Málaga, ¡Qué increíble!

At the end of classes last week, my flatmate and a mutual friend of ours decided that we were ready for a new change of pace and headed to Málaga for a day at the beach. The city is situated approximately 85 miles away from Granada, and the bus ride was about one and a half hours. All of us slept on the bus due to the absurd hour that we left in the morning, but once we woke up, we gazed upon the blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Once off the bus, we walked towards the nearest beach from what we could tell on the map. The beach was gorgeous, filled with tourists and locals alike taking in the sun and the warm air.

In fact, the beach was so relaxing that at one point, we all fell asleep for a few minutes! We then decided that we would find downtown and search for somewhere where we could eat. On our way, we spotted a park for what we thought was made for children. However, there were adults using it, and the equipment was made for exercising. 

For example, the man on the left is on an elliptical... I guess it is convenient for anyone to work out then.

Finally, we found a cafetería to eat at near the downtown area, and I got to try el jamón ibérico for the first time. This ham is known to be one of the best hams in the world, and I will definitely agree with all the spectators. The taste is very difficult to describe, but it has a full, rich flavor. After eating, we agreed to discover a part of Málaga called Pedregalejo, which is an old neighborhood located east of the city center.

Here is a view from the beach where we stayed. From afar you can see a merchant vessel, which is because Málaga is a large port for various types of ships, including cruises. The pile of rocks to the right have people climbing on them. My flatmate and I did this, also, and saw many barnacles attached to these rocks along with other sea creatures. It was quite fascinating. 

Celeste was conspicuously taking pictures of us while exploring the rocks.

Finally, as we were heading back to the bus station for what seemed to be forever, we ran into another El Corte Inglés. This store is a department store, as I would compare it to being Macy´s, and sometimes it has a grocery store within it. When we first came here, they had a sale called Rebajas, which was essentially a sale on almost everything there. I bought a swimsuit for €15, or approximately $21 U.S. Dollars. The next week, after rebajas, the suit was selling for €56, or $79 U.S. Dollars! I consider myself very fortunate that I decided to put the money into purchasing that.

The thing that sometimes surprises me the most is seeing or hearing things in English. Málaga, from what I understand, is a popular destination for British people on holiday, so there were a lot more things in English in this city than Granada. Thus, the welcome signs all over are part of what brings tourists back, for the most part.