, been learning a fair bit about Spain lately, as it makes an appearance in some books and TV shows that I have been enjoying. It's a fascinating place, with so many influences on its art and culture.

    If those are hats, they are the funkiest hats I've ever seen!

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  32. I love it that cats claim the night! You know, the only "knowledge" I had of Malaga was that it was a place. In choir, we used to do this choral speaking song about different places and one of the choruses went "Canada, Malaga, Rimini, Brindisi." It's clear they weren't the best of teachers then because while we learned the song, apart from Canada, none of us had a clue where the other places were! I'm impressed by the warm light, the Moorish influence and the wonderful photos. It looks like someplace I would truly enjoy -- especially if I was in spots like you were and not the "touristy" places!

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  33. So glad to be able to pop back at last and enjoy your travels Jenny. I am jealous re the paella...
    Kind regards
    Anna :o]

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  34. Oops, I think I missed this great post last week Jenny. What a treasure trove it is for moi, who has never been to Spain. The interior arches in the castle are gorgeous, very appealing to me, along with that fantastic ceiling. The twins must look adorable in the Spanish costumes - kids do love dress-ups so very much. Our grandson, bless him, talks about tutus rather a lot! As for the Picasso - that is a real treasure, that one. Love it too!

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  35. It certainly looks like great place to spend the winter. The castle looks interesting and just the kind of place I enjoy visiting. My aunt and uncle used to take their camper van and head for Spain straight after Christmas every year staying for 3 months and missing the worst of the English winter.

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