As the build up to the Oscar’s has started, with the Golden Globes, etc., I have been delighted by more than my fair share of images on T.V. of my Malagueño hero: ANTONIOOOO!!!

I loooooooooooooooove ANTONIO! Malaga loves ANTONIO! Unfortunately, ANTONIO loooooves Melanie… (although I have a sneaking suspicion Melanie loves ANTONIO more.)

So…with all of these delightful images of the glitz and glamour of Hollywood to indulge myself in, I was reminded of my own brush with the Hollywood superstars here last year in Malaga one week before Easter.

Now, not only does ANTONIO love MELANIE, but he also loooooves SEMANA SANTA- the Holy Week, which, if you have ever witnessed, you will understand why. It’s INCREDIBLE!!! Anyhow, every year, one week before Easter, there is the ‘pregón’ – the official opening speech for the Holy Week, which takes place in the most important theatre in Malaga: Teatro Cervantes. Impossible to get a ticket (I tried, oh I really tried!) as every brotherhood member and his dog gets first dibs on the tickets, and basically, when someone like ANTONIO is invited to do the pregón…there are no second dibs.

So, the next best thing was to hang around outside the theatre waiting for their arrival and their grand entrance. The barricades were up around the front of the theatre and along the side. I took my position at the side thinking that they would walk the full length of the cordoned off area. Brilliant- I got a great spot.

The cars arrived. The stars (and their teenage daughter Estela) got out of the car. No red carpet. Just the ‘glitz’ of the red SuperSol supermarket sign above their heads. The only bodyguard around seemed to be an aging ‘brother’ to the right of the second photo and nobody seemed to bother about the chimp-like, Plaza de la Merced dwelling figure in blue leading the way for Melanie. I found the whole scene absolutely hilarious. I was convinced that Melanie must have been thinking, “I’m not in Hollywood anymore!” But, she took it all in her elegant stride, exuding as much poise and glamour as ever, and giving the occasion- and Malaga- all of her dignity and respect.

And that’s why, not only do I love ANTONIO…but I love MELANIE too! And so does MALAGA!

This photo shows- for most people- what’s left of one of the most famous places in Malaga: El Café de Chinitas. The Café lived its glory years from 1857 to 1920, famous mainly for its shows of flamenco with great artists performing there such as Juan Breva, Don Antonio Chacón, La Trini, La Macarena, etc. The café was frequented by artists, poets, bullfighters and the like…the most famous client being the Spanish poet Federíco Garcia Lorca. The café was immortalized in a verse of Lorca’s poetry: En el Café de Chinitas dijo Paquiro a su hermano: ‘Soy más valiente que tú, más torero y más gitano.’ Saco Paquiro el reloj y dijo de esta manera: ‘Este toro ha de morir antes de las cuatro y media.’ ( In the Café de Chinitas Paquiro told his brother, “I am braver than you, more of a bullfighter and more of a gypsy.” He took out his watch and said in this way, “This bull has to die before half past four.”) A totally fictional event apparently.

Café de Chinitas was on the second floor of the building in this photo in the street of the same name: Pasaje de Chinitas- one of our stops on the bike tour. Up until about a year ago, the graffiti covered shutters belonged to a fabric shop on the ground floor, which now remains closed. In early 2010, I was on a bike tour with a Japanese father and daughter. When we stopped here they were totally excited and intrigued by my anecdotes of the Café. Apparently, they were both very familiar with Lorca’s work, which I found incredible, as even most non-Spanish speaking westerners have never heard of him, never mind people from Asia! Back then, the fabric shop was still open for business, so we went inside and started to ask the owner questions about the club. Little did we know that we were in for what I call ‘A MALAGA MOMENT’: those out-of-the-blue, unexpected, spontaneous occurences that make me love this place so much. Not only was the guy the owner of the fabric shop, he was also the owner of el Café de Chinitas. So up he took us!

It was like stepping through the back of the wardrobe in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe! Lorca may have immortalized the place in literature, but the present day owner (don’t recall his name unfortunately) has physically immortalized it as you can see from the photos. He was so generous with us, with his time, his knowledge and allowing us into his personal shrine.  I felt truly privileged to be able to step back into a place in Malaga’s history that I am sure very few people have seen.

One of the questions that my Japanese clients had was the origins of the café’s name:’Chinitas’.  He candidly answered that it was because the original owner of the place had ‘ojos achinados‘ (chinese /slanty eyes) and made the appropriate gesture to demonstrate exactly what he meant. Another MALAGA MOMENT!

Just before Christmas I discovered a treasure of a cheese shop called ‘El Rincon de Queso’- the Cheese Corner. Not only do they have EXCELLENT products, but customer service to match… which is hard to find around these parts unfortunately. Juan, the owner, citizen of the world, has lived in almost more countries than there are countries, and loves to banter in whatever language commands the occasion. What is great about the shop- which is just across the street from the central market of Malaga- the Atarazanas-

is that they always put out loads of yummy stuff to sample.

Which obviously has the desired effect… the last time I was there I tried some pesto cheese so today decided to go back to buy myself a whole piece. Well…as you can see from the photos… I got more than I bargained for. After trying two different types of Jamon Serrano (the Spanish cured ham), a healthy portion of GORGEOUS baked ham and some manchego cheese, Juan opened up a bottle of Rioja to help me wash down his benefits!

When I said I was going to take some photos to put on my blog, he threw in a piece of cured pepper sausage.

Now that’s what I call customer service!

Willy Caballero- Málaga’s goalie- must be feeling like ‘Willy-no-mates’ today.

Well, in Malaga anyhow…Madrid fans must love him!

The King’s Cup slipped from Málaga’s reach last night as the ball, which Caballero had first caught with his hands, then proceeded to slip through his legs.

0-1 for Real Madrid.

Next year lads!

As everyone knows, one of Malaga’s major claims to fame is that the world-famous artist Pablo Picasso was born here in 1881. As everyone may not know…Picasso has not left the building! Picasso lives in Malaga!

When I first started the business of Malaga Bike Tours, I got it into my head that it would be really great if I could get hold of a photo of Picasso on a bike. I looked everywhere: books, the internet, asked at the Picasso birth-house, etc. and…nada, nothing, zip! Obviously, the genius was too busy doing other things with bicycles than riding them. (I saw an exhibition once at the Picasso museum that was dedicated to his work related to bulls. He made a very impressive bulls head out of a bicycle seat and handlebars for horns!!)

Anyhow…I digress…

Back to MY Picasso…One day, I entered a stationery shop near the Plaza de la Constitution and guess who was standing behind the counter? YES- PICASSO! I stood there dumbfounded, mouth wide open and the guy said, “Qué pasa?” (What’s the matter?) I told him that I thought he really looked like Picasso to which he said: Yeah! Yeah! Everybody tells me that! And sure enough, there on the wall behind him was an article from a local newspaper with the headline: PICASSO WORKS REALLY CLOSE TO HIS MUSEUM and a photo of the real Picasso alongside MY Picasso.

I couldn’t believe my luck! I excitedly explained to him who I was and what I had been looking for and he very kindly agreed for me to come back the next day with a bike and have his photo taken. The next day I showed up with said bicycle, and MY Picasso, with very good humour, left his post behind the counter, climbed on the bike and went riding down the street. Just as he pulled away, he confessed that he hadn’t been on a bike in 50 years!!! As we say in English…’it’s like riding a bike’…that is, if the seat is adjusted to the correct height. :-0

As he reached the end of the street and put on the brakes, his feet didn’t touch the floor and the next thing I knew… there was Picasso lying on the floor, flat on his back in the middle of the street. I thought: OH NO! I’VE KILLED PICASSO!!!

I’m not sure the real Picasso would have taken it so well, but MY Picasso just lay there on the floor laughing his head off and didn’t seem to be any worse for wear…not even his pride seemed to be hurt!  After a sleepless night myself, I went back to his shop the next day to check that he hadn’t died in his sleep of a brain  haemorrhage and there he was … large as life- thank goodness!

Since then, (almost four years ago now), MY Picasso has often made spontaneous ‘cameo appearances’ on the MALAGA BIKE TOUR, never tiring to stop for my clients to have their photo taken with ‘Picasso’! LONG LIVE PICASSO!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! New year-new tour! Don’t worry… our tried and tested ones are still running…but now we are proud to present the MALAGA BIKE FOOTBALL TOUR! It’s not ALL about Real Madrid and Barça, ya know! Malaga is an up and coming football club in the Spanish la Liga…(even more up and coming since a $$$heik bought the club last year!) …and the buzz, we hope, is going to keep on buzzing…and not fizzle out. At the time of designing the football bike tour, Malaga was fifth in the Spanish league. Unfortunately, they have now dropped to seventh! But still, the buzz goes on as the city waits with baited breath the likes of Ronaldo, Casillas, Kaka, and Ramos…as Real Madrid comes to town this Tuesday.

Despite a (respectable) 3-2 loss against Madrid recently, the Malaga fans are confident their team can kick Madrid’s butt at this week’s home game.

Anyhow… I am getting carried away…this football thing has got me hooked! Back to the tour… if you LOVE football and are not so crazy about historic, cultural stuff then this is the tour for you! Enjoy a bit of sightseeing by bike as we take you all through the city and see its most famous monuments and squares- all in relation to football. What has the 500 year old cathedral got to do with football?… WE’LL TELL YOU!!!

We then cycle up to the ‘ROSALEDA’…Malaga’s football stadium and have a guided tour of the grounds and visit the new museum… eagerly awaiting it’s first big trophy!

Even if you are not a huge football fan…(I wasn’t until I got started on this!) there is something for everyone on this tour… a really unique way to see the city of Malaga from a really unique point of view. What are you waiting for?