Not a holiday for everyone

Easter Monday isn't a Bank Holiday in Andalucia, although it is is some other parts of Spain, so after the Maundy Thursday and Good Friday public holidays, it was business more or less as usual today. We decided to walk up the Gibralfaro to the Parador for lunch. With time to spare on the way, we visited the fortress and enjoyed its gardens until it was time to go and eat. 

As we climbed, we caught sight of one of the weekend's big cruise ships sailing away. Two more cruise ships are in port, which weren't there over the weekend, so this continues to be a busy period for the city, with several thousand visitors extra each day on top of those who've driven here, making a long weekend of the Easter festival.

There weren't many people in the restaurant, although we were among the first to arrive. Our meal was of typical local dishes, including salt cod and a stew containing several flavours of sausage and a big variety of alubia beans. 

The air was clear and bright, though not warm enough to sit out on the terrace to eat. Nevertheless, we had a superb, almost haze free view of the city and the harbour. After the return walk, we both felt unexpectedly tired rather than invigorated, so took a siesta and whiled away the afternoon. Later on we walked into the Old Town. I was interested to see what progress had been made on removing the spectator seating on the processional routes.

The large mobile seating stands had gone, and work had begun on dismantling  the rest. All of the thousands of wooden chairs had been collected and shipped out, so that Calle Marques de Lario was clear for the crowds of shoppers to roam at will. A start had been made on the tribune in the Plaza de la Constitucion, and given its size and the time it took to erect, it'll take several days to remove. A lot of overtime has been worked this weeked to restore a semblance of normality I reckon.

    

Luxurious respite

For the first time since I've been here, I drove the car into town and parked a some distance from the Church shop, so that after celebrating the midweek Eucharist, Clare and I could leave without delay for Malaga. We'd booked in to the Gibralfaro Parador hotel for the night, to give us a romantic 24 hour break before Clare flight back to Cardiff. It's situated a hundred metres above the city plain, just beneath the old military outpost, form where you can see in every direction for miles. The view from the Parador's terraces and rooms across the city is also spectacular, or would be in this occasion if it weren't for the dreadful heat haze. At least it's that much cooler on high, and the roar of the city is muted a little, if not suppressed behind triple glazed windows. Here's the view through the haze, with the daily ferry to the Spanish enclave of Mellila on the Moroccan coast, down there in port.

We had a light lunch in the bar, then caught the 35 bus down to the Ajuntamiento, to make our way to the modern entrance to the Alcazaba Palace, through a tunnel and a lift up to the top level of rooms and gardens. It's a delightful place for a hot afternoon, with its fountains and runnng water. Not nearly as spectacular as the Alhambra in Granada, but with many treasures to glimpse in a smaller area, and not nearly as crowded. 

It's my second visit, and I was pleased that Clare liked it as much as I did. We had to wait ages for a 35 bus to take us back up the hill. We could have taken the steep footpath up through the hillside gardens, but waiting in the shady gardens adjacent to the waterfront seemed like a better idea.

Clare then had a swim in the roof-top pool, while I attempted to take photos of big gray and black backed gulls cruising the thermals all around us, but without much success as the sun got in the way of the best shots. We dined on the outdoor terrace of the Parador restaurant, using the Spanish menu and as much Spanish as we could, and the waitress joined in with good humour. It slightly backfired however as I ended up with a beef steak instead of the pork steak I was hoping for, but the roasted green peppers which went with it made it tolerable, along with a very nice red Rioja. Down below at city street level, we could see there was a horse riding in the ring of the town's Plaza de Toros. Music and applause drifted up on the evening breeze, and a succession of diners edged their ways past our table to get the best place to take a photo. I'd not taken my camera along to dinner, wanting to be free to savour the romance of the moment and the company.

The Parador experience is consistently good, and the settings most varied. Staff work very hard, but seem to enjoy what they do. One thing surprised me however, the hotel wifi was unsecured, and no registration was required. It was certainly convenient, but what of the risk of hacking or unsavoury abuse of the system? All I can conclude is that any device logging on is going to be traceable. The bookng system will in any case have the registered email address of service purchacer, and maybe it's all that's needed in the event of mischief. Maybe there's been a change of policy. I recall needing a wi-fi password when we stayed in Ronda Parador last year.