When I am given the choice-Italian Cuisine wins every time. I love pasta only slightly less than potatoes but the other ingredients of garlic, lemon, basil, tomatoes, sway me every time. So it was, that when I got to choose the restaurant where we would dine that evening, I picked La Tagliatella.

We commenced with Prosecco Sangrias. Likely the best tasting and most refreshing Sangria I have ever had.

We started by sharing burrata y panzanella. A generous ball of buffalo mozzarella crowned the plate of taggiasca olive pate, marinated anchovies, pesto pearls and yellow confit tomatoes, all on a confit tomatoes base. We couldn’t get enough of the surprising anti pasta. I vowed that I would make it at home for our first dinner party but we haven’t managed to schedule one yet.

Sister #3 was over the moon with her choice of Lomo Cosenza, pork loin nestled onto Genoese focaccia with campanella pasta in a beautiful cosenza sauce. She vowed to make it at home her first chance and she did!

Sister #2 had carbonara on tagliatelle, I think that she had been expecting a traditional carbonara made with raw eggs, hard cheese, cured pork and black pepper. Instead, the pork appeared to be the thinnest slice of bacon-like ham you might ever have seen. It wasn’t incorporated into the eggs and cheese but was perched upon the bed of pasta. I think she enjoyed the noodles well enough even if she was not terribly impressed with the presentation.

I opted for a salad and was blown away by the cremoso di rullo di capra- mixed greens with goat cheese mousse, nutty croutons, parmigiano reggiano, pineapple, carmelized pumpkin seeds, confit tomatoes and tomato jam. I was in heaven!

We thought our handsome server was Spanish or perhaps Italian. Turns out he was Argentinian as I recall. He did a stellar job taking care of us and held his own as the restaurant filled up with other diners.

It had been a magical day topped off with delicious fare. What more could three sisters want?

Kath’s quote: “Italian food is seasonal. It is simple. It is nutritionally sound. It is flavorful. It is colorful. It’s all the things that make for a good eating experience, and it’s good for you.“-Lidia Bastianich

Love never fails.

Leaving the market after our amazing tapas lunch, we went in search of churros. Or perhaps it was another day, but it really didn’t matter when it was, the search for churros was ongoing. Sister #3 had researched where to enjoy the best churros in Malaga. Unfortunately, the place did not have extensive hours and we kept missing the opportunity to taste one of our favourite treats.

So we went home instead. Now don’t feel too disappointed for us, if we couldn’t have churros, we could still indulge in lovely olives from the market, an economical vino tinto which was just to my liking AND the best kettle chips I have tasted anywhere! Truffle flavoured of course.

As sisters we often get together for happy hour, whether it is at Lester Beach where Sister #2 lives, Isla Mujeres where Sister #3 and I visit every year, Prague or Malaga Spain.

Since we tried to eat only one meal out per day, we gathered round the dining room table for leftovers (once again, please do not feel sorry for us) of shrimp pasta and fettucine carbonara from the Italian restaurant we visited the evening prior.

Kath’s quote: “I cling to our love like saran wrap on leftovers. If you want to know when dinner will be ready, the answer is last night. We could make love, or we could simply reheat what we already had“. – Jarod Kintz

Love never fails.

Breakfasts had been stellar in our Air BnB and this simple one was my favourite. Sister #3 grated a tomato on a cheese grater, adding just a smidge of olive oil and salt. She then toasted olive oil smeared baguettes which we subsequently rubbed with garlic cloves. We spooned a little of the tomatoes on the toast and voila! The Spaniards call them Tomato Bread and they are one dish I have managed to make since I got home!

The main entrance of the market is this imposing horseshoe archway in off-white marble, which is in fact the only remaining part of what was once a grand seven-arched shipyard – ataranzas in Arabic and old Castellano. A shipyard? In the middle of the city? Amazingly, even as late as the 18th century the sea reached right up to the present-day market, and fishermen sat alongside the south-facing wall of the building and cast their lines into the Malageñan waters.

From the market website: “From Moorish shipyard to market, Ataranzas underwent many transformations. Following the fall of the city to the Catholics in 1487, a convent was set on the site, but apparently the sound of the waves distracted the faithful from their prayers. More appropriately perhaps, the building was then turned into a huge military fort for storing weapons. Later, it became a hospital and even housed a medical school. Sadly, by the 19th century the original structure had largely fallen into disrepair and in 1868 the revolutionary government of the time ordered the remaining ruins to be demolished to make way for a modern and spacious market. The Nasrid arch was recovered thanks to the intervention of several members of the San Telmo Academy. It was completely dismantled, stone by stone, and rebuilt in its present location, as the main entrance to the new market in 1876 by the Cantabrian architect Joaquín de Rucoba who designed the market in neo-Arabic style, with slatted, arched windows and panels, but using the most modern of 19th century building materials: iron. it was inaugurated in 1879.”

I have been to Peak’s Market in Seattle, St Lawrence Market in Toronto, Marché de la Libération in Nice and Machane Yehuda Market in Jerusalem and I was blown away by the size and the food displays in Malaga’s market!

As you might imagine, we got hungry gazing at all of this delectable food, when we spied some tables on the sidewalk just outside the market. There was a gentleman valiantly trying to manage the order of the people waiting for tables. First, he said “Please stand over here. Oh, please move over here. You are behind these people; can you follow them?”

When it was finally our turn to snag a table, I was a bit stressed from being shuffled all over and wondered if the ordeal would be worth it.

After one sip of their refreshing sangria, I was convinced that this was indeed worth doing.

When we received our menus, we realized that almost everything they served was tapas style and we were delighted that we had the opportunity to regain our faith in Spanish tapas. Sister #3 and I are a little bit more adventurous than Sister #2 so we went ahead and ordered Pulpo a La Galleja (octopus in salt, paprika, and olive oil). They were pungent from the sea but tender at the same time. Loved them.

More to Sisters #2’s liking, we shared these gorgeous Gambas Plancha (grilled prawns)

and Berenjanas con miel (deep fried eggplant with honey),

as well as Alcachofas (artichokes). Both the eggplant and artichokes were lightly breaded and piping hot. The honey drizzle was a lovely idea as well as the sauce to dunk our artichokes. But try the latter sometime with hollandaise, you won’t be sorry.

Kath’s quote: “So I decided to be an artichoke: a little prickly on the outside with a big heart on the inside” – Ed Roberts

Love never fails.

We may have put on some extra steps when searching for the Flamenco venue, but we were still too early for the show, so we popped into this bistro just around the corner to our destination. I loved the decor and the Pacifico was ice cold, so we were content.

Unfortunately, we were not permitted to take photos of the performance until the very end. I opted to take a video and unfortunately, I cannot post it here. So close your eyes and imagine this scene: the musician is stellar with his agile fingers flying all over his guitar. The singer’s voice is strong and mournful and even without understanding her words, I was moved by her lament. The dancer was the biggest surprise. No cassinettes or crinolines, she wore a simple “folk” dress and stomped around the stage in a vengeful manner. When she hiked up her skirts, the emphasis became almost sexual.

But our day was not over yet! We made our way back to the Harbour for a sunset cruise on the bay. From this vantage we could see the top of Alcazaba and learned that it is an old Moorish fortified palace which has stood guard over Malaga for nearly a thousand years. It is said that the impressive building is undoubtedly the finest surviving example of a Moorish citadel in Spain.

By contrast we soon came upon this whimsical art installation.

High end condos and shops created a half moon around the marina.

In the mid-upper photo, to the left of the middle palm tree you may see El Cubo. The close up of the coloured glass walls is above. Special art displays appear in this space on a rotating basis. The Cube was recently a stop on the Amazing Race.

The sun was just about to set as we boarded the boat. Do you notice that the Spanish skies aren’t particularly blue? I read about smog in Spain and found out that Malaga is moderately polluted.

The Three Sisters ready to leave the port. Could we look any happier?

I mentioned the sunset, I thought that these cranes looked like giraffes coming to a water hole to refresh themselves.

When we disembarked, I noticed the elevated series of lights above the city. That is the Alcazaba that I mentioned above.

We still had not stopped for dinner, so decided to choose between the restaurant offerings at the harbour. The sisters let me pick and I think that I surprised them with my choice.

Kath’s quote: “Travelling in the company of those we love is home in motion.”– Leigh Hunt

Love never fails.

We had planned a full day of sightseeing for this day and started by navigating our way to the Hop on Hop Off Bus. We commenced with a loop around the marina including La Farola de Malaga. We would recognize it as a lighthouse, but the literal translation is a “lamppost”.

The day was gorgeous either for walking or bus touring and we felt blessed to be in this beautiful place on earth.

I was trying to capture this cruise boat but the angle from the bus does not accurately indicate the size of the ship.

I was happy to simply have palm trees in my gaze again. I do love the native trees in my part of the world but seeing palms usually means I have a sundress and flip flops on. That is the attire I feel most carefree in.

These beautiful trees line the main promenade of Malaga and although I have seen them in many tropical cities, they do not grow in our harsh climate.

This part of the tour included some high-end dwellings near the water. I can just imagine the gorgeous views from that vantage point.

I prefer though, the architecture of the neighbourhood called El Limonar which dates back to the late 19th century.

The contrasting architecture of old and not so old was everywhere in the city.

Sister #3 and I deposited Sister #2 in the shade of the entrance to the Alcazaba and made our way to find the Picasso Museum.

En route I took this unusual of someone making a delivery to the rear door of a convent. It is a statue of an angel, wrapped up in red velvet but you can see the wings peeking through.

I was also taken by another tree. I think the craggy but majestic tree on the right is an olive tree. I have admired olive trees all over the world but the one that was most dear, was one in the Garden of Gethsemane in Jerusalem dating back to the 12th century.

Pablo Picasso was born in Malaga, as we were instructed when we drove passed his home which is now a Museum.

But the second Picasso Museum was beautifully housed here (admission was included with our tour ticket). I have seen larger Picasso installations before, but this collection was particularly interesting when viewing it in his birth city.

Having studied Art History, I was familiar with this important work-Les Demoiselles d’Avignon but had never seen it in person. It dominated one entire wall in the gallery.

I was very taken with this Portrait of Paulo (the artist’s son). I loved the softness of the child’s features and the soft blue hues that Picasso chose.

La Sieste above, fascinated me, imagining that the models twisted like pretzels to depict this. But of course, that is untrue as the positioning was only in Picasso’s minds’ eye and distinguished himself from his predecessors.

I captured this sculpture of an owl for my Daughter-in-law.

As well as this sculpture of a Bull’s Head fashioned from a bicycle seat and handlebars for a Brother -in-law.

This was an early self portrait of the artist when you could still identify his bald head, stubby beard and striped tshirt.

Returning to entrance of the Alcazaba, we fetched Sister #2.

In many places around the squares in Malaga were these special plant holders for plants that grow on our window ledges at home. I have many spider plants but nothing as full and as stunning as these.

We were off on another quest. This time to find a venue where we could watch Flamenco (also included with our tour ticket). That post will follow. We passed these quizzical fountains en route.

Kath’s quote: “Love is the greatest refreshment in life.“-Pablo Picasso

Love-that is all.