Los calles de Málaga

On Sunday I had quite a bit of time to fill before catching my bus to Estepa later that evening. With Paola graciously holding my bag for safe keeping, there would be no reason not to take the opportunity to tour the beautiful coastal city.

I was still feeling a bit down and disturbed about my luggage being lost, but there was much to do and see, so I set off to the nearest public telephone to call Julie, a fellow auxiliar in Estepa that I had been corresponding with throughout the past week. On my walk to the public phones, I passed many city sanitation workers. There were quite a bit of female workers in the mix hosing down the streets. Now, I was told, on many occasions by different people, that Spaniards take much pride in their appearances and when they leave their houses they are dressed to the nines. It's not that I doubted my sources, but I just never guessed that a person would fix their hair and make-up perfectly before putting on a jumpsuit complete with boots and then go out to wash the city streets, which is exactly what these women did! They looked good! It definitely put a big smile on my face!
Okay, so back to my phone call to Julie. I found a telephone and placed my call. She answered right away and guessed exactly who I was. It was delighting to discover a cheerful Northern Irish accent greeting me through the line. She told me about the house she had just moved into, the quiet town of Estepa, and of the other friendly Auxiliares that were also living in Estepa. Julie graciously offered to meet me when I arrived at the bus stop later that evening and show me around. That was just the comforting, reassuring thing I needed to hear after my long journey the day before. I ran out of coins so our conversation came to a close, and so began my long walk through the unfamiliar city.
It was not but a block down the street when I was stopped by an older man probably in his 70's, I am guessing. The first and only thing I understand from his long speedy schpeal is "Que guapa". After his is done and clearly waiting for a response, the only thing I can muster up to say is, "Hablo poquito Español". He then repeats "Que guapa" right before asking if I would join him for coffee. WHAT?! I try my damnedest to suppress the urge to burst into laughter and manage to politely (as I could) decline the offer before walking away.

It took me a bit of walking to catch my bearrings and discover a beautiful park in the middle of the city. I walked through it and smile at some of the older couples lounging on the benches, only to have them either glance away or look at me as if to say "crazy white girl". Good thing that was definitely not to first time a person has said or looked at me that way ;-P (Surprised? I didn't think so)
I made my way into the center of the city, which is the older part and quite beautiful. I passed a castle, a beautiful cathedral, a parade honoring a saint, cafes/pubs and knick knack stores for tourists (which, along with the occasional Chinese stores, are the only businesses open on Sundays).
Later that day, I ran into a girl I had met earlier that morning while eating breakfast at the hostel. She insisted that I make an effort to visit the beach before I left the city, for it is truely a sight to behold. How could I resist after a statement like that. So, with still 2.5 hours to spare, I start the 10 minute trek to the beach (really not a bad walk at all). It was quite lovely. The water was pristine and there was a tremendous veiw of a mountaintop in the distance. I hadn't noticed how different the sand was until I began walking on it. The sand was a darker brown and had a thick coarse texture while still managing to be very soft...not sure if that makes any since to you, but that's the best I can do.