Seaside of Malaga in Spain – The black sand beach

Where is the beach?

Malaga is a place that my friend and I visited on the way to Granada. Malaga is convenient for economic transportation as Malaga has a a Ryanair airport. We first flew to Malaga by the Ryanair flight from northern Spain. After enjoying the sunbath in Malaga, we took a bus from Malaga to Granada.

Malaga is famous not only because it’s the birth place of Pablo Picasso but also one of the most historical cities in Europe. Malaga has a history about 2800 years. Tourists usually like to visit the old town, Museo Picasso Málaga and the Carmen Thyssen Museum.

Many tourists also go to Malaga for its beach and sunshine because Malaga’s beaches are very famous for the reputation of “the capital of the Coast of the Sun”. Before arriving in Malaga, the scenery I imagined was blue sky, white clouds, blue sea, white sandy beaches, and everything is charming and dreamy.

After my friend and I arrived at Malaga airport, we went straight from the airport to the beach of Playa Pedregalejo. On the way I was so excited that I was about to see the beach of southern Spain. The change of location and scenery always made me feel that my life was going to be injected with new elements.

As we walked towards the beach in the distance, I found that there was no beach in sight except the sea. I asked my friend “Have you seen the beach? How come the color near the sea is dark, are those stones near the sea?” My friend answered: “I also haven’t seen the beach yet, maybe we are still too far away. Maybe we will see it when we get closer.”  At this time, curiosity outweighed expectations. What kind of beach is this?

The black sand beach

As we got closer to the beach, everything became clear. The beach was black, so it didn’t have as much presence as white sand. After spreading towels on the beach, we lay down to rest and basked in the sun.

I grabbed a handful of sand and it felt grainy. I had to say that I felt a little bit disappointed but also wanted to laugh at myself. How impractical it was to imagine a place without knowing it.

Malaga’s beach actually had its own charm. The black beach looked thick and concrete. The seaside did not have the romantic transition of white sand beach, as if stepping into the sea from the land directly. On the black sandy beach, the protagonist in nature was no longer the beach, instead people and sea became more conspicuous. That is, the beach seemed to have lost its sense of existence, instead people and the sea had become the protagonists.

From time to time, the white waves washed up on the beach, as if a circle of sparkling decorations were placed on the black sand. If I knew in advance that it was a black beach, maybe I would have imagined a beach full of mystery. On a clear day like this, the beach was unobstructed to expose itself by the sunlight.

When to visit Malaga again?

As someone from a very cold place, I underestimated the intensity of the direct sunlight on the beaches of southern Spain. After a comfortable sunbath, my skin burned, which added a lot to difficulty to my following trip to Granada.

No matter how special Malaga’s beaches are, traveling in the heat of southern Spain in summer can be quite a challenge. My advice is for people from cold places is to avoid traveling in southern Spain in July and August, as the strong sunlight and heat can make trips difficult and strenuous.

After sunbathing in Malaga in summer, I think I will only come here in spring, autumn and winter in the future. Although the south of Spain in the summer is full of charm and magic, I have to say: “See you in the other seasons!”

Author: Hua