MALAGA
The city of Málaga, capital
of the province of the same name and the largest city on
the Costa del Sol, is often overlooked by visitors, which
is a pity. There may be more immediately enticing places
in Spain, but Málaga has its own appeal and, if you
are staying elsewhere on the Costa del Sol, at least a morning
or day trip there is called for.
Although its airport is the gateway
to the Costa del Sol, Málaga is more of a working
port than a resort, with the usual implications - a certain
air of seediness, a slight feel of danger in parts... But
it is a much more prosperous place than it used to be, and
making great strides towards attaining a European urban
level. For visitors, it has the additional attraction that
it is trying to capitalize on being the birthplace of Picasso,
joining the long list of places which claim to be his spiritual
home.
CADIZ
Cadiz stands on a peninsula jutting
out into a bay, and is almost entirely surrounded by water.
Named Gadir by the Phoencians, who founded their trading
post in 1100 BC, it was later controlled by the Carthaginians,
until it became a thriving Roman port. It sank into oblivion
under the Visigoths and Moors, but attained great splendour
in the early 16th century as a launching point for the journey
to the newly discovered lands of America. Cadiz was later
raided by Sir Francis Drake, in the struggle to gain control
of trade with the New World, and managed to withstand a
siege by Napoleon's army. In the early 19th century Cadiz
became the bastion of Spain's anti-monarchist, liberal movement,
as a result of which the country's first Constitution was
declared here in 1812.
Some of the city's 18th century walls
still stand, such as the Landward Gate. The old, central
quarter of Cadiz is famous for its picturesque charm, and
many of the buildings reflect the city's overseas links.
Worth a visit are the city's Cathedral and churches of Santa
Cruz and San Felipe Neri, which is famous throughout Spain
as the place where, in defiance of Napoleon's siege, the
provisional government was set up with its own liberal Constitution.
Other points of interest are La Santa Cueva, home to several
paintings by Goya, and stately mansions such as the Casa
del Almirante and Casa de las Cadenas.
Most towns and villages in Andalucia
have their Carnival, but none are like the Cadiz Carnival
it is well worth a visit.
