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Catching the coach from Granada to Malaga was a very cost effective 9.85 euros and offered a smooth 90 minutes trip on the clear roadway; but I got totally spiked on the taxi cost from the Estacion de Autobus Malaga to my hotel - 20 euros!! Practically double the price! :(
My suspicions were aroused when I got into the cab and the driver didn´t bother putting on the meter...when I queried this, he said that it was standard that all fares from the bus station to any location in Malaga were 20 euros. What the...?! (don´t forget, that´s close to AU$40)
I pretty much said, stop the car, I want to get out now! The driver chattered in rapid Spanish and quickly pulled the taxi over and while I was voicing my protest, pulled out a sheet of printed distance prices. Pointing to a line, I read that the cost from the Malaga bus station to Torremolinos was 18 euros.
I scowled, but said, "vale" (meaning okay and pronounced "bah-lay") and as the drive went on I realised just how far that bloody bus station was. Not to mention that though my hotel is supposed to be in Torremolinos, Malaga; that´s like saying Fremantle is part of the city of Perth, kinda true, but not exactly within walking distance!
The driver must have felt guilty about saying 20 euros initially as when I gave him the money, he set his mouth and handed me back 2 euros, sticking to the recommended cost.
So far, the cabbies here in Spain have been pretty good and rarely round up your fare, they make a point of giving you back your small change.
As I entered the Hotel Natali, everyone in the lobby looked to be heading to the beach and there were heaps of kids running around. I noticed posters for ´family fun play areas´, advertised programs for buses heading down to the beach, on to theme parks and animal exhibitions... I started to realise that I was in a mid range family resort and worried about what my room was going to end up like...
My instincts were on the money, as when I clicked into my room I surveyed such basic accommodation, I don´t know how it had the nerve to call itself a 3 star location.
- No remote on the very small TV (and it was missing it´s buttons so you couldn´t even change the channels manually). Cost to get a remote? 20 euros, refunded to you on check out.
- No minibar (I rarely buy anything from them, but I like the fridge option as I usually clear a space to chill some water or fruit).
I guess this close to the beach they figure you wouldn´t want to spend too much time in your room anyway...
On my usual afternoon tromp I found the beach, loads of European tourists and thankfully, the Terremolinos train stop. I caught it this morning to the centre of Malaga proper, a good 30 minutes of travelling time which stops at the city´s airport about halfway through the journey.
The train itself is rather high off the platform, and with at least two steps up, is a bit of a struggle for anyone with luggage (a good three quarters of all the passengers on my ride in). So I´m bearing this in mind for my own trip tomorrow as I escape Malaga and hop onto an afternoon train to Cordoba.
I did get to visit the elegant Museo de Picasso in Calle San Augustin today though, right next to a spectacular Romanesque cathedral.
The museum was filled with lithographs, sketches, 3D metalwork, paper cuttings, smaller paintings and a wide variety of the artist´s experimental etchings.
Picasso certainly had a sense of humour...! Or is it just me thinking that as I grin at various pieces which look inverted, are warply strange and in some cases display the original definition of cute (ugly but interesting) which are later revealed in their titles to be muses, friends or in one particularly smudge-like smear, a cat :)
The museum also houses an extra treat: entry into the lower levels beneath the main halls where a small but important archaeological juncture showcases a slice of early ´Malaka´; when the city was home to the Phoenicians (over 2000+ years ago) and was a rich commercial centre specializing in silver and copper. This area was later taken over by Carthagian and then Roman rulers, before a long period of Moorish influence and then present Christian sovereignty.
The small exhibit highlighted Phoenician pottery shards (a few wonderfully painted), simple rooms and various work areas; a fascinating reminder that with each new culture overlayed on Spain they have scored a compelling chapter in her rich history.
Oh, shout-out to the cute (modern definition, natch) curly haired, helpful and very attentive museum usher who was definitely looking when I headed over to my next exhibition level. All I could give him was a flirtly smile... :)
"All I could give him was a flirty smile..." Why? No time for a romantic interlude in what appears to have been the least interesting stop on your tour through Spain. You dissapoint Judith! You deprive your readers of so much more ;). WRT the cabs, I recall Shelly paying an incredible 40 euros to go from Les Houches village to our chalet in the Chaminix valley. The trip at most would have been 4 km. When I told a local doctor who I had cause to visit, he smiled grimly and said there was one price for locals and one for the tourists. A local would have paid around 5 euros! I do detest places where the locals take advantage of tourists and at the same time detest their presence. Not that Spain has been like that for you, but I am thinking of Paris and the Chamonix valley, and perhaps even Geneva in my experience. Jaymez
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