Ok, first to begin we will climb up this rather steep path and get all hot and sweaty to reach Castillo Gibralfaro. In this photo, however, we see another Arab fortress, la Alcazaba, which we´ll visit later on in the day.Gibralfaro was built by the Muslim leaders of Granada as a fortress in the 11th century. It served as a military bastion of sorts (when the French invaded they blew up the castillo-castle and left just the walls - what is with the French blowing historical buildings up, see Heidelberg, Germany posts), but then lay abandoned until after the Spanish Civil War when it was restored.
Mom, I love you! I saw these flowers and thought I´d take a picture of them for you! What a beautiful way to begin our journey....
A bird´s eye view of the Genoa Fountain....
Looking down the path....all those who know me can only guess the ´state´of perspirational wonderfulness I was in at this moment LOL!
This is looking down from a point that they´ve set aside for people to take a view of the city. There is the Cathedral, City Hall and la Alcazaba down below....
Because of the French and their ever-ready gun powder used to blow historical places up, the only thing that was left were the walls of Gibralfaro.
Crazy cactai, eh? I once took a class about geography of Russia and the teacher pointed out that the areas that the Russians settled over the years were their ´natural´area of living, i.e. northern boreal forests, etc. I found the idea interesting applying it to southern Spain. Doesn´t it look like Cali, Baja or Mexico?! It just seems to make so much sense that they ended up there instead of...Cape Cod, LOL! (Oh wait, they were there before too, but just never established a lasting colony....hmm.....)
On top of the castle walls are the flags of (starting at the right): Malaga city; Spain; and Andalucia (the state that makes up a big chunk of southern Spain)....
A canon welcomes us! .....well at least it was pointing that way, eh? hahaha....
I´m assuming a guard post....ugh....what a life!
I am just at a loss....I wonder where the ´Muslim world´went wrong? By that I mean, while the rest of Europe were...neanderthalish in their thinking and doing, the Arabs, etc., were at the HEIGHT of development, science, power, etc., and I am such a fan of the beauty they created.
What happened? It´s too simple to say Western colonization...their decline started long before that....hmm....
Looking down from Gibralfaro, what a sight, eh?!! That is Malaga, the Mediterranean and off in the distance the mountains - I live at the base of the mountains....
This is looking the opposite way, East. Malaga and its connected communities just go on and on...
I wonder what that thing is in the back? It looks like a launchpad for a space shuttle, LOL!
After marching up the hill in the warm sun, etc., I was quite saturated, but doing ok. This picture reminds me of the song ´Isn´t it ironic?´ I would add, ísn´t it ironic, don´t you thínk...´that I would climb up all that way and get to this spot and see two different bus lines that drive the tourists up here.....hmm....á little too ironic...´but hey, that´s life!
Looking west-north over the city of Malaga....don´t the mountains seem southern Cali-ish? Me thinks so....
They had this pathway that went all along the walls that you could walk along. They said that Gibralfaro Castle was restored in the 1940´s-ish.
It would have been even prettier in its day....
´The strait and narrow path...´
The inside of the castle grounds....
There is the Port of Malaga! Started by the Phoenicians in 700 BC and probably used before then too....
This is the city (old city) of Malaga from the castle walls.....
The Cathedral...easier to see now why it is ´Our One-Armed Lady´. Poor thing....
There is the obelisk in the Plaza of the Merced from a few posts ago...i.e. Picasso´s birth house is right there....
Cool....
I wonder what was in that big area...if that is where the mosque was or or or.....me no know....
Guard ´er good, ya hear?!
See the ´cell´at the bottom of the left hand side....those were the bakery ovens....
I worked as a baker for a while and I don´t want to even imagine working in there during the summer!
AY CARAMBA!
ÓLE!´ I still think it is cruelty to animals, but I have to admit I have had a...´crisis of diligence´regarding going to the Bull Ring....I want to go and I want to experience it, but.....so yeah, probably won´t....
Stop tempting me! I want to go! I want to go!
A last áu revoir´to the beautiful views from Gibralfaro!
I just loved how the wall framed the Cathedral a bit....
There we are, again looking at the Alcazaba. We´ll go there soon enough, but before then, let´s take a detour....
But before our detour, another flower shot for my Mom ;)
Mom, would you believe that I saw this and thought Í´ll take a picture of it just in case the light is better than earlier in the day.´ Guess what happened! As I put my camera up to take this picture THAT BUTTERFLY RIGHT THERE LANDED ON IT! Just for you, Mom! It´s saying ´hola Patrizia!´ :)
