32 ºC = 89.6 ºF

Yes. You read correctly... 89.6 DEGREES!

As I mentioned, from Sevillia, my two friends (Janelle & Molly) and I left the group and took a short bus ride to Málaga. Once we arrived in the late afternoon, we were exhausted and decided to just head straight to our hostel and then wander around the area nearby. Our hostel was called "Picasso's Corner" because it was located literally across the street from where Pablo Picasso was born! It was also painted with bright colors and had some really funky stuff in it...(For example, the showers looked somewhat like little rocket ships! Picture a cylindrical shower standing on it's own with a little seat where the water came at you from literally every angle!)

We found our hostel with ease (navigating the bus system and windy streets) and went out to explore right away. About a three minute walk from our hostel was shopping heaven, so we spent some time absorbing local culture! ;) We found a cute restaurant and had an amazing dinner (complete with free tapas of bread, cheese, & sweet caramelized onions from our waiter, who found our Spanish impressive...or funny, we couldn't tell).

After that, it was straight back to the hostel and into sweats for us! We wandered downstairs to look at the games and found Monopoly (Spain style). The properties were all located in Spain, and we'd even been to a few of them over the past few weeks. We played with a funny Latvian man who seemed to think he knew the rules way better than we did and took the game very seriously. When the three of us were too tired to pass Go and collect our 200 Euros one more time, we let him win, and he was at least content with that.

The next day our adventure continued with a few tourist activities. We went into the Málaga Cathedral, which, I hate to say, was what I would call a rip-off. It was 4 euros to enter (no student discount, which is practically unheard of here), and it was pretty much just like every other church I've seen over the past month.

The coolest part, however, was a photo exhibit set up within the cathedral. It was a collection of pictures taken around the world by an organization called Manos Unidas (United Hands). It is a campaign to end world hunger and poverty, and to promote women's rights and education. The photos and descriptions (in Spanish!) were extremely moving and I spent most of my time in the church looking at the exhibition.

Next, we went to the Picasso museum. Since, as I mentioned, Pablo (yes, now we're on a first name basis) was born in Málaga, the museum had over 155 of his works. They were all donated by his relatives and were some of his lesser known works. It was exciting to see the different styles that Picasso painted in, and learn a little more about why his art developed the way it did. It was not only an awesome collection, but an incredible building with an array of Roman ruins below it too!




I bought a print of the painting you see above. While I bought this particular one because I love the painting itself, it will also forever remind me of the museum, and that is what i really love about it. We took a tour from a spunky Spanish woman who insisted that we speak almost as much as she did. She would ask us what we saw in the colors and brushstrokes and what we thought all the details meant. At first I was nervous to speak, but after a few tartamudea (stutters), it was actually fun to participate. (If I haven't already mentioned this, Spaniards LOVE to talk...and talk loudly. Imagine My Big Fat Greek Wedding meets an Italian dinner table.. in Spainish. Of course when there are Americans around they all want to hear US talk (or try to), so I'm usually able to get a couple words in).

Next, we decided to explore the waterfront and went to rent some bicycles at a nearby shop. On the way, we stopped back at our hostel to ask for a recommendation for a cheap lunch. We were directed to a little shop that looked sort of like a super mini 7-11. There was a 8.5x11 piece of paper with about 4 choices for sandwiches on it.
BOCADILLOS:
tortilla
jamón
jámon y queseo
chorizo

In Spain, there must be some law against putting more than two ingredients on a Sandwich (for those of you reading from the Bay Area..I will be patronizing Domenico's Deli about the moment I get home). Anyways, if you ever find yourself choosing from a menu like this, the jámon y queso is a solid choice, but I'd recommend the tortilla. Spanish tortillas are very different from Mexican tortillas, so don't picture a Mexican tortilla in between two slices of bread! (more on this in my food post, which I swear will come eventually!)

The bike trip was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. The combination of the weather, the good company, and the blue water made for quite the afternoon. Here are a few of a my favorite pictures from this day and the next!







Later that night, again, too tired to venture out into the city, we stayed in the hostel and made some friends...and some Paella! (Again with the food, I know). This was a really cool experience: an Argentinian and a German teaching 3 Americans how to make an authentic Spanish dish!



(As you can see, we are quite the chefs...sorry there isn't a finished product picture, but we were a little too hungry to stop and snap a shot!)

The next and last day was also an adventure. Mostly exploring the city and beach some more, as well as a long trek up to one of the highest point in Málaga: the Alcazabar and Castille de Gibralfaro. It was wonderful to see the beautiful Mediterranean Sea from up high and to spend time with some really great people. My one regret is that I never touched the water! Oh well, I guess I will have to go back! Any takers....?



I'm off to Cádiz this weekend for Carnival! Can't wait to tell you all about it!

¡Besos!