Castillo de Gibralfaro, Malaga, Spain

The Castillo de Gibralfaro in Malaga was built as a supplement to the alcazaba on the hill overlooking the town. The problem for the alcazaba was that many other hills overlook its hill, thus it was possible in the 14th century to claim the high ground with artillery and attack the alcazaba. So a new military fort was built higher up and has a Coracha, or fortified path, between the Castillo and the alcazaba. It was built in the time of Yusuf I, who also contributed to the Alhambra in Granada.

Malaga Cathedral, alcazaba on the lower hill, castillo on the upper hill

The name "Gibralfaro" is a combination of the Arabic word Yabal (mountain) and the Greek word Faruk (lighthouse). So the location was a strategic outlook for the port of Malaga from very early times.

View of Malaga

View of the harbor

View of the bullring

The rampart walls are quite impressive, with a few defensive towers built in to provide the fine views of (or lines of sight on) the town and port.

J at the fort entrance

View to a tower

Wall walkers

One canon is right by the interior and makes a nice spot for a photo opportunity.

J ready to fire

L ready to ride

One special feature of the castle is the Airon well. It dates back to the Arabic time and is dug 40 meters deep out of solid rock.

Airon Well

View into the well

Other cisterns are placed throughout the fort, including the Octagonal Cistern Well, named for the shape of the housing on top of it.

Octagonal well

Two bakers' ovens are also located in the fort, though sadly they are no longer in use.

Running to the oven

Oven door

Oven interior

Many small turrets are found throughout the fort though we could not understand why. Maybe they were supposed to be sentry posts. J and L used them as snack bars, serving pretend food to Mommy and Daddy.

Sentry Post Snack Pavilion

Less accommodating serving window (can you find J?)

At the lower end of the fort is the original gateway, which is no longer in use, and the Coracha, which is not in use either.

Main gate tower

The gate, large enough for a horse and rider

Courtyard by the gateway

Coracha leading down to the alcazaba

Much of the castle is now given over to gardening and we saw some rather spectacular plants.

Lots of trees just outside the fort

Delicate flowers inside the fort

A small pool, not for swimming

J in the large tree

In the middle of the fort is the old powder magazine building which is now an interpretive museum. Our visit in there will be the next post!

Malaga, Spain

We visited the town of Malaga, a port city on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. Having a rental car meant we could drive into the downtown area and not wait on mass transit. The drawback was finding parking. We came across an underground parking garage right beneath the old town area, for which we were grateful. Coming up, we saw a park decorated for Christmas.

Just imagine the tree that ornament came from!

The streets had lots of Christmas decorations too, though mostly they were lights that were not so impressive at 10 in the morning. Still, it looked like it would be fun to wander through them at night.

Romantically rain-soaked streets

Some of the decor was of a more permanent if not more obvious nature. Like this statue, in front of which J was happy to pose.

A bit of modern art, maybe we should have looked at it from a different angle

Walking around we saw lots of cafes and restaurants with outdoor seating, but this one took the cake. We thought about dining there but the outdoor furniture was too posh for us. I'm sure the kids would make a mess of those nice couches!

What do they do when it rains?

One of the claims to fame of Malaga is that it is Picasso's home town. His birth home is a museum. Another museum is dedicated to his art, but it was not open on New Year's Eve. Though the real problem was New Year's Eve falling on a Monday, when all the local museums were closed.

Rather nondescript Picasso Museum

In the 1950s the Teatro Romano was discovered by chance at the base of the old Moorish fort. The theatre was built during the reign of Caesar Augustus. This theater also is not open on Mondays but we could see inside from the sidewalk. It looks pretty good after 2000 or so years.

Theatre seating

You can see a bit of the fort on the hill

Where the stage and backstage were

We had tapas at a local cafe and headed back to the car. Unfortunately, getting the car out of the parking garage was a little tricky. First there was finding the right entrance again, which was the little part of the trickiness. Much more tricky was driving a stick-shift diesel up a very steep ramp into a traffic light. Enough cars were at the light that I waited on the steepest part of the ramp. Getting into first gear from a dead stop at a 45 degree angle took several tries. Eventually, it worked out, though not without a lot of heart-pounding. We made it back safely to our hotel for another afternoon of swimming, so all was well.

Book Review: The Vicar of Great Snoring by Dwight Longenecker

The Vicar of Great Snoring (The Adventures of Humphrey Blytherington) by Dwight Longenecker

Father Dwight Longenecker is an author with many good volumes to his name. He's written a short story about one of the characters from his blog. That character is Humphrey Blytherington, a Church of England pastor who just wants to get along with a quiet life. He is described thusly on the the blog:

Guest blogger, The Rev’d Humphrey Blytherington is Vicar of St Hilda’s, Little Snoring with All Saints, Great Snoring. He is a graduate of Plymouth University. He completed his studies for the ministry at Latimer Hall, Durham. He is married to Daphne and enjoys home brewing, model railroading and is an avid member of the Great Snoring Morris Dancers.

The tale is a bit of an origin story (like most superheroes have), describing how the good reverend came to Great Snoring. The story starts as he applies for the post at the Snorings' parishes. Vague hints are made of a financial kerfuffle at his previous parish, but since the story is told by Blytherington, you can't expect much in the way of detail or precision in such matters. He fumbles his way through with lots of good, comic scenes, like his introduction and induction into the Great Snoring Morris Dancers (Morris Dancers are a rather jolly though quaint folk dancing group found in England and among diasporadic anglophiles around the world).

The story is a fun little romp through English country culture. After living here for a year and a half, it is easy to fill the story's scenes with events and people I've seen first hand. I definitely recommend reading this for a slice of humor and British life.

SAMPLE QUOTE--Humphrey and the wife discuss one of the competing applicants for the vicarage...

“Oh dear. Why on earth does he want to come to a backwater like the Snorings?”
“Working on some sort of thesis, and has to live and work with the locals for a few years.”
“Why doesn’t he take himself off and become a missionary to the ignorant natives in the back of beyond?”
“I think that’s what he has in mind in coming to the Snorings.”

Book Review: Green Lantern Vol. 2: The Revenge of Black Hand

Green Lantern Volume 2: The Revenge of Black Hand by Geoff Johns and Doug Mahnke

The uneasy alliance of Sinestro (former Yellow Lantern and sworn enemy of Green Lantern Hal Jordan) and Hal Jordan continues from the last book. Sinestro has discovered a plot by the Guardians of the Galaxy (who lead the Green Lantern Corps) to get rid of the Green Lanterns and control the universe with a mysterious "Third Army." Before Sinestro has a chance to drag Jordan back into the action, the mysterious Indigo Tribe (who wield the light of compassion) drags Sinestro back to their home world. Jordan pursues, finding more than he bargained for. His old enemy, Black Hand, is one of the Indigo Tribe and seems to be reformed, or at least brainwashed, into serving the tribe. But what is really going on, and how is Abin Sur (the Green Lantern who gave his ring to Jordan as he died) related to the Indigo Tribe?

The story spins out nicely with plenty of action and plot development. The secret of the tribe is pretty interesting and fits well with the themes of redemption being explored for the various characters (especially Sinestro, Jordan, and Black Hand). The secret is also related to the larger plot involving the Guardians' shenanigans. I'm curious to read more!

Santiago Church, Malaga, Spain

The Parroquia de Santiago in Malaga, Spain, is famous for being the baptismal place of Pablo Picasso. He was baptized there on November 10, 1881. It still serves as a parish chapel for the local environs, and satisfies the Picasso curious (like us) on a day when the museum and his birthplace were both closed (Mondays museums are closed in Malaga). This chapel is his spiritual birth place, after all!

The nave is nicely ornate, as are many Spanish churches. The ceiling's decorations also caught my eyes.

Nave

Ceiling

As you enter the church, the baptismal font is on the right. There's no special plaque about Picasso (that's outside in the street), so I am not sure if it is the same as the one where he was baptized.

Baptismal font

Like other Spanish churches at Christmas, this has an elaborate (though much more modest than what's found in cathedrals) nativity scene.

Nativity scene

The scene is blocking off a side altar to Saint Joseph, whom I am sure doesn't mind.

Above the Nativity

The church also has several nice statues, including a full-color pieta next to the nativity and more of Our Lady and the Lord.

Pieta

Altar for Our Lady

Jesus carries his cross

The church is a nice, beautiful surprise along one of the roads in Malaga.

Ronda II--La Cuida

Crossing the New Bridge in Ronda brought us into the old part of town called La Cuidad. The streets are narrower and a little more charming due to the compactness of everything. We could easily imagine neighbors sharing conversations or cups of sugar between second story windows (or first story windows if you're British).

Close enough to reach out and touch some one

Another charming street in the old part of town

We soon came on the Palacio del Marques de Savatierra. After the reconquest of the city in 1485, this house was given to Don Vasco Martin de Salvatierra. In the late 1700s it underwent extensive revisions. The doorway still dates from the 15th century and features colonial symbols and imitations of pre-Columbian art from the New World. The wrought iron is typical in the area, the Ronda forges being noted for such work. The sign nearby said that the patio is fabulous, but the building was not open for touring.

Palacio del Marques de Savatierra

We walked a little bit downhill from here and discovered some nice views.

View of the Old Bridge back into the newer part of town, include the Padre Jesus church

The same gorge spanned by the New Bridge

On our path was the Puerta de Felipe V, or the Archway of Philip V. It was built in 1742 to replace one of the Muslim-era gates. The spot was known as Sillon del Moro or The Moor's Armchair, possibly referring to the nice view he could contemplate?

Puerta de Felipe V

View of the gorge

The Old Bridge was the main bridge for the city until the New Bridge was built in the 18th century. This bridge was built in the 16th century to link the Moorish settlement to the small marketplace. It has a view down onto the Banos Arabes or Arab Baths built in the 13th century. Also, this bridge is used for lovers' locks like many other bridges in Europe.

View of the even older Arab bridge and baths

Locks on the bridge

Further back in town is the 14th century Minarete de San Sebastian, which boasts a similar architectural style to the Alhambra in Granada.

Minarete de San Sebastian

Further up the road is the main church in town. The Collegiate Church of St. Mary of the Incarnation was originally a mosque. In 1485 the Catholic monarchs had it consecrated as a Christian church. Originally it was an abbey but over the years became a parish church. After the earthquake of 1580 some renovations were made incorporating Renaissance and baroque styles.

Santa Maria la Mayor

Door of the church, not open when we visited

The minaret turned bell tower

On the same plaza is the Ayuntamiento or Town Hall, which was originally barracks for the provincial militias in the 1700s. Through the centuries it was abandoned and then used again by other militias and by a cavalry troop. In the 20th century it was renovated for use as the town hall. The two upper floors are well lit by the archways. The ground floor has almost no exterior illumination, perhaps for protection.

Town Hall

Down one of the streets is a small street chapel dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the dogmatic declaration of the Immaculate Conception (that Jeus's mother Mary was conceived without sin). The plaque says it was installed in 2005, so it is very recent, though in a more ancient style.

Street chapel of Our Lady

Further up we saw the Casa del Gigante, or the Giant's House, which is now a museum.

Casa del Gigante

We stopped off for a really great tapas lunch at a small cafe in the middle of the old town. More on the food in its own post later.

Our restaurant, Cafeteria la Veronica

We went back over the New Bridge to get our car, but not before stopping for clearer photos and a little ice cream dessert for L.

Puente Nuevo visible

We also saw a bank with a rather interesting night deposit.

L wants to feed the lion

J was less cautious

The drive back down the mountains was much clearer and more pleasant, though still nerve-racking. We could see spectacular vistas off of the cliff edges. At least, my wife could see spectacular vistas (and possibly Gibraltar in the distance). I kept my eyes on the curves of the road. We went back to the hotel for our standard afternoon of swimming in the pool and dinner in our room.