So today is the last port of call and the second last day
of the cruise. We have a day at sea
tomorrow and then we are back into Barcelona port first thing on Thursday
morning. Where has the time gone? My tour today was a half day tour to Mijas. The other tours that were on offer and more
popular was a transfer to the Rock of Gibraltar and the other one was to
Granada and the Alhambra which I had doe both when I was on my Contiki Spanish
Spree in May 2011-gee was it really that long ago? I was in my 3rd month of
travelling my World Odyssey and I made lifelong friendships off that tour…. You
know who you are! Anyway, so I didn’t have
to do those tours; that were also full days, so I chose a more leisurely ½ day
tour and thought I’d get out of the city and see one of the small
villages.
Based on that, there was no hurry for breakfast as my
tour didn’t leave till 12.50pm from the terminal so I had decided to relax on
the ship. I could have caught the bus
into Malaga and seen some of the city, but when I stepped out for breakfast, it
was cold-no it was FREEZING, so I decided to stay on board and just do the
tour. This morning they had CREAM, so I
was able to have my pancakes with fresh blueberries and cream and the last few
days I have just been having 2 small ham and cheese rolls, I’ve stayed away
from the fully cooked breakfasts and feeling better for it-I am sure that fresh
cream makes up for anything I am missing out of the hot food-but DANG it is so
good. As usual the dining room was
chockers, which surprised me as I though most people would have been out on
tours at 9am. I decided to brave the
cold and eat outside, which once I had wolfed down my food I had to go back
inside, it really was cold. . I guess we are well and truly back to a
European winter and out of the Atlantic Ocean and its warmer weather. I was talking to one of the waiters and he
was from Indonesia, so I told him the few words I have learnt at school in
Indonesian and we talked about food and he told me he had something (memory
fails me) in his cabin if I was interested in having some that he bought from
home. Ummmmmm my question was it spicy,
to which he relied yes, so there was my ‘out’ and I told him I don’t like super
spicy food. This was after he asked me
if I was cruising on my own. Had I just
been picked up? Oh Sahul-so sweet, but
no thanks.
So after spending the morning in galaxy of the Stars on
deck 12 reading my book with a beautiful view of the Malaga skyline I headed
out at 12.30pm to make my way to the terminal and our waiting coach. The port of Malaga looks new and the facilities
are all spotless and new. They had some
duty free shops (not for us) but we could pick up some shopping on our way back
if we wanted to. As we were in Spain a
duty of 21% would be added to the prices on things. I didn’t need anything but good to note. I got to the coach with 5 minutes to spare
and thankfully I wasn’t the last, there were 3 more people to come. It was busier than I thought it would be with
85% of the coach full. At 12.50pm we were on our way. Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous
Community of Andalusia, Spain. It is the second most populous city of
Andalusia and the sixth
largest in Spain. The southernmost large city in Europe, it lies on
the Costa del Sol (Coast of the Sun) of the
Mediterranean, about 100 km east of the Strait of Gibraltar and about
130 km north of Africa. Málaga's
history spans about 2,800 years, making it one of the oldest
cities in the world. It was founded by the Phoenicians as Malaka about 770 BC, and from the 6th century BC was under
the hegemony of Ancient Carthage. Then from 218 BC it was ruled by the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire as Malaca (Latin). After the fall of the empire it was under
Islamic domination as Mālaqah
for 800 years, but in 1487 it came again under Christians rule in the Reconquista. The archaeological remains and monuments from the
Phoenician, Roman, Arabic and Christian eras make the historic centre of the
city an "open museum", displaying its rich history of more than 3,000
years. The internationally acclaimed
painter and sculptor Pablo Picasso and actor Antonio Banderas were born in Málaga.
The city is an important tourist destination, known as "the capital
of the Costa del Sol". Tourists usually visit the birthplace of Pablo Picasso and the Museo Picasso Málaga, the
Carmen Thyssen Museum, the old town or the beaches. The Málaga harbour is also
the second busiest cruise port of the Iberian Peninsula. The Port of Málaga is the city's seaport, operating continuously
at least since 600 BC. The port is one of the busiest ports on the
Mediterranean Sea, with a trade volume of over 428,623 TEU's and 642,529 passengers
in 2008.
The tour was called Charming Mijas and Countryside and we were admiring
the countryside as we made our way via small back roads through the agriculture
area of Malaga. We were at sea level
when we started; surround by the Sierra Nevada mountains which span the Andalusia
region including the provinces of Granada and Almería.
It contains the highest point of continental Spain, Mulhacén at 3,478 metres above sea level and its
spectacular from where we were sitting.
Agriculture of the area included bitter oranges, also known as the Seville orange, refers to a citrus tree and its fruit. It is hybrid
between Citrus maxima and Citrus
reticulata. Many varieties of bitter
orange are used for their essential
oil, which is used in perfume, as a flavouring and as a solvent. The
Seville orange variety is used in the production of marmalade. We also saw flowering almond trees. The almond is native to the Mediterranean climate region. It was spread by humans in ancient times
along the shores of the Mediterranean into northern Africa and southern Europe
and more recently transported to other parts of the world. I’ve never seen a flowering almond tree
before and it reminded me of a cherry blossom tree. There were thousands of banana plantations
and lastly the other MASSIVE export for the region-Olive trees. Olive tree cultivation originated in the
Middle East more than 5,000 years ago and spread to the West throughout the
Mediterranean area. From the wild olive trees that grew spontaneously, the
first cultivators of the Iberian Peninsula began to choose those that had the
best characteristics depending on the areas, productivity, adaptation to the
soils, yield, etc... The olive trees in the Iberian Peninsula are now, therefore,
hardy trees that can withstand diverse climate.
In Spain alone there are 260 olive tree cultivars and around 300 million
trees just in Andalusia making the area the number one producer of olive oil in
the world. A shame I don’t eat
olives.
After an hour and 15 minutes winding our way over the
mountains we arrived at the small town of Mijas. Mijas is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga. It is a typically Andalusia white-washed
village located at a mountain side about 450 m above mean sea level, in the heart of
the Costa del Sol region.
There are some local history museums and many souvenir shops; Mijas also has
seven golf courses (four more are under construction)
including La Cala Resort, the biggest golf
resort in Spain. Economy is mostly based
on tourism. Agricultural producers include potatoes, cereals and avocado. Founded in
prehistoric times by the Tertessians, it was known as Tamisa by the Romans; later the name changed to Mixa and finally to the current
Mijas. The Romans were replaced by the Visigoths, and then, after 714, by the Moors. At the time of emirate of Córdoba, it was conquered
by Umar ibn Hafsun, remaining under
the rule of Bobastro until the latter was
defeated by Abd al-Rahman III. In 1487 Mijas resisted to the attacks of the Catholic Monarchs during the siege of Málaga; later the
inhabitants surrendered and most were sold as slaves. During the Revolt of the Comuneros it remained
loyal to the Spanish crown, which granted Mijas the title of 'Muy Leal ("Very
Loyal"). In the 19th century,
Mija’s livelihood, were mainly agriculture and fishing, plus some farming and
mineral extraction. And vines were the main wealth of Mijas until the Philloxera
plague destroyed all the plantations. Also important was the paper
production’s. It was found some mills located in the area of “Osunillas” 1744.
At the half of the century, was the most productive time in the industry,
thanks to the arrival of Valencia’s papermakers. In 1873 they opened the road between Mijas
and Fuengirola. Fuengirola was segregated from Mijas in 1841. However, the
village remained isolated until the second republic, when the first newspaper
arrived. There was no phone until 1953 and as descriptions of the time; the
town consisted mostly of shacks. The population was scattered across the
countryside. At the post war period
there was much hunger and lack of work. In
the 50’s an asbestos factory came to alleviate unemployment and began building
small hotel because the fame that Costa del Sol was getting. The Climate of Mijas, due to the proximity of
the sea, conditions mild temperatures, with an average of 18 °C without
heat in summer and little frost in winter. The rainfall is below 600ml per
year. They occur mainly between November and January. The town boasts some 2920
hours of sunshine a year.
Once we arrived we were given 10 minutes for the ‘older’ generation to
go to the bathroom and then as a group we made our way from the main village
square uphill for a small orientation tour of the town with a rest at the ‘Wine
Museum’ and rewarded for our 10 minute walk with a glass of crisp white dessert
wine and then taken further through the small cobbled streets surrounded by the
stark white walls of the buildings to another small square and then given 1.5
hours to spend to our own devices and to meet back at the main square at
4.15pm. We were pointed in the direction
of up one more hill to get views over the valley and also over the white washed
homes that hugged the mountains and we weren’t disappointed when we got to the
top. There was a small reserve/gardens called
La Muralla, where there is a pathway around the mountain that you could follow
and just appreciate the view and at the same time get some great snaps. The Municipal Auditorium was also located up
here. It was windy and a little brisk,
but the sun was out to help counter act the howl of the wind and I spent a good
30 minutes walking around the path. It
truly was stunning here.
On my way back down to start making my way back to the coach, like most
towns in Andalusia, Mijas has its own bullring, the Plaza de Toros. Situated in
the earlier mentioned La Muralla area, the bullring stands on a small square, within
easy walking distance of the gardens, the Municipal Auditorium and the centre
of the town. Built in 1900, the Plaza de Toros is one of the most interesting
sights in Mijas. It was a cute little
bullring, only the second one that I have ever seen after the one we saw in
Seville in my Spanish Spree tour, but here we were allowed to walk into the
actual ring. It was 3EUR to get in and I
think it was worth every penny. I was
the only one in the whole establishment, so I knocked myself out taking a bunch
of photos. This outstanding bullring,
built in 1900, stands in the higher part of town on a rock next to the Church
of Nuestra Señora de la Concepción. Its
most remarkable feature is its oval shape (one of a few in Spain). The first bullfighting event in Mijas took
place on 8 September 1900. Since then, there have been hundreds of young bull
running events. These have their origin in how young bulls were brought from
the meadows in the past. Instead of using boxes, they were driven along roads
and tracks to a rest place where now the Mijas Hotel is located. After the break, the young bulls where driven
across a deserted town centre to the bullring. In those days, just like they do
now, the assistants must have felt tempted to run ahead of the bulls, with
their legs and maybe a timely window as protection. There are no running events now. The bullring was closed
for rehabilitation from 1968 to 1977.
I found my way back uneventfully to the main square. All the little alleyways look the same, so
you have to pay attention to the stores and signs which are in Spanish and also
English as it could be quite easy to get lost in this small village when all
the buildings look the same. But never
fear, I made it back with time to have a look at the shops that faced the main
square-all selling the same stuff and then the coach arrived right on time, we
all got on, everyone was accounted for and we made our way back to the ship via
the main highway getting us back in 45 minutes at 5pm. It was a great little tour and I am glad that
I did it to get off the ship and see some of the Spanish countryside. Thanks to Miguel or driver and to Jose our
guide for a delightful afternoon.
The buffet dinner was closing at 8pm tonight as they were
having the chocolate buffet starting at 9pm which actually worked out okay for
me as I didn’t have any lunch so after dropping off my bag to my cabin I headed
to dinner early and figured I could always get something latter on should I get
hungry after the show. It was also a double bonus as I was on deck
for the sunset at 6.20pm and to also see the Holland America ship “Rotterdam’
leave. I still marvel at how those
little tug boats work. There was just
the one tugboat and it basically turned the 62,000 tonne ship 180 degrees for the
ship to then chug its way out of port.
Really it is amazing. There were
hundreds of seagulls all swooping as the ship left port. I guess the ship was churning up a lot of the
sea floor and they were hoping to scavenge some food. Literally there were hundreds of them and it
made for some good photos-if they come out.
I think flying birds are one of the hardest pictures to take. It was a shame that I only had my point and
shoot on me. There seems to be something
wrong with my little friend. I have some
black lines appearing on the screen and they seem to get worse when the weather
is cold and it currently won’t let me delete any pictures anymore. I do get my monies worth out of my camera’s
as they certainly work hard in the hands of myself, so I can’t really complain-but
I did only buy this camera in July. It wasn’t
super expensive; I think I may have paid 110AUD, so I just may have to keep my
eyes peeled duty free for a new one when I leave Barcelona. I mustn’t forget to mention that beautiful
sunset over the Sierra Nevada’s with the shipping container cranes silhouetted. It was
an incredible view. As soon as the sun
set, there was a distinct chill in the air and the wind was still blowing a
gale force, so it was time to head back to the cabin to freshen up and get to
the Stardust Theatre for the evenings show.
I feel so ridiculous now as I wait for the theatres doors
to open each night. I am getting that
pedantic that I want the same seat each night that I am now getting there
early, before the doors even open; to make sure I am one of the first in. The first 4 days there were hardly anyone
waiting, me and this old couple and an older dude travelling his own, to the
last few nights around 20 of us all standing waiting and I am embarrassed to
say I am the only one under the age of 50 out of that 20, not including the
wheel chair lass, as they need the extra time to settle in. When the doors open I feel like I need to pop
out my elbows and like a comedy skit push over all the old people to make sure
none of them get my seat. Funny and sad
all at the same time. I am lucky I am
the 6th row up and a lot of the first comers are after the first row
anyway. Lucky for them. The show was SENSATIONAL tonight. It was a combination of Cripton the Magician
and his wife Renata, the duo of Dou Amore-the acrobatic/dancers and the
Norwegian Dancers and the show was called Elements. Everyone was incorporated and the show ran
through earth, fire, rain, sunshine and finishing with snow. The costumes were magnificent, there were rope
climbers, the whole theatre was used for the show, including up the aisles and
it was a new looking set from what we had seen all week. It really had it all. The magician was great, but he had two tricks
that really didn’t work and I feel embarrassed for him. The first one was he had to blow a bubble for
his next trick to progress to the next part of the show and he took 3 attempts
to get a damn bubble and only just caught one to give you the idea of what he
was doing. And the second act was the ‘magic’
lifting of Renata in the air using the water tray he had her lying in which did
look impressive and he did the hoop over the body thing to show you there was
nothing holding her up but as she came down you could see she was sitting on a
small seat of some kind and see a bar going up her back, but still seeing that,
I don’t know how he gets the hoop around her.
The grand finale had all of the dancers, singers, and acts on stage in
their snow outfits and small pieces of paper getting blown around on stage
making it look like it was snowing and then they called up all the stewards and
stewardesses, the drinks guys, the bar staff, the wait staff in the
restaurants, the head chef and his guys and then the senior officers and
finally the captain. It gave me goose
bumps as all these people are required to make your holiday a special one and
the catch tag that NCL had was we are now their ambassadors. What a great end to a show and they all got a
standing ovation. The last people to
come out were the hand washers. They
have these guys at the entrances of all the restaurants and the catch cry for
these guys is “washy washy” and my Indonesian guy was up there with his towel
mate Roger. It is strange to have the
finale on our 2nd last night. I wonder
why they didn’t do the show tomorrow night for the Barcelona passengers? What a great show to start the Malaga people
on though! Beats our comedian guy who I
didn’t even see, but apparently he wasn’t that great.
As it worked out I wasn’t that hungry and after the show
made my way back to my cabin. I will
have to pack all my crap tomorrow that I have strewn all over the place. I never did end up unpacking properly. I could have left ½ the clothes I bought in
Barcelona but not knowing what the weather was going to be like I was better to
be safe than sorry.
That completes our last port of call. A day at sea tomorrow and then back into
Barcelona. I have had a great time on
the ship but with only 22 minutes left of internet time and the buffet dinner
getting a little tiring I think I am looking forward to getting back to land
and then preparing for my last flights into Africa. Crap-Africa in 5 days. FIVE DAYS.
Still hasn’t hit me yet!
