Traditions and Technicolour dresses

When I was a kid, people used to bring these flamenco dresses back from Spain as souvenirs. The bold colours and whimsical patterns were enough to fill one with embarrassment. So just imagine how surprised I have been to discover that they take them very seriously. In all their Techicoloured polkadotty g(l)ory.

Torremolinos

Torremolinos

They are particulary prominently worn for ferías, city festivals. Especially the one in Malaga fills the streets with very colourful people every July. 

One of my favourite things about Malaga is the buzz of all those narrow tapas bar streets. As people are leaving the restaurants, meeting their friends, catching up, laughing, having a cigarette the air is bubbling with joy and bursting with ecitement - it's as if every weekend is a feria!

Malaga

It also attracts in hoardes of tourists to admire the festivities. Unfortunately some of them do not deserve to be captured on camera...

Malaga

Another thing that has surprised me about the dresses is the price tag. Despite the appearance they are not cheap. Many have theirs made and the price can go up to hundreds of euros. They are then accessorized with fans, flowers (plastic, of course!) and a variety of head dresses. The tallest concoctions are about a foot in height. In Malaga Calle Granada and Calle Calerería, the streets also famous for the tapas bars are also full of little shops specialized in these.

Malaga

Malaga

Marbella

This post marks the 6-month-anniversary of this blog. Can't believe it's been half a year!  A grande gracias for all of you for being on this journey with us! 

Don't forget we're also on Pinterest and Facebook, where you'll also find footage of the not-so-glorious moments in the kitchen and life of a foodblogger...

Shopping and siesta

Owing to the domestic production Spain makes a great shopping destination, especially for shoes. Particularly the area around Calle Nueva is great for this. And they all seem to have sales all the time. This whimsical shop had just been opened on Calle Nueva too - I know exactly where my niece and nephew are going to get their souvenirs...!

If culture is your thing, another place worth visiting is Malaga's Picasso museum. The biggest and most famous of his work are the naturally hanging on the walls of big museums and personal collections of famous gazillionaires, but if you're into Picasso, this museum dedicated to Malaga's marvel is worth making time for. Another museum Malagueñas are proud of is Carmen Thyssen, named after its baroness founder.

One thing worth taking into consideration when planning visits is the opening hours. Biggest tourist attractions are usually open all day during summer, but off season they too might close for siesta.

At lunchtime majority of the shops here close their doors to reopen after siesta, around 5pm. That used to get on my spreadsheet-filling, overachieving personality's nerve. These days though... it's muy bueno, actually.

One simply has no choice but to slow down and take the time to enjoy lunch.  Though... one never hears warnings about the perils of drinking and shopping. Once you've taken the time and truly enjoyed your lunch (and the wine) , the judgement can become somewhat impaired...

     

There's the risk of the colourful and not-always-age-appropriate elegance of the Spanish señoras rubbing off on one. Though... mint green patent leather (with leather soles! LEATHER soles! In Finnish spring?!) are probably just the thing that's been missing in my wardrobe? And leopard print is... a timeless classic? Especially if one plans a career pulling pints at Rover's...

As far as local produce is concerned, Malaga's most famous product is probably their sweet and strong wine. Especially Malaga Virgen is something one can't escape during fería, the fair celebrated in Malaga every July.

Some of the wines are quality stuff, as our dessert wines in Ronda showed. Some on the other hand... are downright dreadful. Or an acquired taste I just haven't yet acquired? You choose.

A great way to end a grand day out is visit to the newly renovated marina. The sunset looks particularly magnificent with a drink in hand.

Bar Kaleido spoils G&T aficionados big time. There are about 20 different gins and just about as many tonic varieties. And when you add to those the different available flavourings (lime? cucumber? grape fruit? rosemary?) settling for just one drink can be hard.

And even if the lunch gets stretched a bit, no worries. The last train towards Fuengirola even on Saturdays doesn't depart until 1030pm. And missing that isn't the end of el mundo either - taxi back to Arroyo is still less than €30.

Tapas bar-hopping in Malaga

The Gentleman is definitely my deserted island person. With him everything just is so much more fun. And one of the most fun things with him are our downright legendary lunches in Malaga.

The tapas of San Sebastian are widely considered the best. But for tapas bar-crawl Malaga is pretty damn fantastic. The streets around Calle Granada and Calle Calderería are perfect for it. One tapa here, another one over there and - what was that? More wine, you say?  Claro que si!

This time we were after a new kind of tapas experience though. Dani Garcia is a legendary chef and runs a Michelin-starred restaurant in Marbella. He is the ambassador of new Andalusian cuisine and has a tapas bar called Manzanilla in Malaga, where he reinterprets traditional Andalusian delicacies with a modern and innovative twist.

How would you like foie gras and goat cheese millefeuille with apple crisp and grape yoghurt? Even crisps here are served with truffle mayonnaise...



Restaurant's cherry gazpacho has reached a cult-like status and has actually been trademarked. The innovative streak is evident in ingredients, but also in presentation. What a brilliant excuse for the foodblogger to go crazy with her Canon! And I wasn't the only one... "Doesn't anyone just eat anymore?" The Gentleman exclaimed, exasperated.

These chocolate truffles were in fact croquetas made with squid cooked in its own ink and came with yuzu mayonnaise.

These olives, presented in a quail egg container were stuffed among other things with salmorejo, cold, garlicky tomato soup.

Overall the flavours were in perfect harmony. From Vietnamese-inspired lettuce rolls I initially expected a bolder bite, but the spiciness and mild mintiness surprised the palate just a second later. Tuna had unfortunately already run out in this wildly popular restaurant, so tataki with soy and grated tomato  and tuna tartar with passionfruit juice were treats I had to go without. Maybe next time...

Señor Garcia had just opened another Manzanilla in New York and coincidentally we found ourselves sitting next to a New Yorker who had just visited the place prior to getting on the plane to Spain. "This one is miles better" was her verdict.

We ate more than we intended and drank more than we remember, but the bill still came at under €50. And they say good doesn't come cheap...

Market in Malaga

Swiftly approaching middle age, stubbornly perched on my shoulder like organ grinder's monkey, once more reminded of its existence. "Whaat?! The price has gone up again?!" I found myself moaning out loud as I was buying tickets to C1- train operating between Fuengirola and Malaga.

The line is one of the busiest in the country and the journey from our station of Benalmadena-Arroyo de la Miel takes less than half an hour.

As soon as one leaves Malaga's central station on Almeda Principal street there's the market of Mercado de Atarazanas. Though there are supermercados at every street corner, the market culture is very much alive. And there are few things this little piggy loves as much as going to the market!

There's fish...

and meats...

and cheeses...

And mushrooms...

and nuts galore...

and dried fruits of all sorts...

and about 600 different sorts of olives...

and at least as much variety when it comes to spices...

and don't even get me started on the vegs!