Penultimate Post

We had a final couple of days with Steve and Sally - a meet up at a little breakfast place on the beach we liked, dinner at a couple of different restaurants trying two kinds of paella, a walk through the marina and out to the end of the port finger and another evening on their rooftop terrace. It had become quite windy in Malaga while they were there so we were all having to bundle up a bit more, though it was mostly sunny.

There was a major Spanish film festival going on and the hotel across the street had the red carpet rolled out for various celebrities, none of whom we recognized but the crowd was pretty excited and selfies with different people were being taken.

There were also weddings going on at the beautiful City Hall and it was fun to see people in their finest, some in traditional dress.

We noticed how many more plants were in bloom since we were last in Malaga in early January.

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Especially wonderful was the fact that all the orange trees were now blossoming and the smell was intoxicating. They are the naranja amarga, or bitter orange, introduced to Europe by Genovese sailors, who brought it over from Asia. Rumored to bring happiness to whoever possessed it, the Moorish dynasty that reigned at the time decided to plant these bitter orange trees all over Spain and we saw them everywhere in Andalusia. So beautiful when they have fruit and so beautiful when they are in blossom. I don’t know how blossoms can so quickly follow the harvest.

The bitter oranges are used in many products including: baked goods and chocolates, jams, liquors and wines, lotions and perfume. Vino de naranja, or orange wine, is made from sweet white wine from Huelva that is mixed with the peels of Seville’s bitter oranges. I didn’t get a chance to try it; next time!

So this is the penultimate post. One more is in the works about our day trip from Malaga to Ronda by bus, one of the last things we did in Spain. Ronda was on our list of must-see places in Andalucia. Then the curtain will close on this little adventure in lovely Spain.