Cheered up by the Garda Jerusalem Challenge

Malaga on restrictions

As I wrote yesterday Malaga is now on restrictions with shops and restaurants closed for the next 2 weeks. I anticipated it being worse than it actually is but there is still a fair bit open here in the city with Coffee shops serving take away coffees (definitely essential!) along with the panaderias selling bread. There are also other essential services like phone repair shops and hairdressers still open.

Garda Jerusalem Challenge

I was feeling a little down in the dumps yesterday with all of the Covid goings on but I was really cheered up by watching the Irish Gardai (police force) rise to the Jerusalem Challenge along with the Swiss Police Force and others. The music is great and the backdrop of the Irish scenery looks gorgeous......oh and there is also dancing horses!!!  Dancing horses, I needn't say any more - but there is also some traditional Irish dancing.

Have a look at it here:

Yesterday I shared pics of the streets 10 minutes before all the cafes, bars and restaurants had to close for 2 weeks.

Today I took more pics from the same spots and will put them down below, side by side, so you can compare the difference.

Calle Granada

Calle Caldereria

Calle Calderia - up near Plaza de Uncibay   

 

As you can see there is considerably less people around the streets which should hopefully bring down the numbers. Additionally I think the not selling of alcohol in bars and restaurants will be particularly helpful.

Let's see how it goes and fingers crossed there will be no extension of restrictions beyond the two weeks.

2 Weeks of Restrictions in Malaga: Restaurants and Non-Essential Businesses are closed

2 Week Closure of Restaurants, Cafes and Non-Essential Businesses

Malaga capital cierra su actividad no esencial a partir del miercoles

Well it has happened. New restrictions are starting in Malaga from midnight tonight. The number of Covid cases went above 1,000 per 100,000 and so new restrictions have been brought in where restaurants and shops are to close for 2 weeks. Up to this point they had to close at 6pm with a 10pm curfew. 

Of course we know that it is 2 weeks initially and this is sure to be extended.....

How we will be affected by the new restrictions

We don't think we will be very affected by the new restrictions. We have not been visiting restaurants or bars and have only been occasionally going out for coffee over the past while. We had signed up for 3 weeks of intensive Spanish lessons in a language school with 3 days left to attend but in actual fact schools are not closing so we will still be able to attend. 

Unfortunately we were also doing 2 hours of Spanish lessons with Speak and Learn where we met with a teacher in cafes in Malaga. These have been put on hold for the moment as the cafes will be closed so we can not meet up. In the past we have done these classes online but have decided to take a break from them while the restrictions are in place, as we did not find the online class as useful as the face to face class.

PIGSY Art

For Ciaran, his studio will be still available to work in but the art gallery that it is connected to will be closed for the next two weeks. Unfortunately his newest solo art exhibition was due to open in 2 weeks time so for the moment that has to be postponed. This is a big disappointment.

Other activities 

And the other thing that we thought would be affected would be Padel but it seems that non-contact sport can still take place so I will go to my padel class on Thursday. Along with all of the above, my volunteer job in Cudeca Charity Shop is also on pause for the moment as the shop will not open for the next two weeks as per these restrictions.

So let's see how all of this plays out and whether the numbers reduce in order to allow for reopening in 2 weeks time. I'm not feeling hopeful and think there should probably be more extensive restrictions like hairdressers having to close along with sport being restricted.

For posterity here's how the streets looked this evening at 5.50pm just 10 minutes before all the bars and restaurants have to close at 6pm for the next 2 weeks.

                                                                    Calle Granada

                                                    View of the Irish bar from my balcony

                                                                Calle Caldereria

Dog Friendly Malaga

Dogs welcome!

Having seen a lady in S'Fera the other day with a little Bichon, I wondered whether dogs were allowed in this clothes shop. I suspected they were because the lady was not holding her dog in her arms but instead was letting the dog walk around on its lead.

Today I was going in to S'Fera and was planning on leaving Bones outside with Ciaran when I noticed a sign in the window.

This is the sign:

"Best Dogs" welcome!

The sign reads that your best dog is allowed in the store. In small print at the bottom it says that the dog has to be less than 10kg or if it is bigger it has to be in a container (or I guess a baby stroller - of which you do see lots of older dogs being carried in, here in Malaga)

Dogs on terraces

Dogs are welcomed in to most cafes (outside on their terrace) in Malaga but I was pleasantly surprised to know that they are also welcome in to some clothes stores too. After bringing Bones with us all the way from Ireland to Spain on the plane it is nice that he can get to enjoy most of Malaga too rather than constantly being left sitting outside of shops. Click here to read about how Bones travelled from Ireland.

Additionally for shops, allowing dogs in is possibly bringing in extra revenue as many dog owners may pass up going in and spending money in shops if they don't feel safe leaving their dogs outside. Bringing the dog in to the shop with them allows them to browse in a relaxed manner and buy a few items if they want.

I'm not sure why I am so surprised to see dogs being let in to clothes shops. The charity shop I volunteer in on Saturday mornings, lets dogs of any size in and it is common to see multiple dogs in the shop at the one time. I guess I didn't think that new clothes shops would be so welcoming!

Let me know, what do you think of dogs in shops?  Or do tell if you have been allowed to bring your dog in to some places where you didn't expect and were pleasantly surprised.

Where I get my news in Malaga

News - where I get it from

As you can see from my past blog posts, we were anticipating that there would be a lockdown here in Malaga if the Covid numbers continued to rise and went above a particular point. This did not come to pass as anticipated and numbers are starting to go down marginally here in Malaga over the last few days. Hopefully this will continue.

There are a number of ways in which I get my news here in Malaga. With the whole Covid situation it is particularly important to have up to date info and sometimes I find that Twitter is best for instant info. Along with using Twitter I also go to the El Pais in English website and also the Sur in English website as well as picking up the hard copy of the Sur in English newspaper on Fridays. I pick up my Sur from the Tourist Office on Constitution Plaza.

Sur in English

Here's some pics of this weeks Sur in English. It's a great free weekly newspaper and I've highlighted some of the parts that I find particularly useful.

As well as news articles there is a variety of lifestyle articles including "What happened today?". This week's article features the date of 29th of January 1999 where a Valazquez art work sold for a record sum. Along with an interesting article, there is something further where the journalist pulls out some words from the article and translates them in to Spanish in a useful "Language Footnote".

Here's this week's "Language Footnote" which are actually really relevant for us given the work that PIGSY is doing here in Spain along with the work that I am doing promoting him, his art and his brand!

As you can see the Spanish words all relate to art which relate back to the article on the Velazquez article.

Language Crossword 

And then at the back of the paper is a crossword which is actually bilingual, in that you answer the clues in the Spanish language. Some of the words that turn up in this crossword are words from the "Language Footnote" which is helpful for learning new vocabulary. See One Down, for example, which is looking for the Spanish word for Painting, which is obviously "Pintura" as noted in the Language Footnote. I think this is a great fun way to add to my language learning here in Spain.

Event Listings

Further to all of the above, the Sur in English also prints full listings of all of the cultural events that are taking place in Malaga and we use this to plan ahead for the week and to take in some of the art that is on show in the city. 

I rate the Sur highly - it's a quality newspaper and they even have published articles about PIGSY which is a good indicator of what type of news outlet they are :-)

Grand stretch in the evening.....

Early Spring

Weird weather here in Malaga with unseasonably high temperatures coming over the next few days. It's being reported as an "early Spring". 

Unfortunately Bones is in a hairy state at the moment. I don't think I will get him to the groomer in the very near future so he is going to be hot. I will need to watch him as he has a bad habit of sitting out in the sun until he gets too hot.....and then heads in to the house. It might be the case that we close the door on him in the cool back bedroom.  We will see....

Let there be light

Other than that, along with a "grand stretch in the evening" (see pics below taken at 7.15pm tonight) there is an ominous  feeling here in the city with very few people around after 6pm when the shops close. We are currently on a 10pm curfew but there seems like there is an expectation that a full lock down will be introduced. With one of my sisters living in The Netherlands where there is a lock down along with a curfew and another living in Ireland where the lock down has been extended until March 5th, I may be joining them under restrictions. Watch this space......

What will be will be and while I don't want a lock down, it is good to see there being more light in the evenings. A symbolic light at the end of the tunnel if you will.

Lock down prep

Tomorrow I plan to do a bigger than normal shop and load up the freezer with meat for dinners etc. Just in case a lock down is announced over the next few days. I know there probably won't be an interruption to the food chain or a run on toilet paper, but given how high the numbers have gone in Spain it is probably better to visit the shops less often. Additionally there currently is a large police presence on the streets of Malaga and given that my Spanish is poor it is also probably best to be staying off the streets so as not to put myself in the position where I have to interact with the police. Ciaran found himself cordoned out of our street one night near Christmas when the police were controlling crowds and numbers on the main shopping streets. He had to talk to a police officer and explain where he lived. When the officer heard him talk he queried if he was a tourist. Which says a lot about Ciaran's Spanish, I think!!

Where ever you are in the world, mind yourself and take care. Stay positive and know that things will get better.......eventually.

Slow start Sunday

Sunday Stroll in Malaga City

Sunday was beautiful here in Malaga.....in fact it was a little too warm in my 4 layers on our morning walk! But I really enjoyed taking in the Vitamin D.....

For our Sunday stroll yesterday we walked down near the Marina and stopped for coffee near the Pompidou Centre. We had brought a flask of coffee with us and stopped off at La Canasta and bought a Napolitana (Pan au Chocolate) to share. 

We sat on a bench where we could see the water and all of the marina activity and it was also a safe area to let Bones off his lead and have a wander on his own. He never walks far and generally keeps coming back to us. Then after awhile he gets bored and comes back and sits beside us......and then tends to fall asleep!

Here's a pic of him exploring the area near the Renzo Piano designed building that houses the Pompidou Malaga Museum

What I'm currently drinking......

Coffee and Chocolate - a great start in the morning!

Here in Malaga, I've been enjoying a cup of coffee with a little chocolate in it, to start my day. I guess it is what you could call it a mocha. I found this "Valorcao de la Taza" chocolate powder in the supermarket and was attracted to it by the picture of churros on the front of it. I do love a churro and a cup of hot chocolate in places like Cafe Aranda but it is not something that I do regularly. However to make my mocha coffee, which I do regularly everyday, I simply add a small spoonful of chocolate powder to my coffee and give it a mix. It blends really well and adds a little chocolate sweetness to my coffee. On Saturday's after my volunteer work in the Cudeca Charity Shop I tend to make a mocha coffee with Bailey's in it.......just because it's the weekend and also because I feel like I need it as a treat after feeling like a dummy for fours hours where I try to make sense of all of the Spanish language I hear over the course of the morning.

See below for pics - I always make my hot drinks in my PIGSY art mug of course!

Sausage Tree Vodka

I received a gift of this premium Irish vodka. Wow is it good! Extremely pure taste and what a fantastic bottle with a big chunky cap. You can read about it here. 

How gorgeous is the bottle, I love the color and the shape and it feels very nice when pouring. Strange to comment on these type of things as in reality they are not so important in comparison to how the vodka tastes, but a lot of thought was given to all of this and I think it is very successful and all in all a very well created and designed product. Tastes great and beautiful to look at!

So that's what I have been drinking as of late (along with a little Spanish red wine!), what have YOU been drinking these days?!