April 3 – Sailing the Straits of Gibraltar and arriving in Malaga, Spain

We were out of bed before dawn and up in the Palm Court (front of the ship, Deck 12) to watch as we sailed through the Straits of Gibraltar.  It was pretty dark at first but gradually the sun came up (and gave us a small sunrise).  

We were able to first see Morocco and the Atlas Mountains...

and eventually, as we got farther in, the Rock of Gibraltar finally appeared.  

By then it was much lighter and there was a crowd in the Palm Court.

We also saw quite a number of dolphins in front of the ship as we sailed along.

We had the rest of the morning to see a couple of lectures and we arrived in Malaga, Spain about 1:00. 

Our afternoon bus tour took us through the main part of Malaga, with no stops, 

and then up the mountain to the small white hillside town of Mijas. 

There we took a walking tour through some of the main areas of town and then we were allowed free time to wander.

There were burro taxis and they each had their own little license plate on their forehead (we didn’t take a ride),

A visit to a Spanish village would not be complete without a visit to a church or two. We visited the Church of the Virgin  of the Pines, a small chapel made of rough stone with just a small grotto type interior:

And the Church of the Immaculate Conception, much more formal, ornate and well appointed. Both were wonderful places to sit and reflect. 

There was a viewpoint with great views of the Mediterranean and the towns below,

and lots of little windy streets,

pretty plazas,

lovely flower pots on the walls,

and colorful shop displays.

They have a small bull ring that wasn't open.  You can buy tickets for seats in either the sun (sol) or the shade (sombra).

This is the type of village where one would love to spend the day just wandering around, exploring, and perhaps sitting in a sidewalk cafe and sipping a drink...which is exactly what we did. Our drink of choice was a wonderful, rich and delicious Spanish hot chocolate.  Also had a gelato before heading back to catch our bus to the ship.  


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More Photos of Mijas Spain
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We passed the Malaga Pompideau Museum on the way back to the ship.  Very interesting architecture.

We also saw the larger bull ring in Malaga.

With the lighting on the old city walls and in the harbor the views from our balcony were beautiful at night.  

It was a lovely day.  The weather was sunny and just a tiny bit cool.  Perfect.