The beginning of the end...of my 20's.

WARNING: PICTURE HEAVY POST
Seriously, there are a lot and I feel like I need to warn anyone who reads this.
__________________________________________________

This last week I turned 29.  

Wahoo...

Right after Pond left the first week of August I decided I needed a break.

I was tired, burnt out, and turning 29 at the end of the next month.

So, I got on my favorite flight trackers and looked for the cheapest ticket to a sunny place for the week of my birthday.

And I bought it.

And I went.

Hello, Malaga, Spain.

Happy Birthday, Aliswan!

Here are some pictures from my trip to Malaga.
Obviously, some have already made it through Instagram filters and others have not.
Instagram - so quick and addictive.

Day 1: September 24th

Leaving Durham first thing in the morning:

Arriving in Malaga and going on walkabout on the 24th:

Day 2: September 25th

The 25th was spent on the beach swimming and reading and swimming.

Walking to the beach around 9am:

The Malagueta Beach:

I stayed until it got really hot about 3pm, went home for a shower and nap, and then spent the evening wandering in the alleys in the Malaga city center.

Day 3: September 26th

The 26th was also spent mostly on the beach and quite a bit of time swimming in the Alboran Sea.

Yeah, I had to look that up.

I actually went around 7:30 and caught quite a bit of the sunrise with my GoPro.

I will put the video of the multiple Malagueta sunrises near the end of the post.

Gosh, I love that camera.

This was the biggest shell I have ever found.

It was awesome.

I also found shells, sea glass, and cool pebbles.

The second large shell came from a middle-aged Spanish man whose stuff I watched while he swam.

He knew minimal English and I kept answering in Arabic instead of Spanish.

So, a conversation was a little rough.

He did figure out I was Mormon though when I said I was from Utah.

I thought that was unusual until I was walking home from the beach and passed a group of about six Elders riding bikes.

That was pretty cool actually.

The church is everywhere.

Speaking of things that are everywhere, one of my favorite things to see while wandering in the evening were the street performers.

Day 4: Happy Birthday to me!!!

On my birthday I started the morning walking to the beach, walking about and taking photos, and then I played tourist for the day.

The gardens on the way to the beach:

 The Malagueta Beach:

After the beach, I followed a walking path to see the major sites in Malaga.

It was a lovely way to spend my morning/early afternoon.

 

One of my favorite places was the Alcazaba.

Lovely gardens and great views.

Then, because I truly cannot help myself, I went to the Roman Theater.

Yep, that is a face of shame.  ;)

After the theater, I continued on the walking path and just enjoyed Malaga.

That enjoyment came from street art,

street performers,

awesome architecture, interesting alleys,

(The inside of the Iglesia Del Santo Cristo de la Salud was pretty awesome.

It was small but that has yet to stop the marvelous GoPro.

 and of course, food with a view.

I finished off my birthday eating lasagna outside the Malaga Cathedral and finishing off with gelato.

Yeah, I think it ended up being a pretty good birthday.

Day 5: September 28th

Today I went to the beach early to get my final sunrise timelapse with the GoPro.

I then spent the majority of the day at the beach, again, reading and swimming.

It was glorious and just what I needed.

The sunrise was phenomenal.

By the way, holy shells!!!

Post-beach time (I was burnt and decided not to spend the whole day there) I wandered,

got some more gelato (oreo and pistachio this time),

and visited the Malaga Cathedral.

I seem to have a thing for cathedrals and this one was absolutely lovely.

Day 6: September 29th

I left early in the morning, caught my flight, and then arrived back in Durham.

I loved this holiday and am so grateful I went.