My "malagueña" experience by Maria Moreno

INTRODUCTION:

Hi everyone!, I am Maria and I have been attending a baking, pastry and barista course at BIFE (2021/2022) and this is gonna be my "malagueña" experience. I'm very grateful to all the Erasmus coordinators from my college for giving me this opportunity and let me do a work experience in Candy's repostería artesanal where I will learn loads of things that will help me in my new career as a baker. I will make this be worth it and I will be sharing with you as much as I can about my workplace, all sightseeings and activities  that we are gonna do until my Erasmus program lasts. Hopefully all my information posted can help someone in the future to know more about I have been living there for 3weeks.

Off we go!....fasten your belts🚀, play the music on🎶🎧🎶and let everything flow because the adventure just started😎. Next chapter in Málaga(Spain).

Hi all again! I actually haven't written  anything on my blog till I just got back from Malaga because I wanted to talk about it once I was back to Dublin and having an overall opinion about everything. It was a very recommended experience from all the ways. I mean my work experience was a-ma-zing and the free time & group activities even better.

So I'm gonna explain everything by different titles as book chapters.

Ok, let's start it!

*flying over Spanish lands and feeling the intense sun already from the airplane😎

My Workplace:

I remember now when myself and Luke, my classmate from Bife and work colleague at Candy's as well, met María García Moya for first time. Great moment by the way☺ we all were a bit shy at the beginning but a few days later we seemed as if we were working together for long time. We got along very well and we fit like a glove.

I previously had been searching for her work on Instagram beforehand 

https://instagram.com/candys_reposter?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Because I wanted to know a bit more what I would find when I got there and honestly I was amazingly surprised. If you check out the link I just attached above you will know what I'm talking about. What cakes, cupcakes, cake pops or desserts!🤩. My sight was charmingly indulged with her beautiful and colourful designs but when I had the chance to try them I was even more delighted 😋👌

*1st day when we all met 👆 

Our job at Candy's:

Luke and myself used to work from 9 to 2  Mon-Fri, but the time flew off because we were enjoying every single minute and learning loads of things.

We were making cake sponges, dressing them with hazelnut praline, mashed crunchy waffle cones, chocolate pastry cream, ferrero sauce and many more fillings. We also had to do crumb coat and butter cream for outside of the cakes.

I show you a few pics of our work.

I have to say that María was always supervising and advising us about better ways to work on that apart from loads of tips to enhance our skills.

*making peanut butter and choco chip cookies.

*soaking desserts into chocolate couverture.

*Deep-fry "roscos de anís" similar to doughnuts but with a hint of aniseed in it. This is typical for Christmas but María showed us its elaboration due to we wouldn't be there for this festive occasion.

 *Among our tasks we had to produce some desserts for Araboka restaurant and this one was one of them "Ferrero" very soft and delicate chocolate and hazelnut praline in a smooth mousse over a thin sponge cake bed and decorated with golden pop rocks and choco stick on top.

*biscuit souvenirs for 1st Communion celebrations.

*working with fondant for our cakes decorations.

*filling cakes☝️

*4layer cakes (vanilla sponge on the left and chocolate one on the right)🍰🤤

* and ....the result: our own cakes. My face is out of expression, isn't it?😄

Given that my family came to visit me that weekend and my birthday was round the corner I took the cake to my dad's cousins' house on Saturday evening where we had dinner and we were catching up about our lives for a while because I hadn't seen some of them for nearly 30years. So we ended up digging our spoons in that delicious cake and there was not even a crumb left. The plate was polished off 😋 

*my parents, sister, nephew and niece in front of Malaga's Cathedral.

* Family reunion with some of my dad's cousins in Sayalonga (Málaga).

*Sayalonga, a little town between the mountain range of Málaga where my granddad was born.

Sightseeing, activities and favourite spots in Malaga:

- walk-up tour to Gibralfaro fortress: At the top of the hill stands the Castle of Gibralfaro overlooking Málaga city and the Mediterranean Sea, and connected by a walled corridor to the Alcazaba of Málaga.

There you can see the most stunning views from the port either in the mornings or evenings. Spectacular❣ Totally recommended. If you are not capable to climb the hill on foot there's another option and you can take the bus 35 to get to the top.

*back side of the City hall and large cruise in the background.

* La Malagueta bullring and Malaga port (muelle 1).

*viewing point balcony during the sunset.

*same point but at night.

- Malaga cathedral: Its origin dates back to 1487, the year in which the city of Malaga was conquered by Castilian troops. It was then that the Aljama Mosque became a Cathedral, dressing as a Christian with late Gothic decorative elements and consecrating itself under the dedication of Santa María de la Encarnación.

The historic centre of Malaga is almost entirely pedestrian which is very handy for enjoying a relaxing walk (just mind the hybrid taxis and scooters that you can find closely following your footsteps).

*main façade. This cathedral is known as "La Manquita" for the locals, what literally means "the one arm" and is called like this because one of its towers was unfinished, was stopped due to the sudden lack of economic funds.   

* its bell tower is visible from almost every part of the city.

*inside of the choir.

- The Roman theatre: Malaga's Roman theatre lies at the foot of the Alcazaba fortress in the western part of the city. It was discovered in 1951, after having remained buried underground for many centuries. Dating back to the first century, it was built during the Empire of Augustus. It was used up until the third century. The Arabs used parts of the theatre for their own building purposes.

*viewing balcony where you can have an overall view of the whole square. Nice place to sit down for a while and take a rest in the shade of the big trees after having a long walk across the city centre.

- Atarazanas Market: is one of the buildings which best represent the architecture of the nineteenth century in Málaga. It's one of the most important shopping centres in the city where every day the people of Málaga come to buy fresh products, one of the hallmarks of this market. The gastronomy is one of the main attractions of the city so many of the visitors come for the tapas and fresh “pescaíto" (typical small fried fish) in the bars in the market or surroundings, others just to stroll through this building which has been able to preserve its traditional essence. 

This was one of my favourite places to have lunch and whose prices weren't so expensive as in some other restaurants  more closely to the cathedral and surroundings. 

*inside of Atarazanas Market where you can find plenty of stalls selling fresh food and products such as vegetables, fruits, fish&seafood, meat, spices and sweets.

* front of the market with some restaurant terraces around it.

- One-day trip to Granada:

* front view of "Albaicín" neighbourhood from the hill of the Alhambra.

*Carlos V palace at the Alhambra's complex (main façada).

* same palace but from inside.

* the enchanting interior patio of the "Parador de Granada" Hotel at the Alhambra's surroundings.

* St. Nicholas' viewpoint with the Alhambra in the background and behind that on its white, Sierra Nevada mountain range in the background. 

In 1984, the Alhambra Palace became a UNESCO World Heritage site. This great Moorish palace is an incredible place to visit, boasting an intriguing network of cool, tiled rooms, underground tunnels, beautiful pools and fountains, enigmatic carvings and breath-taking gardens.

* Some of the narrow and steep streets of the "Albaicín" area and Moorish Islamic architecture buildings.

The Albaycin is a bohemian part of town which was a Muslim neighbourhood after the Catholic reconquest - but that population soon dwindled as they were forced out of Spain by the Catholic monarchy.  Nowadays, the narrow streets and whitewashed houses are still the same, but its inhabitants are an eclectic mix now, where wealthy Granada home-owners enjoy their highly prized (and pricey) houses with priceless views of the Alhambra Palace.

-Boat trip: an amazing trip with an overall view of Malaga coast. We also could share with all the group a very nice time and having a small treat I made in the morning to celebrate Ben's and myself birthday.

*A coastal view from the boat. 

 *little cheese cake treats for everyone 

*blowing out our single birthday candle

😙💨

*the boat also had a bar on board where we could amuse ourselves with cool drinks. Excellent service!

-Cycling ride along the coast: Incredible bike-cycling morning along the coast. It was a pity no-one wanted to do this last activity because it was stunning some of the places and beaches I saw during the ride.

*my lovely bike during the ride. Very comfortable with a basket in the front to carry on my bag, easy pedalling and with  a security wire lock as well.

The places I visited during my 3hours

bike-ride were 👇

*I began my ride along this beautiful  promenade, just in front of "La malagueta" beach.

*There are countless pleasures that you can savor in Málaga, such as those romantic walks along its coasts.

Right on arrival at Pedregalejo, almost like a border post, we find one of the most charming places on the Málaga coast, the Baños del Carmen. Located east of the capital, bordering the Playa de la Malagueta, this emblematic place today houses a restaurant / terrace with a very interesting past. Next to it a beautiful but narrow beach, wild and bohemian at the same time. Behind, a space where the vegetation spreads more freely, between eucalyptus and undergrowth.

*Old fishermen's area where you can taste the most delicious and fresh "espetos" (sardines in a skewer) in Málaga. There are loads of restaurants on the seaside whose prices are much much cheaper than in city centre and where you can pay €2 for 5 sardines and not more than €2 for a beer or "tinto de verano". Very recommended to pop in during your trip in Málaga! Do not forget to add it to your list!

* The end of my coastal ride and my lunch spot was on this beach with calm and clean-water sea. Many  locals spend the whole day there. They bring their pic-nic baskets, beach tables and hammocks and they make their stay more enjoyable. There is also a car park and some pine tree shades.

Acknowledgement:

There are no words to describe my enormous gratitude to all those people who have collaborated in this exciting project.

Encantada y enamorada❤ de mi estancia y experiencia en Malága. 

I'm very delighted for being one of the candidates for this training trip in Málaga. And I really appreciate that my college coordinators of the Erasmus+ chosen me for this experience and I also would love to thank María from Candy's, who was my mentor and host trainer all this time. Thank you for your time, patience, kind words, tips and support. Always grateful!🙏😉

And for the last but not the least 😊 I would rather say thanks to Europeanera team too for their job and making our stay in Málaga unforgettable.