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Wish you were here too!
postcard from marbella
30 Friday May 2025
Category Archives: travel
postcard from málaga
29 Thursday May 2025
Wish you were here!málaga here I come!
09 Friday May 2025
The last time I was in Málaga was in December 2019 for what had become my annual pre-Christmas visit in what used to be my second favourite city in Spain, although I would often go a couple of other times during the year. Well okay, I did land briefly in Málaga in March 2020 just before YOU KNOW WHAT but was quickly whisked out of town by Victor to the Axarquía in order to do research on some wineries there for a Decanter article. I arrived home two days before lockdown. To be honest I haven’t travelled much since then, and still haven’t been outside Spain. Anyhow, I am now finally going back to Málaga.
At first it was a plan to just go overnight to the Vinos de España Una Pasión event, which takes place each year in a different Andalusian city. Last year the 10th anniversary edition was held in Jerez and I think this may have been my last trip anywhere (BC – before crutches). Then I remembered that my friend Jeffrey has been imploring me to visit his new restaurant Andala in Marbella, even offering to pick me up in Málaga and lettng me stay at their spare apartment there. Which of course I’m very excited to visit. So okay then… two nights! A plan was coming together.
The first thing I checked was train tickets. A stupid early fast train from Sevilla would get me into Málaga about an hour before the event, so okay. And Peter wanted to come too, so then the plan was that he’d come overnight and when Jeffrey picked me up the next afternoon he’d head back to Sevilla. This also meant the cats would only be left on their own one night. So… train tickets were purchased. Then I booked the event tickets in case they sold out. And then I started looking around for somewhere to spend the night and OMG…
I mean, I know it’s been a while but hotel prices have gone totally crazy in Málaga, though I guess this is probably true of everywhere. I just haven’t been staying in hotels lately. The cheapest places I could find, including a hotel offering sleeping pods (!!!), were honestly too depressing for words. A couple of “okay I’m just there to sleep” considerations were about 120€ but I just couldn’t do it. So in the end I splashed out on a very “just okay” hotel not far from the train station for 180€ (last week it had been 160€ so I decided to just go for it before the price went up again).
I also went for it because it looks like I may be getting a writing commission that could mean me staying down south another day or so, and so it’s a bit of a gamble. I mean, I can’t afford this! But I also kind of need to do it. Especially because I’m equally excited and scared about going. I don’t know how it’s going to be with the crutches. Even with Peter and Jeffrey there to help out I’ll end up at the train station a couple of times trying to drag my suitcase along with one crutch tucked under my arm and the other holding me up. As for getting on and off the damn train… I shall rely on the kindness of strangers.
sònia… briefly
18 Tuesday Feb 2025
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I love how Sònia flits in and out of my life here-and-there-and-now-and-then and it’s always so much fun. Like yesterday. Sònia was going to be in town with clients for a couple of days and I had a Sherry & Tapas booked when she arrived BUT we managed to squeeze in an hour to catch up between our appointments. I don’t know what it is about some people, but you click, enjoy each other’s company, share experiences and then it’s like… OK SEE YOU NEXT TIME. She also has the ability of making me take a silly selfie… no mean feat.
Sònia has a great lux travel website if you want to check it out.
Sònia Graupera
summer hot spot
18 Tuesday Jun 2024
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No words…
Okay I take that back. Plenty of words, beginning with WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?? This is the latest campaign from Sevilla City Office in cahoots with City Council called #PASSIONFORSUMMER… promoting Sevilla as a summer hot spot. And well, it actually is, but not in the way they are presenting it.
Can I tell you? Sevilla is NOT a place you want to be between June and September. It just is not. Back when I first moved here (1993) the no-go period was always July & August. Thanks to climate change this now includes June and the first half of September, when you can expect temps of 40ºC or more. Relentless scorching heat that makes it actually unhealthy to be outdoors for any length of time – last year was brutal. And it’s dangerous. For years visitors on my tapas tours have asked me how I cope with the HEAT here in summer and my answer is… I STAY HOME. Heck, I don’t even offer tours in August.
The problem is that since the massive mass-tourism reboot here (after covid lockdown) things have gone from already very bad to way out of control. The City is boasting that last year saw more tourists visiting Sevilla than ever before (some obscene amount, I can’t remember, 35 million?) and that this year they want even more!!! New hotels are going up at breakneck speed and neighbourhoods continue to be decimated by the ravages of uncontrolled tourist apartments. Local shopkeepers and independent bar & restaurant owners are pushed out to make way for slick corporate-owned spots dressed up to look “authentic” offering a watered-down “tourist friendly” version of Sevilla. You know, because god forbid you should actually feel like you’re in another country.
I just want to point out that this massive influx of tourists is not actually helping us, the people who live here. It mostly helps to fill government coffers, promote foreign investment (most tourist apartments are not owned by locals) and all the employment “thanks to tourism” that you hear about… it’s all low-end jobs, poorly paid, no future. So when you come here and marvel that “everything is so cheap here!” keep in mind that it’s not cheap for us, because we don’t make your salaries.
By all means come and visit, but please be aware of what is happening here. And not just here but everywhere – over tourism has become a serious global threat to cultures and communities. For example, be aware that Andalucía, and other parts of Spain, have been suffering through a three-year drought. Yes, your hotel swimming pool will (probably) still be full and you will be allowed to take as many showers as you like and, no doubt, you’ll keep that AC blasting 24/7. But this puts huge stress not only on our limited water supply but also our infrastructure. We are well used to never wasting a drop of water but some neighbourhoods here have already been suffering power cuts. Please know this.
And yes, I know that I work with tourists on my tapas tours, but again, over tourism has not meant more work for me. My small group tours have always been in demand and the main issue I have with the plethora of new food tour companies is that they shove groups of 10 or more into *my* small intimate bars and really spoil the vibe. So no, I am not anti-tourism, just anti-mass-out-of-control-overtourism.
I’ll also go as far to say that most residents here aren’t anti-tourism per se… but we are tired of seeing our communities destroyed by corporate greed and government mismanagement. When you are seeing the protests, the demonstrations, when you see TOURISTS GO HOME spray painted on your AirBnB rental… this is not about you, the visitor. But the government is happy to play it that way and create a false Residents vs Tourists divisive issue because it takes the onus off them.
My point is… you are welcome. We love to welcome you and have you enjoy our city, our culture and all that it has to offer. But perhaps in exchange you could also do us a small favour, which is to respect our city and our culture (and I know that most of you do!). There are some ways to help out… for example, you could book independently-run hotels and make sure your holiday apartment is actually legal (those locks hanging off window bars, or anywhere with nobody there to greet you… nope). Sure, it might cost a bit more, but I kind of think we’re worth it, and so is everywhere else you will want to visit. What do you think?
casa azahar 