Málaga, Spain | August 10th-12th, 2019
For our first night in Málaga, we scored a nice beachside parking spot! There were tons of people around, but it was a large beach, so it didn’t feel overcrowded. We walked along the shore, loving the feeling of the cool salty water on our feet. We walked past lots of topless ladies and even got to experience a nudist beach for the first time… what a sight! 😂The night life on the beach was great! People were out and about eating, drinking, and playing cards. We also ran into a group of women obviously conducting a bachelorette party. They were speaking through megaphones and asking people to “guess the movie” as they played the titanic theme song over and over. When I guessed the movie correctly, she responded, “Yea, one point for England!” We just laughed and continued to our van. It was our first hint that Malaga is a wonderful party city!
The sunrise woke us up the next morning and the beach called our names. We were able to get in a small workout along the coast before heading into the city. It was Sunday, so we started our adventures for the day at church. It was neat seeing the service conducted in Spanish. I was able to understand some of the message, but poor Ben was lost the entire time haha. However, it was still wonderful getting to feel the spirit and take the sacrament. We spoke with the missionaries for a bit as they were from California and Utah. It was nice to chat with other people in English for a change. After church we went to see the Parque de Málaga and La Playa Malagueta.
The heat was taking its toll on us through the park, so we decided to go eat at a shaded beach restaurant. It was our first experience at a dine-in place, so we were a bit nervous. The culture of it was quite different! What we had read before coming to Spain, was that it is not necessary for you to tip your servers because they are paid fairly and are expected to perform their duties. We found that this meant they don’t wait on you hand and foot haha. We had to flag down the waiter each time we needed something, but at the same time we were approached by three different waiters asking for our drink order. I couldn’t find the right words in Spanish to tell him the other man had already taken our order, and he began shouting out of frustration until he finally understood! It was frightening ha. Anyway, we ordered a traditional Spanish dish called Paella, which is rice mixed with (in this case) seafood. It was really good and the seafood was fresh. There was a man going around playing his guitar for entertainment and asking for tips along the way, after awhile the atmosphere grew on us.
With our bellies full, we knew that we had to get in the water right away for fear of melting in the heat. We picked a spot on the busy beach and ran to the water because the sand was so hot we could barely stand to tiptoe through it! The water was chilly but so refreshing. The party city did not disappoint as there were topless women, couples making out, and groups of guys drinking and chanting. It was a great place for people watching! (Not to be creepy or anything 😂).
Finally we took a picture by the “Malagueta” sign and got ice cream for our walk back. The party city wore us out and we were in much need of some relaxation which we found in the beautiful city of Granada….
Vaughan_Ventures 