A home for my words.

*A Note*

A decade ago, I moved to Spain to teach English. I was mainly inspired by my genuine love of teaching and because I’d started learning Spanish the year prior while teaching English in Quito, Ecuador. Things have changed in Spain over those ten years. You’ve probably heard about the anti-tourism protests throughout Spain and other locations in the world. While those sentiments aren’t exactly felt in the same way a quick news clip might portray and often don’t deeply address the geo-political and socioeconomic factors at play, I must say that my time in Malaga pushed me to a conclusion as it pertains to my future with tourism in Spain: I will be on a long and/or indefinite hiatus from Spain travels (*queue the rejoicing Spaniards on Reddit lol*). You’ll see one more Spain post before the end of the year, and that’ll be that.

I’ve been blessed to visit so many places in Spain during my time teaching in Madrid, then Valencia, and returning numerous times to visit friends in Spain over the years that followed. The latter was my motivation for visiting Malaga: to see two old friends that I met three years ago in Gran Canaria. If any future trips would contribute to tourism-related issues, I’ve now resolved to pulling myself out of the equation. By the time I started re-thinking my decision to set off for this particular Spain trip, it was too late to get refunds. So, I’ve looked at this all as a last hoorah. I hope that improvements will be made by the Spanish government to support its citizens in the ways locals long for, and I wish them good luck.

Just Casual

Since this trip was more of a reunion and I passed most of the time catching up with my friends in the apartment where one friend now officially lives, I didn’t hit the ground running the way I normally do when traveling solo. This post more so casually recounts the things the three of us happened to do rather than things I set out with an intention to do. However, there is one personal highlight at the end of this post from one of the few moments I took to play tourist.

Views

Food

This is one of those areas that I felt demonstrated the pushback some locals have on tourism. I was completely taken aback by the prices in Malaga! Back in my early 20s and even in more recent times, much of life in Spain came across as affordable. But Malaga was a sticker shock. I spent more money in just four days there than I’d ever spent on a week of expenses living anywhere in Spain. To be fair, my friend lived near the center, which would be a hub for tourist prices, and I’m also living on much more of a budget these days. Plus, Malaga is one of the places I hadn’t visited in Spain prior, so I can’t accurately price compare. But I even found the price vs. value of some museums as a bit imbalanced, and I’m normally a big museum hopper when I’m traveling.

Nightlife

I’m normally not a nightlife person, but I caught a glimpse of it since we went out as a trio. The central area certainly caters to the demographics of travelers spending time in the area and it seemed that most of the locals were there strictly for work.

I was happy to check out my first ever bachata lesson. It left me craving a night in a real bachata club with legitimate lovers of the dance. I’ll update you whenever that does happen 😉

Museums

There are plenty of museums to visit in Malaga: the museum of Pablo Picasso’s birth home, the Malaga Museum, and the Interactive Music Music, just to name a few. I visited the Picasso Museum in Malaga and while it was fine to pass some time there, the one in Barcelona is much better. I actually still travel with postcards that I got from the Picasso museum in Barcelona nearly a decade ago. The museum in Malaga cost about €13 and also focuses on two other artists whose work was inspired by Picasso. There are also ruins on the basement floor. I felt bad for the poor security guard down there because it gets little air and smells rank, but I guess you adjust after long enough. I’d expected to see more about Picasso himself in the museum as Malaga was his birthplace! However, reading between the lines of the materials provided was informative in its own way, like seeing the overlapping timelines of the women in Picasso’s life and the children he fathered. He seemed to have an entertaining life on and off the canvas.

Buy your tickets before you arrive so that you can enter quicker. I got in fast and then headed straight to the cafe to allow the crowds to thin out. I get that it’s a museum, but I paid like €2,40 for a cortado! That’s twice the price I’d normally pay anywhere across Spain over the past decade. It’s a small example, but it might illustrate the point of rising costs across tourist destinations in Spain.

The Highlight: OXO – Museo del Videojuego!

Now time for the museum that outshined all others: the OXO Museum of Video Games! I debated even going since entrance is about $20 USD, but I had time to kill before my flight and it was a Monday, so my friends were back to work. I have no regrets. The woman at the front desk was kind and walked me through what I needed to know in Spanish before she dropped me off in this room:

The effects were amazing. It took me through different terrifying and thrilling environments with something happening on every one of the four walls as well as the floor and the ceiling. Just a job absolutely well done! That set the tone for the rest of the building, which was part museum, part arcade.

BUT THE BEST PART!?!?

After a slow meal, I waited for the airport bus and called an end to my Malaga trip.