This Christmas trip has been a bit of a lights extravaganza. I’ve said it before and being one to repeat myself I’ll say it again. Malaga is a vastly underrated destination. For many reasons. What they do so well and is a huge tourist and resident attraction is Festivals. Semana Santa parades and Christmas being two. The pueblo blanco’s have their Ferias. Their noche del vino. at Christmas the lights are spectacular.

Malaga has a great backdrop for the light show in the Botanical Gardens. La Conceptuon ~ the Jardin Botanivo Historico. A great place to visit during the day to see the extensive planting and the great walks through the gardens. Originally created in 1885 and which remained in private ownership until 1990 when it became municipal property and then opened to the public in /994. The gardens have a vast array of tropical plants collected from around the world over its 23 hectares.

Whilst a great place to walk during the day with cheap admission prices and a small cafe it is magical illuminated at night for this years Christmas show. This is the second year that it has been held in Malaga and this year the info says ‘ the walk is ‘ 2.2 kilometers in length where more than 20 light installations will transport visitors to historic places such as Persia, Babylon or Bethlehem.’

That is once you navigate the parking and the queue to get in. Parking generally for the gardens is small and like everything the Mathieson – Jones household does we aimed to arrive early. Like when we fly we are usually at the airport a week before if Ian has his way. He hates lateness. I hate rushing as I’m a bit of a panicker. What if the traffic is bad. What if we can’t park. Let me fast forward. We parked ok after a bit of a turn around. But the parking wasn’t difficult. The leaving was. Not because of traffic but because of the very kind person who felt it necessary to park so close to the drivers door that not even Twiggy would be able to slide into the drivers seat. Let alone a man of certain age and certainly not on the thinner side. I couldn’t even get a leg through the door. So. With someone waiting to take my space holding up the traffic I had to scramble in from the passengers side. Climb over the gear stick with a dodgy hip and arthritic knee. I managed eventually. And the car waited patiently for my space. Yes. I digress again. But I am no contortionist and I’m not as supple as I once was.

The photo above was taken from the queue to go in which was a bit like a air con in its own right. People panicking because they felt the 19.30 tickets were being let in before the 19.00 despite being told that we were in the right queue. I’d like to repeat some of their conversations. But I won’t. Or my comments to Ian. Neither are appropriate after the event. But the queue was fine. Orderly and no. The 19.30 hasn’t gone in before us. They had been ushered to another queue.

Oh. And we didn’t get to see the parador lit up. The path doesn’t take us up amongst the cactus ~ I suspect a bit dodgy in the dark and health and safety would be an issue. No matter me wants to fall over. A prickly pear. A first for here in Spain. you haven’t seen our electrician work or the man climbing our trees. It takes health and safety to a whole new level.

I have realised that we did miss the parador out in the walk. That was a major fail on my part. Map reading was never my strong point. I have yet to tell Ian. We also missed the camels. There is always next year. .

To be fair the queue moves quickly and tickets checked ~ no question on my old man’s discounted ticket which always disappoints me that they don’t ask for documentary evidence. That’s vanity for you. I never got checked for alcohol purchases either.

The website says ‘ welcome to Stela ~ Embark on the Christmas journey of the Star of the East and the Three Wise Men and let your imagination fly with STELA.

It is a magical journey through visuals and music

A lot of the lighting is very visual and some doesn’t photograph well with the crowds but the colours and the lighting is spectacular. An incredibly clever use of the light and a self guided one way pathway way through the gardens. Despite the numbers it never feels crowded once you get in. It is hugely popular and last year had over 110,000 visitors. I think this year that will be surpassed as last year was the first year and word of mouth has spread.

These crowns are large. And are one of the first spectacular pieces that you encounter. Not the first. But the one that took my breath away.

Particularly spectacular are the crowns. How I would love one of these illuminated on the roundabout that’s not a roundabout to be lit to signify we were in residence. A bit like the flag flying over Buckingham palace. Two things stopping that. The roundabout that’s not a roundabout has no services. ~ electricity and a Waitrose local ~ and it’s in the campo where no new builds are allowed. This technically would fail but thankfully the bulbs are all Led so would get a good energy rating!

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The bamboo forests look amazing during the day but lit up they take on an eerie feel but spectacular.

We three kings. Another high point but a low point in that as usual the idiot comes out in me as I sing the wrong words to the old Christmas carol | we three kings from orient are. One in a bus. And one in a car. One on a scooter blowing his hooter ……… I blame my mother for everything.

A rare sighting. But it’s Christmas and maybe a New Year’s resolution is to have at least one joint selfie a month in 2023. As long as we are in the same place that month! But also to show proof that we are out together and it’s not just Ian walking on his own.

The colours and placing of the lights is clever. Though at points a little dark. Which is fine until you put your glasss on your head to take a photo. Raise your head and they fall down your back. Onto the floor amongst a throng of people. Luckily we weee all standing still. So I was able to scrabble and find them. Without being knocked off my feet which would have been humiliating watching me get back up. And luckily I had packed a small torch.

The taking tree. We could hear noises as we weee approaching the areas where this tree was illuminated. To be fair we weren’t sure what to expect. It sounded from a distance that something was happening in the wood and maybe someone had left a microphone on. There were some strange and funny noises coming from the distance. You know that nursery rhyme. If you go down to the woods today. ….. you are in for a big surprise. Then there was talking and we realised as you do that it was the tree. I know. It so was weird but trust me. I recorded it and it does sound weird until the talking starts. think a bit Shirley valentine. Talking to a wall but the wall talks back. Remember next time you take the Kings advice and talk to your plants. They will sound weird if they reply.

Like the light show at the Cathedral there is a show against the mansion in the grounds. It’s pretty amazing and I think is one of the high lights of the walk. Oh. I’ve forgotten to say that there is music along a the walk which is a atmospheric as you take the journey which transports you to Persia, Babylon or Bethlehem. No Boney M singing rivers of Babylon but I had the look of Ian when I started to sing it. Quietly thankfully. Nino dodgy dance moves. Not on those paths. In the dark.

Not a spectacular photo but a special one for me. In our Spanish garden I have a bed of Clivia. Clivia and I go back decades ( not a dating relationship ) ~ but a plant I bought at a fabulous garden shop in Castle Cary owned by a friend and neighbour of ours at the time. I say she introduced me to a lot of interesting plants and hulks back then ~ an ex Blue Peter gardener and now living on Dartmoor with her rescue animals. Dartmoor ponies. Donkeys. Sheep and turkeys. I digress again. But I bought Clivia as house plants from her. So when we bought the house here and realised we could grow them in the garden I did. Then we came to the Botanical gardens and saw swathes of them planted under the trees I realised I could plant more. I have and will continue to . This photo is more to show the mass of Clivia than the lights. The following photo is an early one flowering at home I the garden. I will be back to see these beauties flower. In the daytime though oh. And for the record Clare the ex neighbour is the creator and seller of the fabulous Donkey Gloves with all profits going to the animals she rescues. Great gloves ~ I’m not biased. They are.

It was worth the 50 min drive down the wiggly road for sure and it’s a great tourist attraction not only for the international tourists here for Christmas but also the local residents who were attending. A lot of family groups old and young. Some even older than me which to be fair at some of the events we have been to lately is rare.

That’s the last of our Christmas outings for 2022. It will be a quiet New year for us as is usual. But not as quiet as 2020 and 2021 for sure. The blog will probably be like current forms of public transport for the next month. Few and far between and not terribly reliable.

Happy New year ~ Feliz año Nuevo and thank you for indulging me with my blogs again in 2022.