# Day 29 to 30 in Malaga 😐

Another packed and busy day. What can we achieve in this area? We have to go to Granada, but also towards Malaga. The parking space must be good and close to Malaga, but we also want to see Granada...

No, forget it... we don't have to do anything.

Nevertheless, we drive the 70 km to Granada, only to get frustrated in the big city and narrow streets.

Yes, Granada is a young and vibrant city, you have to visit the Alhambra (if you have booked a ticket in advance with a guided tour at a specific time) and if you have a parking space for a 7.40 m car.

We didn't have anything and that was the mistake.

Also, we were already late, we didn't leave until 11 a.m., which is quite late for a day trip. When there was an almost collision in a roundabout, I just wanted to get out.

Malaga - here we come. In a town about 17 km before Malaga, Simone finds a parking space. It's called Camper Areas m&H El Rincon in Torre de Benagalbon and it's a simple parking space for €10 not directly by the sea (but with intensive help from Google Maps, located in a residential area with tight access and without signage). But great - we arrive at 5 p.m., the friendly young Spanish woman shrugs and shows us the last available space. We have a short time to think, the time, the desire to search further - negative. We park and look at the neighbours. The couple from Mannheim right behind us is there with a high-end mobile home from Niesmann and Bischoff. Well, the Laika is also nice.

By now, we already have some experience in knowing where to find people from the camper community. The cautious middle-aged German (meaning for me around mid-60s and above) is a friend of safety and goes to campsites. The adventurous camper of any age recognizes the advantages of parking spaces, which also have electricity and water. Here you pay half of what you would pay for a campsite.

And then there are the wanderers who only look for places where they can park freely.

Malaga - the port city on the Mediterranean. Here, the cruise ships arrive and the city pulsates. From our parking space, it's 17 km to the port - a breeze with the e-bikes. However, I misread the weather online - the rain started halfway through our trip.

The route always follows along the coast, sometimes on muddy and muddy paths, sometimes on the promenade along many restaurants on the way to Malaga. There is also a lot of cleaning going on here, the Saharan dust is still present everywhere. The promenade is covered with a layer of sand, as are the houses and facades. The pressure washer is in high demand.

In Malaga at the port, the fine marble promenade felt slippery like an ice rink due to the rain and dust.

There was actually a large cruise ship in the port and it felt like all the guests were in the streets of Old Malaga. With the bikes in hand, we searched our way through the old town and the crowds of people.

At some point, we had enough of pushing and it was time for some tapas for lunch.

The rain got less and the sun threatened to shine. Surely because we ate everything.

Afterwards, we went back into the hustle and bustle. Several thoughts came up - the city is crowded - many people hide behind masks, maybe to protect themselves. For others, the phone in front of their faces replaces the mask. People can also be nicely grouped here. Masks are primarily worn by older people who may have pre-existing conditions. You can see cellphone mania almost exclusively in young people, but it is widespread. The generation in between manages to stroll through the city and enjoy it without these two things.

There is always a certain hustle and bustle in the big city, which also affects people. Somehow, hardly anyone is relaxed here, everyone moves around according to the motto 'me first'.

Once this thought has taken hold, it is confirmed at every corner. Whether it's the angry woman on the promenade scolding us cyclists, the tourists in the pedestrian zone who seem to find a cyclist pushing their bike strange, or the young people at the pedestrian crossing who don't recognize a cyclist as a road user. Here, everyone only thinks of themselves. I think the Mediterranean hotspots are done for us.

We want to get away from here and in order to save Spain, I hope for improvement on the northern Spanish coast.

I have to talk about one thing again.

If all the forums talk about how easy it is to get a Spanish mobile phone card, here is the truth:

My beloved French mobile phone card from free mobile is coming to an end. I have reached 25 GB abroad and I have to get a Spanish supplement. Malaga should be the right place for that - a Vodafone shop in the old town is my favorite. Unfortunately, it only opens again at 5 p.m. We pass the time with an ice cream and stand in front of the shop on time. After 30 minutes of waiting because of an annoying previous customer, I finally reach the employee - English, only to a limited extent, prepaid mobile - I don't have that.

WHAT - I stood around for 30 minutes for that. Are you kidding me, in France no problem and you just say, I don't have that!

Further attempts at the service stores of Orange Mobile and Movistar - the same story. Very unfriendly employees who allegedly don't speak any language other than Spanish (and that in mobile phone stores that exist all over the world).

At least at Movistar, they mentioned a free dealer around the corner who might still have prepaid cards available. He himself no longer has any in stock.

And really, the Chinese retailer has no problem selling me a 50 GB Vodafone card for €15. That works. Internet for the next few weeks is secured.

More and more, the thought grows that the Spanish Mediterranean coast is not our place. Tomorrow, we will continue to the Atlantic coast to Cadiz or Conil.

We were there in 2017 and back then we got to know the bike station of Deniz Tuscu (Events | Starbikes). He is currently organizing a road bike week as the spring opening for his guests. I should be able to join for a day.