Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Malaga C. F. (Club de futbol) stadium


Malaga C. F. (Club de futbol) stadium

In the north of Malaga is football stadium Estadio La Rosaleda which offers space for nearly 30.000 spectators. Since 1941, this stadium is the home to the local Malaga CF. The club was founded in  1904.
Before the construction of the stadium, the competitions were played near Baños del Carmen. During the World Cup of 1982 in Spain, the Estadio La Rosaleda was one of the football stadiums where competitions were played.





Achievements football club Malaga

Since the foundation of the club Malaga C. F. they played in the first division, second division and  the third division of Spain for four years. From 1999 Malaga C. F. played for 7 years in the 'first division’. During this period the club played European football for the first time. By winning the Intertoto Cup (the first international prize) Malaga CF was qualified for the UEFA Cup. Between 2006 and 2008 the club had to take a step back and came out in the 'second division’. After that Malaga has become a big club and plays against football clubs in the top division. Sheikh Abdullah Al-Thani of Qatar becomes in 2010 the owner of the club. Since his arrival, famous players, including the Dutch Ruud van Nistelrooy, played for Malaga C.F. ,in the 2011-2012 season, with a fourth place in the Spanish league, enforced participation in the Champions League. Though the good performance, the club does have during this last period to handle with a difficult financial situation.

 Museum and stadium tour


In the museum of Malaga CF is so much to see about the history of this club. It gives a good picture of how the club was created. There are photos and videos from competitions, where you can see (old) players and coaches of the football club. Although the trophy cabinet is not filled as FC Barcelona and Real Madrid,  but there are some impressive trophies. Especially ‘Trofeo Costa del Sol ' is very impressive. During the stadium tour you can visit areas where you normally are not allowed to enter. Such as the press room, the room where football stars and coaches tell their story about a played game to the press. You can feel a famous footballer for a moment and take a seat behind the desk with microphones. You see the dressing room of the players, where original shirts of famous players hang against the wall.  In the dugout you get an idea of ​​the view that coaches and reserve players have from the sidelines on the field. Although the club is not the biggest of Spain, it has a beautiful history. For football fans, it is worth to participate in this stadium tour.


From the historical center you can be reach the stadium in different ways 

• By foot
The stadium is half an hour walk from the center (about 2 miles).

• By bicycle
By bicycle is easy and fast (15 minutes). You can rent bikes near Plaza de la Marina

• By bus
At the busstation, you can take a number of buses:
- Bus 17 to La Palma (stop Avenida Dr. Maranon.)
- Bus 26 to Algeria de la Huerta (stop Rosario Pino)
- Bus 2 to Ciudad Jardin (stop Jorge Silvela)
There are buses leaving every 10 minutes and stop at a few minutes walk from the stadium.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Beaches of Malaga



The beaches of Malaga


Those who are looking for a beach holiday in Spain, you can visit Malaga at the Costa del Sol where you can find one of the most beautiful beaches along the 40 kilometer coastline of the province of Malaga. You have a choice of fine sandy beaches to rocky beaches. Most beaches of Malaga are equipped with various facilities such as showers, coast guard, beach kiosks, rental of sun loungers and parasols, and a wide range of beach activities and water sports


The beaches are clean, have adequate facilities, the beaches are in walking or cycling distance from the center.
The long coastline is interrupted by the port of Malaga. At the eastside and the westside of the port area you can find nice beaches. The eastside is popular with foreign visitors in Malaga, probably because it is easy to get there and park closeby. The beaches on the westside are less visited by tourists, but loved by the locals to enjoy the sun and sea.

Malaga city has four beaches:

On a 10 minute walk from Plaza de la Marina you arrive to the first beach. The famous mile long Playa de Malagueta Beach is a famous beach in the center of Malaga, which is particularly popular with the people of Malaga. Due to the short distance from the center and the pleasant route along the shops in the harbor, many tourists choose this beach. 

The well maintained beach: Playa de la Caleta, is also a  beach of Malaga city and has good facilities. This beach is about a mile long and is characterized by dark sand.

The Moscatel beach and Playa Las Acacia are well maintained smaller beaches with a family atmosphere. They are perfectly accessible for wheelchairs  and families with children.

Monday, May 6, 2013

Teatro Romano of Malaga

Malaga Roman theater, "Teatro Romano".
 
On the street "Calle Alcazabilla" you can find the "Teatro Romano" in Malaga. It is more like a square than a street.

Around 1950 the Roman theater was discovered during renovation work in the area. This street is now, thanks to the excavations of  the Roman theater, a pedestrian zone with many historical sites.

The Roman theater has been excavated and restored in parts since 1960, when the excavations started until 2011.


In the end of the 80's , they decided to break down the "Casa de la Cultura" for further archaeological excavations. This finally happens in the late 90's.  





 
The Romans build a part of the theater into a kind of factory. The Moorish later used parts of the Roman Theater to build the Alcazaba, located on the hill behind the theater.


The Roman theater in Malaga is certainly not the biggest theater that is found in Spain. But it is  one of the oldest Roman theaters of Spain, dating back from the 1st century.
It's definitely worth a visit.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Walking and Climbing in Malaga

Malaga has a beautiful nature reserve where you can walk, mountain biking and kayaking or canoeing.

The Lake District is divided into three different lakes: Embalse del Conde de Guadalhorce Embalse de Guadalteba, and Embalse de Guadalhorce.


At the lake you will find several restaurants and picnic areas, as the area is a popular tourist destination. Here you can also enjoy various water sports such as kayaking or canoeing. You can even fish in the lake.


For walkers and mountain bikers there are many marked walking routes and mountains which are some of the best climbing areas in Spain. Also paragliding is possible.


The surrounding places like Alora, Antquera, Pizzara, Bobadilla and Campillos are fascinating. The area consists of El Torcal spectacular rock formations of sandstone, formed over thousands of years to a spectacular lunar landscape.


El Chorro is a huge natural gap, as beaten by an ax in the rock appears "La Garganta del Chorro ". 

A bridge connects the two sides rock which the train runs from Malaga to Cordoba.







Alcazar de Bobastro near El Chorro , are the remains of an old Moorish fortress and the ruins of the first church in Spain, the "Iglesia de Bobastro Rupestre".


You can also make a beautiful walking tour and mountain climbing.



There are beautiful areas in Malaga as "Montes de Malaga", 'Parque Natural Sierra', 'Parque Natural Sierra Tejera "," Sierra de las Nieves "," Sierra Blanca "and " Juanar ".


The most beautiful mountains to climb are the "La Maroma" (2.066m), "Torrecilla" (1.919m), "La Concha" (1.215m), and  "Los Reales de Estepona" (1.410m).


Climbing the "Torrecilla".The "Torecilla" is located in 'Parque Natural Sierra de la Nieves ". This is known for its silverfirforest (Pinsapo, Abies Pinsapo Bois) that is unique in the world because it only occurs in southern Spain in the woods between Malaga and Cadiz.


Climbing the "La Maroma".The "La Maroma" is located in "Parque Natural Sierra Tejera " and "Almijara",  just above Velez-Malaga. It is a large limestone mountain where a couple of weeks in a year a lot of snow is on.. The rest of the park has beautiful mountains such as "El Cielo", and "El Lucero". Often the mountains are over 1500 meters with deep ravines.


Climbing the "La Concha".The "La Concha" is not the highest mountain, but a very beautiful mountain that is just above Marbella. The mountain has beautiful authentic forms, ridges, ravines and mountain sides. The view of the mountain on the Costa del Sol is one of the most wonderfullest. When full moon falls in the weekend night climbs are done here.


Plenty to do for those who not only want to spend the holiday on the beach!