Year 5, Day 179 “Living the Dream”. Sunday, 10/26/2025 – Day 20 of 30 day trip to Rome, Italy with a Mediterranean cruise and a transatlantic cruise back to Bayonne, NJ. Day 5 of 14 night transatlantic cruise on Odyssey of the Seas – Malaga, Spain 8:30am – 5:30pm.
We have another Royal Caribbean excursion today. “Malaga City Sights”. The cost was $95.98 for the two of us.
We are meeting in the Royal Theatre Deck 4, forward at 9:30am. If you don’t want to book an excursion at this port, you can take a bus to town. The bus ticket to town is $5 euros or it is a 25 minute walk. You can also get off the ship and walk to the left up the hill to the Botanical gardens. Three large ships are in port and a smaller one is coming in. MSC Musica is parked next door to us. Behind her is the Mein Schiff 6. The Mein Schiff 6 is the fourth and last ship in the Blue Motion series. It was delivered to TUI Cruises in 2017.
We walked the track before our excursion and it was spitting rain. Here’s a video of deck 15 outside in Malaga, Spain.
Plumbing leak, heavy rain, or high seas?
At 9:20am we walked to the Royal theatre on deck 4 and checked in for our excursion. We are given a number 30 sticker to put on our shirts At 10:20am we boarded our bus. We waited a long time in that theater. I spent the time listening to people talking about their travel experiences. I think I travel a lot, but I have met so many people that travel constantly. They hardly ever are at home. We just keep wondering do they get really good deals. No matter what deals we get, it still costs money to travel. Remember we are pretty cheap and try to get the most for our dollar. In this case euro. This bus has seat belts. The tour guide Lola told us the cruise ship has stated that seatbelt wearing must be enforced.
Port of Málaga (Puerto de Málaga) was built in 2011 for cruise ships. Malaga, Spain has 322 sunny days a year. Málaga, Spain, was founded by the Phoenicians around 770 BC and named Malaka. As we are leaving the port on our tour motor coach we pass a small lighthouse. This lighthouse is officially named La Farola de Málaga. It was completed in 1817. It is located at the end of the western breakwater. It guides ships into the harbor. It is one of the few Spanish lighthouses with a feminine name.
Malaga is called the anchovies (los boquerones). This nickname is because the typical pescaito of the city is the anchovy a delight of Malaga. Pescaito is a dish of lightly floured and fried small fish. A person from Málaga is called malagueño, but also boquerón which means anchovy. Anchovies are abundant in the waters around the city. They have been a staple in the diet of Malagueños for centuries. Our tour bus drives us along the side of the water. We passed a large beach area, a beach side promenade ran a long way, and then a marina . All beaches are free and open to everyone. According to Spanish law, removing natural items like sand, shells, or stones from beaches is prohibited. This is stated under the Ley de Costas.
Spain was a dictatorship until 1975. The dictatorship officially ended with the death of Franco in November 1975. After that, Spain transitioned to a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament. We saw a few Duo cars. They were interesting.
The population for the city is about 600,000.
Our first stop was up a steep and narrow hill to a view from the Paradores. The Parador de Málaga Gibralfaro has the best views of the city. The stone hotel is on Mount Gibralfaro, It’s the ideal place to view the city and the harbor. What a gorgeous panoramic view of all the ships sitting in the harbor. We got off the bus, took pictures, and walked around.
OMG -These bus drivers have nerves of steel. We were very very close to the cliff side and really close with the passing buses going the opposite way. These roads were not built for large coach buses.
Here is a short video that captures the views of the City of Malaga. You can also see the sea below.
After descending the hill the tour bus took us past Pablo Ruiz Picasso’s birthplace. He was born on October 25, 1881 in Malaga, Spain. He spent his early childhood in the city, and his birthplace is now preserved as the Picasso Birthplace Museum. We drove through a tunnel to city hall. At city hall we walked around the park. The gardens and flowers were beautiful. There were orange trees all around. Lola told us they were bitter oranges. Citrus aurantium, also known as Seville oranges. Unlike the sweet oranges you find in supermarkets, these fruits have a very sharp, sour, and bitter taste. Marmalade is made out of these oranges. Francisco de la Torre Prados has been the mayor of Málaga since 2000.
The Average Annual Gross income here is around €25,000–€30,000. There is a sense of the city becoming a tourist-only zone rather than a place for its residents. Many residents still rely on the tourism economy. Current protests highlight a desire for a more balanced growth. This growth aims to protect the quality of life for locals.
We passed many fountains on the way back to the ship. We walked into the port, bought a few souvenirs, and boarded the ship.
It was a nice day. Not real exciting, but nice. Here’s a video of our 7th deck midship starboard balcony cabin 7600.
Checked out the Casino and what we will get for playing. There are a lot of sea days coming up.
And in Pennsylvania the Halloween shenanigans continue.
We received a block today. We have 568 points. We need 132 to be Pinnacle.
Cruise Compass Day 5 of 14 – Odyssey of the Seas – Malaga, Spain 8:30am -5:30pm
Things to ponder today! Have to leave you thinking.
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