winter blues + orange trees

Some oranges - to compliment my blues this week. I know "Blue Monday" was over a week ago, but I am usually impervious to it because it's my birthday month, and birthdays are always fun. But, for no particular reason, I've been feeling less than fun over the last few days and thought that some bright photos might help.

The word orange itself is derived from the Spanish word 'naranja,' which came from the Sanskrit word nāraga, which literally means 'orange tree.' Apparently the color was named after the fruit around the 16th century. There were orange trees everywhere we looked in Malaga. Yet, we didn't see any on menus which was a little disappointing. Speaking of oranges: this is cute. Here's to a cheerful weekend.

-Mina

more tea

We had previously mentioned that we only found two places to get a decent cup of tea in Malaga. This spot was our favorite. The teas that we sampled were both steeped in milk rather than just water. I am used to the addition of milk to strong black teas (you can still taste the flavor of it), but even Alex's mint tea was made with milk. It was amazing! Although, it's likely that's I'm partial to the milk + tea thing because of the whole British colonial-ness of my parents - I was raised on the stuff and haven't really ever been able to appreciate the more delicate Chinese teas.

I've attempted to recreate the mint concoction a few times since then and can't seem to get the ratios just right. Perhaps one day I will become a full-time tea connoisseur and I'll be able to make sure  to match those custom boiling temperatures with specific teas in order to ensure a smooth infusion process every time. I clearly have my priorities straight in life.

-Mina

cállate la boca

While wandering around Malaga one evening, we stumbled upon a small shop called Cállate La Boca which was also a gallery for the artist(s).  We loved the cartoon renditions of Volkswagon vans and Times Square and ended up leaving with a little clock for our new kitchen!

malaga at night

churros + chocolate

Churros con chocolate are a popular breakfast food in Malaga. The churros are usually accompanied by a cup of thick Spanish hot chocolate. I found the hot chocolate to be far too thick to drink on it's own - but perfect for dipping. Apparently, it's not uncommon for people in Spain to eat churros throughout the day and late into the evening, as whenever we walked by Casa Aranda, there wasn't one empty seat... and there were a lot of seats. In fact, the entire street is reserved for a restaurant that, by the looks of it, only serves churros, "hot chocolate", and cafe con leche. Every single building on the little road was full of completely occupied tables for this one cafe. The road itself was also so full of tables that it was hard to just walk through let alone grab a seat for ourselves.

This was our second time trying churros. The first was in Mexico City where they were sweeter (covered in cinamon and sugar). Since I have a sugar addiction, I preferred those ones and Alex liked the Andalusian version better. Update: Alex has informed me that I am a liar and that he also prefers the "Mexican" churros. I am sure that you guys will forgive me seeing as Alex's churro preference will likely never be of any use to you.

-Mina

{Christine, thanks so much for the list of churro restaurants!}

thanks!

Thank you for the birthday messages! You guys are darling. 

xo, Mina

{Random photo from Malaga, real post coming later today!}

happy birthday, mina!

No travel content today, just a photo from one of Mina's previous birthdays. I tried to surprise her with reservations to this place, but the restaurant called when I wasn't home, and she learned of my plan. I need to be more stealthy next time.

-Alex

Photo by Mina's parents

castillo de gibralfaro

The Gibralfaro Castle is attached to La Alcazaba. There is no admission to walk up the winding, uneven path on the side of the castle and it's worth the trek to the top for the magnificent panoramic view of Malaga.