Our Spanish Hibernation 3:0

There’s a lot to learn living in Malaga and it’s not just the language, although that is the biggest challenge of all. Malaguenos are certainly very friendly and, you pass them in the street, nine times out ten they well say hello in some form of other. Greetings I can do! “Hola”, “buenos dias”.

The morning cafe culture is an enjoyable training ground for me as I love coffee. It seems it is not unusual for Spaniards to have two breakfasts, so it is all about timing if you want to get a seat outside your favourite bar, sip a Cortado (think macchiato but with a splash of evap instead of foam) and watch the world go by.

I have seen in the centre of town a Starbucks, but not planning on darkening their doors during this stay. Still, something for everyone! What I do want to find is a good churreria. Churros are fried dough, which arrive broken into slender sticks so you can dip them into a cup of hot chocolate. There are a number of places in Malaga which specialise in making them, so looking forward to seeking them out.

I have started some private lessons with a Spanish tutor called Toni. It’s early days, but the one-to-one set up is making me converse with him using my pigeon Spanish and as little English as possible. It’s hard work, but fun and hopefully over the weeks I can improve. The locals (probably true of most Spanish people) speak very very fast. At the moment, my ear can’t tune into it at their pace. Time and practice will hopefully change that.