Day 9 Sunday, March 10th: Lana's Perfect Day
Wow, time is moving quickly as we are now more than half way through our holiday in Andalucia! The sun is shining and the expected high today is 22 degrees! Our hike is titled "El Candado - Rincón de la Victoria" and is just east of Málaga. I relied upon our Airbnb host Antonio to check the hike in Spanish to confirm the exact geographical coordinates so we can find our starting point. Our hiking coordinates: 36.714119, -4.343002
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We leave our apartment around 09:30. Our Garmin GPS works pretty good although it takes a long time to 'find a satellite'. It is an easy drive eastbound and very little traffic at this time in the morning. The GPS coordinates work perfectly and we find free parking. It is right beside the beach and just past El Candado. Try to park where we will receive shade for most of our absence as the sun is super bright. Both wearing our shorts. Lana has her trusty umbrella ready. Our walk will be eastbound to Rincón de la Victoria and then return. I am hoping my Fitbit Ionic wristwatch will work for the entire hike as it is fully charged.
Along the seaside walk we come across cyclists, runners, walkers, dog owners, families, roller-bladers etc. There are palm trees in places along the beaches. In a couple of parks outdoor ping pong tables. At this early time in the morning there are not a lot of people on the boardwalks. Whenever we look towards Málaga it is super smoggy. Some of the people wear mouth protection so now we know why. Some fisherman at various spots along our walk with very long fishing rods. All sorts of action along the beach and walkway. Many families and people of all ages of course.
Yup, we decide that some seafood by the beach would make an excellent lunch experience today. We find a restaurant on the beach itself and it is pretty far down the east side of the beach so not in the super popular area. There is more fancy indoor seating and then a special seating area right on the beach. The restaurant is Casa Guirado and there are two tables occupied when we arrive. One table is a couple and the other table a family of four with two little girls. We have a great spot overlooking the ocean and Lana can be in the shade while I enjoy the sun. The city of Málaga is off in the distance to our right. There is a slight breeze off the ocean so that provides a cooling sensation making it an ideal temperature. A few sailboats off shore about one kilometre. We have already walked 8.6 kms.
A youngish guy is serving us we guess. He doesn't bring a drinks menu or a food menu. He speaks some basic English. Returns with drink menu and we order, but he advises no kitchen until no earlier than 13:00. We have about 40 minutes, but we have some drinks and it is so relaxing on the beach. Lana orders her favourite = Tinto de Verano; a bottle of sparkling water and I order a glass of semi-dry Verdejo (José Pariente) white wine. I should have ordered a bottle! Wow, it is fantastic and costs 2.50 Euro per glass. When we get back to the apartment I discover it was voted best white Spanish wine of the year. Yup! Actually, when we are leaving the restaurant I ask to see the bottle for a picture and then ask if I can buy a bottle? Yes, 17 Euros price so about double what it would cost in a wine store here. It is heavy to carry all the way back to the car, but worth it.
Anyway, back to the restaurant the family of four youngest girl was a super whiner. Crying all the time and finally they left. Phew! I asked the young guy for food menus before 13:00 so we could order once they opened the kitchen as I know how the Spanish like to take their time. That request takes a long time. Apparently, he provides "old" menus and we are given new menus once the kitchen is opened. A woman takes our order and two bread buns arrive. I order a second glass of that fantastic white wine. Lana receives her order way before me. Hmmmm.....Our total bill is 30.50 Euro.
Google Maps to confirm where we will be headed to start our 7 km hike or 14 km round trip.
Online article:
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HIKING TRAIL – EL CANDADO-RINCÓN DE LA VICTORIA
This coastal route is one of the sections that make up the Senda Litoral de Málaga. In this case connects the eastern area of the city of Malaga to the municipality of Rincón de la Victoria. This route passes by emblematic spots on the coast like the Peñón del Cuervo (the rock pictured above) or El Cantal.
HOW TO GET TO THE STARTING POINT
The starting point of this route is next to the El Candado club, where the marina of the same name is located. Nearby, next to a parking area, you can see the beginning of the lane that leads the Senda Litoral to Rincón de la Victoria. This section also coincides partially with the first route of the Gran Senda de Málaga.
WikilocROUTE DESCRIPTION
This route, with more than 7 kilometers, can be fully done until Rincón de la Victoria or we can choose to go back before if there isn’t enough time to complete it or if the weather is not ideal. That, sets the difference from other sections of the Senda Litoral, in some spots, like El Cantal or the strip of Peñón del Cuervo, that go through tunnels that allow partial shelter from the inclement weather, such as rain, wind or excessive heat. Despite this, it is not recommended to do this route if the weather forecast is not the ideal.
The route, that is almost fully plain, allows you to know the coastal landscape of the eastern area of Malaga and of Rincón de la Victoria, where we especially highlight the abrupt coast of this metropolitan area. Five hundred meters from the route we pass next to the beach of Peñón del Cuervo, it bears this name because of the rock of the same name located on the bank.
From the beach of Peñón del Cuervo the road heads towards the village of La Araña, located facing the spectacular cement factory. Here the path goes through the streets of this popular suburb, where today a watchtower survives from which we still have a broad view of the Bay of Málaga.
From La Araña the road passes to the municipality of Rincón de la Victoria crossing for this the Arroyo de Totalán through a gateway, its riverbed tends to be dry during almost the entire year. Thus, the hiker will pass through the coastal strip of the village of La Cala del Moral. For approximately 1,5 km the road will be the promenade that ends in the area known as El Cantal, one of the most abrupt coastal places of the Malaga coast. Therefore, it is one of the most spectacular areas of this section of the Senda Litoral.
To cross El Cantal there are several alternatives that run parallel. The one to the right that ascends through stairs will allow you to enjoy the best views. In any case, this part of the tour will reach the tunnel that was once used by the railway to connect Malaga to other locations in the eastern area of the province.
The tunnel, of required tour, ends just in the promenade of Rincón de la Victoria, next to the niche of the Virgen del Carmen. Although the trail can end at this point, it is worthwhile to continue a few meters more to enjoy the beaches of Rincón de la Victoria and its old fishermen quarter.
The return will be on the same path, but there is also the option of returning on public transport, since that by the avenida del Mediterráneo, in the center of the promenade of Rincon, often passes a long-distance bus that reaches the center of Malaga passing through the eastern part of the city.
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Along the seaside walk we come across cyclists, runners, walkers, dog owners, families, roller-bladers etc. There are palm trees in places along the beaches. In a couple of parks outdoor ping pong tables. At this early time in the morning there are not a lot of people on the boardwalks. Whenever we look towards Málaga it is super smoggy. Some of the people wear mouth protection so now we know why. Some fisherman at various spots along our walk with very long fishing rods. All sorts of action along the beach and walkway. Many families and people of all ages of course.
From where we start this is looking westward towards the distant (not too far) Málaga.
Famous Peñón del Cuervo. Huge rock formation that is well known to the locals and there is a beach beside it.
Gigantic cement factory and we took this picture as it is a German company in Heidelberg that runs SAP software.
This cement operation is huge and seems to be running 24/7. Weird though it is positioned very close to the ocean and beautiful coastline. We notice the cars parked around here are all covered in a very fine light brown dust!!
This is the first public toilet (Paseo de Boas Infante) we encountered after the start of our walk. We walked by numerous beaches, picnic areas, camping areas and zero toilets. Where do these people go? These have a toilet seat, toilet paper, soap and a sink!
There are numerous boat-shaped grills full of wood along the beach used by the restaurants. We saw one in Málaga as well. Great aroma when they are fully operational as you can smell the burning wood and sometimes the fish they are grilling.
Most of the homes along the beach area are the same architecture, but this modern style really stands out.
Great views from this promontory overlooking the ocean.
Sign confirming the flora and fauna with Spanish and English.
Another modern styled home that is beautiful set against the hillside.
There are a number of tunnels along this seaside walk. In some cases you can choose to walk above rather than inside the tunnel. The tunnels are fantastic on a hot day as the air is very cool and offers immediate relief.
The far end of Rincón de la Victoria is our final destination and we walk to the very end that you can see in the photo. My goal to finish at the very end and then turn around and find some lunch. It is around 12:00 when we arrive at the conclusion which is about 7 kms distance. Finally, this is a beach with actual sand. :-) The reason I mention this is two locals tell us their Málaga beaches are terrible. Yes, they are not sandy and kind of rocky.
The boardwalk area is not too busy when we are walking towards the eastern end point given few of the restaurants are open yet for lunch. We find out most of the places won't open until 13:00. This explains why when we return westward the boardwalk and restaurants are super busy. Tons of people everywhere and everyone enjoying themselves. The prized real estate along the promenade/boardwalk is full of restaurants! No surprise and obviously on a Sunday this must be their busiest day of the week. We do learn that in Málaga when you sit for a meal you will receive a complimentary bowl of olives. Plus, don't expect a free tapas with your drink order. Grrrr...
Yup, we decide that some seafood by the beach would make an excellent lunch experience today. We find a restaurant on the beach itself and it is pretty far down the east side of the beach so not in the super popular area. There is more fancy indoor seating and then a special seating area right on the beach. The restaurant is Casa Guirado and there are two tables occupied when we arrive. One table is a couple and the other table a family of four with two little girls. We have a great spot overlooking the ocean and Lana can be in the shade while I enjoy the sun. The city of Málaga is off in the distance to our right. There is a slight breeze off the ocean so that provides a cooling sensation making it an ideal temperature. A few sailboats off shore about one kilometre. We have already walked 8.6 kms.
A youngish guy is serving us we guess. He doesn't bring a drinks menu or a food menu. He speaks some basic English. Returns with drink menu and we order, but he advises no kitchen until no earlier than 13:00. We have about 40 minutes, but we have some drinks and it is so relaxing on the beach. Lana orders her favourite = Tinto de Verano; a bottle of sparkling water and I order a glass of semi-dry Verdejo (José Pariente) white wine. I should have ordered a bottle! Wow, it is fantastic and costs 2.50 Euro per glass. When we get back to the apartment I discover it was voted best white Spanish wine of the year. Yup! Actually, when we are leaving the restaurant I ask to see the bottle for a picture and then ask if I can buy a bottle? Yes, 17 Euros price so about double what it would cost in a wine store here. It is heavy to carry all the way back to the car, but worth it.
Anyway, back to the restaurant the family of four youngest girl was a super whiner. Crying all the time and finally they left. Phew! I asked the young guy for food menus before 13:00 so we could order once they opened the kitchen as I know how the Spanish like to take their time. That request takes a long time. Apparently, he provides "old" menus and we are given new menus once the kitchen is opened. A woman takes our order and two bread buns arrive. I order a second glass of that fantastic white wine. Lana receives her order way before me. Hmmmm.....Our total bill is 30.50 Euro.
Lana's order of Almejas (fresh steamed clams) which she loves!
Randy's order of Pulpo (Octopus lightly fried). Delicious and pairs perfectly with my wine. The octopus is juicy and not over-cooked.
This is a seaside community and as such as fresh seafood. Probably a huge draw for both locals and tourists.
We have a photo of one of those boat-shaped grills and this is an example of how they cook with it and what they cook. I am certain this seafood is fresh and delicious.
As we are returning on our hike I notice my Fitbit Ionic wristwatch has stopped working! This is the second time in a row while hiking it has zero battery. I am very frustrated as I was recording the hike. Oh well, we have our iPhone apps that measure our steps and other data. We return to our car at 15:20 and it is super hot. We notice that both of us have redness in various exposed body areas. Not complaining as this beats freezing in Vancouver. We wouldn't call this a hike, but more of a walk. It was fun and we got good exercise while enjoying the ocean and a couple of communities in the Costa del Sol.
WALK/HIKE STATS: 22, 350 steps , 12.9 kms and 14 floors from our hike via iPhone app
WALK/HIKE STATS: 22, 350 steps , 12.9 kms and 14 floors from our hike via iPhone app
Return to our room and Lana has a nap. I load the photos and complete as much as possible for today's blog. Prior to 18:00 Lana is off to Hamman al Andalus Baños Arabes Málaga spa that Antonio recommended. Her massage is later, but she wants to make use of the various facilities before the massage. I will meet her around 20:00 and then off to dinner for our last night in Málaga. Antonio has been really helpful with trying to figure out where I can buy some more bottles of the Verdejo I drank earlier. Tomorrow we will make a stop at El Cortes Ingles Supermercado where they sell all sorts of wine. I need to catch up on my Trip Advisor reviews and figure out plans for our drive to Ronda tomorrow. Plus, go through my emails.
Lana here!!! Went to a "hammam" spa today after our urban hike for some water baths and 60 minute massage. We've been doing some good hiking and I wanted to treat myself. Our AirBnB host recommended this place because it's close to the apartment. Hamman al Andalus Baños Arabes Málaga located about five minutes from our place.
The hammam itself is a series of water pools with massage treatments available. There were two cold pools, one warm, one hot, a stream room and a warm marble table room. You are welcome to take whatever pools you want, in whatever order. I choose to sit in the hot steam room for about 10 minutes to work up a good sweat then dunk myself into the coldest of two cold pools--just for the shear shock value. Plus I understand this is good for your nervous system. Then I went and laid out on the warm marble which was quite enjoyable. Anyone who has had a hot stone massage will appreciate this as it's the same type of sensation. The warm of the stone permeates into your muscles and relieves all the tension and stress!! I had flipped onto my front when I was told it was time for my massage upstairs. They give you a wrist bracelet to indicate you are getting a massage service which is how they find you. Upstairs, I sipped on a cup of hot sweet mint tea waiting for my masseuse to come get me.
Once in the massage area, it was a little disconcerting because it's a fairly open area with cubicles separated only by curtains. My room was actually a double and there was a man on the table opposite me. This didn't bother me but the ambient noises that that you hear when there are only curtains was a bit surprising. One of the treatments involved a body scrub and I swear I could hear what sounded like someone sanding a door, then splashing water, more sanding/scrubbing noise, more splashing water, repeat, repeat, repeat, etc. Seriously!! Not exactly the sort of thing you want to hear when you're trying to relax. Also, because the treatment areas are unisex, you just lay on the table in your wet bathing suit and the masseuse "works around" what you're wearing by using strategically placed towels. Not exactly comfortable wearing something wet but the place is warm enough that you're not cold laying there. I enjoyed the atmosphere of this hammam and the cultural significance of the experience. If you're ever in Spain, give one of these a try.
I finish my massage with just enough time to have a shower and wash my hair to meet Randy outside at 8 PM for dinner. We have about a four minute walk to Pampa Grill Restaurante Argentino. This is the place where we got talking to an Irish guy last night and we decided to try his place tonight. They are known for their Argentine beef. We have never tried Argentine meat so this is a great opportunity.
A perfect day for Lana: hike , spa , dinner
Lana here!!! Went to a "hammam" spa today after our urban hike for some water baths and 60 minute massage. We've been doing some good hiking and I wanted to treat myself. Our AirBnB host recommended this place because it's close to the apartment. Hamman al Andalus Baños Arabes Málaga located about five minutes from our place.
The hammam itself is a series of water pools with massage treatments available. There were two cold pools, one warm, one hot, a stream room and a warm marble table room. You are welcome to take whatever pools you want, in whatever order. I choose to sit in the hot steam room for about 10 minutes to work up a good sweat then dunk myself into the coldest of two cold pools--just for the shear shock value. Plus I understand this is good for your nervous system. Then I went and laid out on the warm marble which was quite enjoyable. Anyone who has had a hot stone massage will appreciate this as it's the same type of sensation. The warm of the stone permeates into your muscles and relieves all the tension and stress!! I had flipped onto my front when I was told it was time for my massage upstairs. They give you a wrist bracelet to indicate you are getting a massage service which is how they find you. Upstairs, I sipped on a cup of hot sweet mint tea waiting for my masseuse to come get me.
Once in the massage area, it was a little disconcerting because it's a fairly open area with cubicles separated only by curtains. My room was actually a double and there was a man on the table opposite me. This didn't bother me but the ambient noises that that you hear when there are only curtains was a bit surprising. One of the treatments involved a body scrub and I swear I could hear what sounded like someone sanding a door, then splashing water, more sanding/scrubbing noise, more splashing water, repeat, repeat, repeat, etc. Seriously!! Not exactly the sort of thing you want to hear when you're trying to relax. Also, because the treatment areas are unisex, you just lay on the table in your wet bathing suit and the masseuse "works around" what you're wearing by using strategically placed towels. Not exactly comfortable wearing something wet but the place is warm enough that you're not cold laying there. I enjoyed the atmosphere of this hammam and the cultural significance of the experience. If you're ever in Spain, give one of these a try.
I finish my massage with just enough time to have a shower and wash my hair to meet Randy outside at 8 PM for dinner. We have about a four minute walk to Pampa Grill Restaurante Argentino. This is the place where we got talking to an Irish guy last night and we decided to try his place tonight. They are known for their Argentine beef. We have never tried Argentine meat so this is a great opportunity.
We are keen for an actual sit-down meal. It is a fairly classy place inside and we find a table that has a short wall beside us which is great. The Irish guy really treats us well on arrival and even gives me a complimentary small drink of a full-bodied red wine and it is excellent. I take a picture of the bottle for later. This is the most expensive meal of our trip by far = 63.20 Euro. We won't be leaving any tip, but more on that right now. To keep it short, our server was terrible. We could go on and on, but Trip Advisor has a good record of it. The meal itself was fantastic and we really enjoyed our cuts of Argentine beef! The baked potato and salad (Lamb's lettuce with goat cheese & berries) were very good too.
Patata Plomo (baked potato with parmesan cheese)
Randy's Rib steak (Lomo Alto) on the left and Lana's Skirt steak. Both steaks were delicious, but Lana's steak had the superior flavour. If we get another chance for Argentine Angus beef then we are in for that. Lana asked the server to confirm what "medium rare" is in Spain and turns out it's pretty red still so we asked for our steaks to be medium and they were perfect!! Still juice pink inside.
To go with our steaks, starting from the top: mustard sauce, barbecue sauce, pink salt, an olive oil salsa and fresh chimichurri.
Another late dining night as we didn't leave the restaurant until around 21:45. Still nice outside although a little chilly in the dark. Wow our three days in Malaga has sailed by very quickly. It is almost 23:00 and we are just finishing the blog and Lana has a movie on the tv that is playing in english.
TOTAL STATS FOR TODAY: 24, 300 steps , 14.4 kms and 16 floors
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