We arrived at the Italian consulate with no difficulties. Parking not a problem. It was even free. The nice man with the parking attendants uniform was there to ensure there was no double parking. Monica collected her new passport with the minimum of fuss, at a cost of 35 Euros.
Flags a bit worn but at least the parking was free.
You would have thought with the greater percentage of UK citizens living on the costa del sol that a similar service would be provided for me. Not a chance. If you want a passport renewed in Spain you have to go to Madrid. As a regular traveller a cannot take advantage of the postal application route. It takes up to 6 weeks! So I have to arrange a "premium collection" service, complete with interview at Liverpool. The cost? £114. Don't you just love the UK government.
From the consulate it was a brief 10 minute walk into the centre. We decided to have a coffee outside the Picasso museum. A nice spot outside with nice views of the cathedral, although the coffee was not very good. The same can be said for the visit to the Picasso museum.
View of the cathedral.
I'm not an art fan by any stretch of the imagination but a cannot for the live of me understand why Picasso was so acclaimed. His paintings are child like and his obsession with nudes would probably get him on the sex-offenders register nowadays. Monica, who does appreciate art more than I do, was unable to explain the concept of "cubism" to me in a way that I could make sense of what I was seeing. I am willing to concede that my view is akin to the none football lover describing the game as "kicking a bag of wind around", or the Mark Twain classic that Golf "is a nice walk spoilt", but if anyone can explain it to me...
Monica outside the Picasso Museum.
If I wanted to take any photos of the works of Picasso, I would surely have been stopped by the museums staff. They were on high alert in every room. Absolutely no photos allowed. Monica's bag was searched to ensure that she wasn't smuggling in a camera. The advancement in mobile phone technology has obviously gone unnoticed by the staff
After starring at obscure paintings of naked women with strangely proportioned parts, not to mention the bizarre placements of said parts, we headed for the exit. I'm sorry to say that I am not a fan of Málaga's number one son.
Off then for a lazy lunch in one of the many squares in Málaga. It lovely when you can sit outside in the sunshine to enjoy your lunch. It turned out to be a typical Spanish lunch. Menu del dia for 8 euros, bargain! It was a good job we were not in any hurry with the meal stretching for nearly 2 hours due to poor service. In that time we were treated to the many, unfortunately common, sights of the street people begging for money. Some just came cap in hand. Others played a tune on the harmonica, badly. We saved our euro for something more deserving and it came when least expected. A homeless man in his mid fifties, rough looking, unshaven and in need of a good wash, came into the square. He finished the last drag of a dimp that he had picked up of off the floor. I was expecting the "cap in hand" request. Far from it. He began to sing, acapella, a few flamenco songs beautifully. Bravo!
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