Touristmolinos

I haven’t spent much time in Torremolinos, 18 kilometers away from us along the coast and almost to Málaga. It only takes 20 minutes on the local train. San Geraldo had an appointment Sunday evening, so I decided to take a ride with him and explore on my own a bit.

The word Torremolinos means “Tower of the Mills.” The city was a mill town ruled by the Moors when the still-existing tower was built around 1300. (Click any image to enlarge.)

PIMENTAL TOWER BEHIND SOUVENIR SHOPS. YOU CAN CLIMB THE TOWER FOR A MUCH-IMPROVED VIEW.

In the mid-20th century, Torremolinos became one of the first tourist centers on the Costa del Sol and that history, sadly, shows in the souvenir shops and ugly signage overwhelming some of the meandering and otherwise charming stepped streets that lead down to the beach.

When we drove to the beach to meet friends for dinner some months back, I saw a bit of the beauty of the city. On this visit, I saw a bit of the not-so-beautiful.

It’s a mix of old and new, elegant and tacky. It also has the largest gay community in the area (I think the first gay bar on the Costa del Sol opened here in the early 1970s). We’re treated wonderfully and respectfully in Fuengirola and, of course, there are other gay people around. But after living in places like Boston, San Diego, San Francisco and Palm Springs, with their vibrant gay communities, feeling a part of that again was very refreshing.

I was there at the wrong time of day for great photos, but you can still see some of what I saw — the beautiful and the kind-of-ugly. Now that I know how easy and convenient it is to get there, I plan to explore a lot more and share some of the best (and less of the worst) that the city has to offer.

ENTRANCE TO THE “BEACH WALK.”

HEADING DOWN TOWARD THE BEACH.

A PEAK THROUGH THE TREES.

AND THE WALK CONTINUES.

YOU CAN TAKE AN ELEVATOR THE REST OF THE WAY DOWN FROM THIS LARGE PLAZA (FOR 50 CENTIMOS).

I ENJOYED THE VIEW AND HEADED BACK UP (AFTER HAVING A GREAT CONVERSATION WITH A YOUNG SPANISH COUPLE).

PLAZA SAN MIGUEL.

CHURCH OF SAN MIGUEL.

AN ALLEY NEAR THE TOWER AND BELOW PLAZA SAN MIGUEL.

STEPS AND SHOPS GOING DOWN…

MORE STEPS AND SHOPS GOING DOWN. (SEA AT LEFT BEHIND THE ARCHES.)

AN AERIE?

AT THE TURNING OF THE TOURISTS…

AND STILL MORE STEPS AND TOURIST SHOPS.

BACK AT PLAZA SAN MIGUEL AS THE LIGHTS GO ON.

PLAZA DE LA NOGALERA. BURGER KING IN BACKGROUND, (BUT MCDONALDS AND KFC ARE GONE.)

MORE OF THE PLAZA DE LA NOGALERA. FILLED WITH RESTAURANTS AND PEOPLE.

WHILE I WAITED FOR SAN GERALDO. A FOUNTAIN ON ONE OF THE MAIN AVENUES (AVE. PALMA DE MALLORCA).

ITS ALL WORTH ANOTHER LOOK.