A day void of ruins, churches and castles provided time to swing a club🏌️‍♂️⛳️🏌️‍♀️   There was a great golf club only about 30 minutes away with two 18 hole courses AND a little par three 9 holes – which was a little funky.  But, just what we were looking for to satisfy our new quest of playing on all continents!  (Don’t even think about it – Antarctica isn’t happening).

Headed for this golf club for 9 holes and lunch..

…with Judi and Don.

Then – back to the more serious stuff.  Malaga – founded by the Phoenicians in 770BC, it is one of the oldest cities in Europe.  It is now a popular wintering place for English travelers, but more importantly, it is home to Pablo Picasso.  Therefore, it is everything Picasso – Museo Picasso, Casa Natal de Picasso, etc. ——

Picasso Museum – devoted entirely to Picasso’s work – opened in 2003 in the former Buenavista Palace.

Two musical pieces. Both are guitars, in case you couldn’t tell;-)

A photo of a photo of Picasso’s Paris studio.

A beautiful sight, and landmark, in the city is the Catedral de Santa Maria de la Encarnacion.  It is huge!

Soothing gardens behind The Catedral.

Beautiful inside and out.

The majestic Alcazaba, a fortified Moorish castle built in the 8th century, sits atop Gibralfaro hill.  It sits on top of the site of an old Roman town with the Roman amphitheater (recently excavated) just outside the entrance.

Entrance to The Alcazaba.

Malaga warrants another visit, as time grew short and wandering the beautifully decorated streets was all the time allowed.

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Another day – another site.  Off to Granada and the Alhambra.  What a fantastic complex!  This palace was built under three caliphs during the Nasir’s dynasty who created their paradise on earth.  The complex includes the Palacio Nazaries, the 13th century Alcazaba, the 16th century Palace of Carlos I and the Generalife (the country estate of the Nasir’s Kings).  The Alhambra suffered pillage and decay over the years, including an attempt by Napoleon’s troops to blow it up.  Therefore, it has gone thru extensive restoration – thank goodness – but, this also means much of what is seen today is not original either in work or concept.  It is beautiful, though.  Especially the newer gardens.

A brass map of the Alhambra complex – note especially the protective walls.

VERY Rainy day view of the fortified palace complex.

Remnant of the old city wall running up the hill on the right rear and view of the town from the Alhambra.

One of many water features in the complex.

Our very capable, and very tall, guide Martin. (In case you can’t tell it was freezing!)

The palace of Charles the Fifth of Spain.

The decoration here was reminiscent of Morocco.

Except here the ceilings were the carved stucco or painted instead of the cedar.

The lion fountain. It is original but the surrounding courtyard has had many versions.

The storm endured during the tour, dumped snow on Mt. Sierra Nevada.

Granada, The Alhambra and The Generalife all deserve another visit on a much nicer day.  There is so much to see here, the surface wasn’t even scratched a little;-(  if you get in this direction, plan on at least two days.

E & G – never enough time