Black Girl’s Journey to Malaga
“What one does is what counts, not what one had the intention of doing” –Pablo Picasso
Prior to migrating to Spain, I already had my mind set on traveling to Ibiza; an archipelago of Spain in the Mediterranean Sea. I, however, was so mesmerized by the other cities in Europe that I didn’t adequately prepare for such a journey and ultimately missed out on the opportunity. Nevertheless, I was determined to visit another beach community in Spain. My uncle, who is only 4 years older than me, suggested Malaga to me. “The beach is nice and the nightlife is dope. It’s lit,” he said. That’s all I needed to hear. Before I knew it, I had booked my bus ticket to Malaga for the next Puente in Spain (a Spanish holiday). At the end of April there was a 6-day weekend; the perfect opportunity to journey to Malaga.
The city of Malaga is in southern Spain. It is the capital of Andalucía and the birthplace of the famous painter Pablo Picasso. As a scholar of anthropology, what I love the most about Malaga is its extensive history. Malaga´s location on the western shore of the Mediterranean Sea, has shaped its antiquity which spans about 2,800 years, making it one of the oldest cities in the world!
“We are not makers of history. We are made by history.” –Martin Luther King Jr.
The city of Malaga was first settled by the Bastetani, an ancient Iberian gang. Then it was briefly controlled by the Roman Empire. Although the Romans had little influence on city, evidence of their occupation is conveyed by the Roman Theater is the oldest monument in Malaga, located at the foot of the famous Alcazaba fortress. The theatre was constructed in the first century BC and was used until the third century AD. In 711, the Muslims took over and encircled the city with thick walls. In 1026, it became an independent Muslim kingdom ruled by the Hammudid dynasty. It was under this empire that the Alcazaba fortress of Malaga, one of the city’s most important and finely conserved monuments, was constructed. The stones from the Roman Theatre was used to build the fortress. For eight centuries, Malaga belonged to the Islamic world which led society to evolve differently from the rest of Europe. In 1487, Malaga was besieged by the Catholic Monarchs and the Muslim population was punished for its resistance by enslavement or death. Nevertheless, significant defining characteristic features of the Muslim Period include architecture, inwardly oriented houses without facades, crafts, trade and agriculture to supply urban centers.
“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” –Ernest Hemingway
From Madrid to Malaga roundtrip via bus, was a 14-hour journey. Nevertheless, the agonizing bus ride was worthwhile in the end. My hostel was amazing! For the price, I paid (17 euros a night), it was more than reasonable for the number of roommates I had (3 other girls). Typically, when you pay less than 20 euro at a hostel in Europe you usually have anywhere from 6 to 14 roommates. My hostel was right off Plaza de la Constitucion; the center of all the tourist sites I wanted to visit such as Calle Larios, the Malaga Cathedral and Mercado Central de Alarazanas. To top it off, my hostel had a rooftop bar with an amazing night view of the Cathedral of Malaga.
The first thing I did when I got to Malaga was sleep (lol), but after that, the journey truly began. As I mentioned before, my hostel was in the middle of many sights. When I mapped them out on Google Maps (major key to success), they were all walkable distances (3-10 minutes). The first stop I made was to the Cathedral of Malaga, a Roman Catholic Church, which dominates the old part of the city. Although unfinished, it was extremely impressive. Constructed between 1528 and 1782 near the location of an early Almohad mosque, initial plans for this amazing Renaissance and Baroque-style cathedral had included two towers, but in the end, due to the lack of funds, only one was finished. According to my tour guide, the lack of funds is attributed to the fact that Spain (specifically the Province of Malaga) donated money to the United States during the American Revolutionary War as part of their declaration of war on Britain as an ally of France. When I was made aware of this actuality I said to my tour group, ¨Good thing they did. The world would be a much different place if they hadn´t and I´m not sure if it would have been in a good way. ¨
“Heaven seems a little closer when you are near the ocean.” -Unknown
The next stop on my journey in Malaga was the beach. The abundance of palm trees which flooded the city, especially those near coastline made the beach even more attractive. However, before I could get to the seashore I was captivated by the yachts at the port. I walked past countless luxurious boats and kept thinking to myself, “I have to be rich so I can get me one of those!” In the meantime, I was trying to figure out how I was going to get myself on one and I did. As I walked along the port in the direction of the beach, I spotted a large catamaran (a type of sailboat). There were crew members standing in front of it selling tickets for a 1-hour boat ride for 12 euros. I immediately purchased my ticket. My ticket was for the next boat ride which didn’t begin for another hour so I decided to continue my journey to the beach. On my way, there I passed many stands selling various things and I impulsively bought a sun hat. I instantly began having a selfie photo shoot when I stumbled across the lighthouse also known as La Farola De Malaga. According to my tour guide, it was built in the 19th century by prisoners. It stands approximately 38 meters above sea level and its light theoretically reaches as far as 25 miles. Eventually I reached the beach and I remember coming to a halt, mesmerized by the view. The coastline looked like something you see on a postcard. It was at that moment that I realized I was in paradise.
“Every new friend is a new adventure…The start of more memories.” –Patrick Lindsay
Open water has always brought me serenity, so I was eager to get on a sailboat and simply relax. When I boarded the catamaran, I was instantaneously attracted to this group of young people sitting in the front of the boat. I introduced myself to them and I discovered that they were students from Portugal who were studying in Granada; a province also located in Andalusia, Spain. We quickly established a connection and we spent the entire boat ride discussing our experiences abroad, laughing and having a photo shoot. As I stared at the horizon, the glassy sea seemed to be never ending. The sky was a soothing baby blue and the clouds were so big and vivid it was hypnotizing. I laid on my back staring at the sky, listening to the sail boat skip across the Mediterranean Sea. I was seconds away from dozing off when I thought to myself, “this is what life is about.” Life is about taking a moment to stop and appreciate the simple things such as meeting new people, freedom, health, oxygen, our loved ones and life itself! It’s all truly a gift.
Once the boat ride concluded, I invited my new friends for drinks and tapas. They eagerly accepted my invitation. We decided to go to this tapas bar called 100 Montaditos because on Sundays they have 1 Euro Mania; all the tapas as well as jars of beer and sangria are just one euro. We ordered a variety of tapas and devoured them as we practiced our speaking skills; they taught me some Spanish phrases and I helped them perfect their English. After tapas, we embarked on another journey to the Gilbralfaro Castle.
The Gilbralfaro Castle sits on a high hill overlooking Malaga city and port. It dates to the 10th century and is well known: you can see it in both Malaga city and province’s seal. The hike was treacherous. As we marched up a twisting and curving hill we all complained because none of us had on the proper clothes or shoes for such an adventure. I kept thinking to myself, “Why am I doing this? I have asthma,” but I kept marching on. The dirt path leading to the castle caused me to mentally travel back in time to when the city of Malaga was still being fought over by various settlers. I could picture attackers struggling to penetrate the fortress due to its strategic positioning. Those who were successful were most likely just as astonished as I was. Gasping for air I climbed the walls of the castle to have my breath completely taken away by the view. From the thick walls of the Gilbralfaro Castle one can see all of Malaga; From the Mediterranean Sea to the tall mountains of Andalucía. The view from the castle was absolutely worth the asthma attack I almost had. With the Spanish flag waving in the wind behind me I felt like this was only the beginning of my journey.
“Traveling — It leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.”
When I graduated college, I traveled all over Europe and Africa seeking to expand my level of perception. At first, it started as a wild dream that I surprisingly turned into my reality. Without a concrete plan or knowing what to expect, I journeyed to cities where I didn’t know too much about the culture or even the language for that matter. Nonetheless, I quickly learned about those places, the people that lived there and most importantly, about myself! I discovered intimate things about myself in the crevices of foreign cities, in emblematic European fountains, and on the dirt paths of ancient roads no longer traveled by. Alone, I traveled to Malaga not sure if it would be worth it to realize that it was just the motivation I needed to continue my grand journey. At the top of the Gilbralfaro Castle I asked myself, “how do you expect to take over the world if you’ve never seen it?” That’s just what I plan to do; see all the world so I can take it over one enchanted city at a time! Although my time in Europe is coming to an end (for now) I am anxious to see what my future has in store.
“Success isn’t measured by things, it’s measured by your accomplishments and how you use them to take you where you want to go.” -Ymoni Shavuo
Ymoni Shavuo, NY, New York
Follow Ymoni on IG : @_blackgirlsjourney
You can find this and many other travel posts by Ymoni on Black Girl Journey blog site.
