The Number One Attraction in Málaga, Spain

So is it the Castle?  The Fortress? The Picaso Museum? The Roman Theatre? The Beach? No!  None of that!

According to the UK Trip Advisor, the number one attraction is the Málaga Museum of Glass and Crystal! Say what? Seriously?  Well yes, seriously!  It is housed in a delightfully restored 18 century home where you can  ¨browse through the history of humanity by means of the glass.¨ Each room represents different periods of glass making, and is decorated with period furniture, pictures, floor coverings, etc.

What really makes this museum though is the fact that tours are given by the actual owners of the house and most of the furnishings, pictures, and etc. belonged to their ancestors. You see paintings of their ancestors, hear stories about the various pieces, and hear the enthusiasm in the guides´s voice (one of the owners) as he shares his considerable knowledge of both the science and the history of the exhibits. Thanks Hna Castillo for this picture!

They had some of the earliest examples of glass making, like this perfume bottle that is over 2,000 years old. Before they blew glass, they poured it or wound ropes of hot glass around a mold.












Again, it was so neat to see pictures and objects actually related to our tour guide and his partners. It made it much more personal and relevent to me.





More glassware - I don´t remember the specifics, but they had all kinds of periods, all kinds of different makers.











Cameo glass - the white glass is layered on top of the red glass, then parts of the white glass are carved away to leave the design.








They also had a number of stained glass windows mostly rescued from churches or homes that were being demolished. This one is from England, and  says ¨Jesus said, suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not¨ at the bottom. Very beautiful!

More beautiful glassware.

I loved the inlay on this table. There was all kinds of beautiful furniture, including a very old piano. They even let us play it a bit!








Hermana Castillo (she´s home, so I get to call her Jeanene now) was my companion for one last adventure - we had so much fun together! She did a much better job capturing the museum entrance.










Afterwards we went out for tapas - they were really good! There was a variety of both hot and cold, and you paid for them by what type of stick they came with. My favorite was the fried clam (at least that´s what it tasted like).










And to end - one last glass collection, with some neat etchings. Once again Spain came through with a thoroughly enjoyable day. You never know what you´re going to find here!