In October 2008 I did a fabulous long-weekend road trip with my friend Susan, from Sevilla along the Costa de la Luz to Bolonia and, after a quick side trip to buy knickers at M&S in Gibraltar, we went on to Málaga because my friend Agustín told me I HAD to eat at Andrés Maricuchi. This was my first, and very brief, visit to Málaga and after lunch and visiting the Picasso museum we stopped for tea and cake near the Roman amphitheatre, which was still being excavated at the time. And for some reason there was a massive octopus draped over a small viewing area.
Apparently the giant octopus is a legend told by Pliny the Elder about an incident that took place when Málaga was a part of the Roman Empire and was an important producer and exporter of garum, or fish paste. During the night this giant octopus would drag itself across the beach and eat the stored fish paste. They tried to catch it with dogs, which it slapped aside like so many mosquitos, and so they also put up barriers around it, but it escaped by jumping into a tree and then over the barriers. It was finally killed by many harpoons … well, that is the story in a nutshell.
So imagine my surprise when I was walking over to the Contemporary Arts Museum during my recent holiday in Málaga and, looking up, spotted a decidedlly worse-for-wear Mr Pulpo sprawled across the balcony of what looked like an abandoned building near the port. I thought this was a very sad way for this impressive specimen to have ended up. But it was even sadder when my friend Victor (@welovemalaga) sent me the photo below this morning on Twitter. Not only had Mr Pulpo been unceremoniously pushed over the balcony but they’d cut all his legs off! Why?? 🙁
I have to admit that at first I had doubts 
The open kitchen was superbly equipped with high-quality appliances (Bosch, Whirlpool). There’s an electric kettle and coffee maker (and a good supply of filters in the cupboard), an espresso maker, toaster and stick blender. And the two-burner ceramic stove-top, microwave oven and full-sized fridge are more than adequate for holiday cooking needs. Oh, just across the street there is a supermarket and a greengrocer next to it. Also a pharmacy. Double-glazed windows and balcony doors keep out the noise, though I know from previous visits that this area isn’t particularly noisy, even at peak season. There are two terraces, one off the larger bedroom, the other off the livingroom with comfy terrace furniture. And there is light. This is the thing I probably loved the best (other than it was so clean – did I mention how CLEAN it was?). Nice partial views of the mountains and the sea and lots and lots of light. The Malgueta beach (see that photo above?) is a two-minute walk from the front door of the building. There are also lots of great tapas bars and restaurants in the neighbourhood, plus the newly revamped harbourfront, MuelleUno, is just another two minute walk in the other direction. And it’s about a ten-minute walk to the old centre. At first I had hoped to stay in the centre, where Justine had booked her place, but in the end it was great being back in my ‘hood next to the sea.