BBC Travel Show – Picasso’s legacy in Malaga

BBC Travel Show – Picasso’s legacy in Malaga

This week on the travel show since his death we’re in Picasso’s birthplace in Spain as Malaga celebrates the life of its most famous son the light for Picasso was really important it was the first thing he remembered we’re planning ahead with a guide to the 2024 Paris Olympics if I had an advice

To give to Travelers it would be to book really early and we’re in Glasgow telling the spicy story behind the UK’s favorite takeaway meal mmm that’s got some kick to it [Applause] Southern Spain and the Costa Del Sol in particular has been a package holiday Hot Spot since the late 1960s but more recently one particular City there Malaga has been on a mission to shed the sun Sea and Sand image and go for something maybe a bit more upmarket

Post pandemic one of the Hot Topics in travel is cultural tourism and what really helps is if you have a famous artist who hails from your area someone who can be a focal point and here in Malaga they’ve got one a poster boy a figurehead one of the great masters of art history

This guy Pablo Picasso was a complicated colorful and controversial character but he was also prolific and today pure box office for the so-called high-value culture vulture Market that Malaga is Keen to attract born here in 1881 Picasso actually only lived in Malaga until he was 10 but 50

Years on from his death the city is making the most of its illustrious local boy there’s postcards fridge magnets bags and even language courses Picasso’s influences everywhere but the main event is the Museo Picasso Malaga founded 20 years ago it has over 300 works from across his life housed in

What was previously a 15th century Palace a central Picasso’s works are now some of the most valuable in the world with paintings like this one sold at Sotheby’s in 2018 for around 69 million dollars Many of the paintings and sculptures in the gallery were donated by his children at Picasso’s Requests Palomas different jobs were used by Picasso as symbols of peace and His image of a dove would be adopted as an emblem of world Harmony he lived through some of the most turbulent events in modern history including the Spanish Civil War and two world wars these will be a profound influence on

His work perhaps most famously Illustrated in Guernica a dramatic painting depicting the horror of the bombing of the Spanish Town by fascist forces during the Civil War in the 1930s is but here in Malaga they insist his childhood Years also had a huge bearing on his lifetime’s work

A short walk from the gallery is Picasso’s birthplace which has also become a museum obviously the most important influence of Picasso in his early years was his own father because the father was an art teacher and he spotted Talent oh yes he realized very soon that the son had a gift

Picasso’s father basically painted the doves he actually had a dove loft where he was working this Fascination would transfer from father to son from here he could see the big square of LA merte full of pigeons and doves and it’s a place where he was playing and

Where he was growing up dub is a big symbol throughout Picasso’s career oh yes and also the name of his youngest daughter Paloma means dog in Spanish the light for Picasso was really important it was the first thing he remembered from Malaga and actually Malaga has more than 300 days of sang a

Year so it’s 300 days no wonder is a popular tourist destination oh yes oh yes 10 minutes walk from his birthplace is an arena that arguably influenced Picasso the most the Malaga bull ring he would come here with his father every weekend and he would Inspire his first known artwork aged eight an oil painting on wood which captures the color of the bullfight

What the bull represents in Picasso’s work is widely debated by critics some saying it stands for power and masculinity others cruelty brutality and suffering bull fighting very strong part of southern Spain Spanish culture yeah yes very strong today build fighting still goes on in Malaga although it’s widely criticized

By many people both here and abroad for its cruelty with increasing calls for it to be banned but there’s no doubt the bull was an enduring Legacy of southern Spain throughout Picasso’s artistic career no matter how controversial it’s now become At points while being a Malaga it feels like the whole city has been an inspiration to Picasso even the sunsets El pimpi is one of the most famous wine bars in Malaga and it Revels in the great artist’s Legacy this room is called the Picasso room did Picasso ever come here no

Despite this uh Minor Detail it hasn’t stopped the bar from capitalizing on Picasso’s brand wow so in 2003 in April she came here and maybe the myths Legends and vague associations are becoming as much part of Picasso’s appeal as the real facts you can see the influence of the city on

His art it’s very diverse and there’s a lot going on there’s a lot left up to interpretation but still if you look at everything you can find meaning when you put it all together 50 years after his death Picasso’s Legacy and influence on Modern Art is still as strong as ever

Despite all of the efforts going on here in Malaga this part of Spain will long remain heavily reliant on the traditional sun and sea package Holiday Market but if you fancy a bit of culture away from the karaoke bars and Sun Elders then you’re just the kind of

Tourist that could be very welcome right here thank you And if you’re thinking about visiting southern Spain anytime soon here are some highlights these days the Caminito Del Rey Gorge walk is a much easier day trip from Malaga than it used to be a new extension to the C2 train route means it will now take you less than an hour and

Costs only 7 euros 20 cents to get there the eight kilometer walk through the haitanis gorge used to be considered one of the most dangerous in the world but modern improvements and a refurb have made it much less scary although probably still not a great idea if you aren’t keen on Heights

Seville’s enormous April fare takes place every spring where you can expect Flamenco horse riding and general fun from midday until late into the evening it’s one of the biggest events in the Andalusian calendar our tip try and get into one of the cassetters the striped tents belonging to private families

Clubs and societies that is where some of the real partying happens and some of the biggest ones allow members of the public in for free is one of the best known dishes in spanish cuisine and it originated in Valencia it’s usually cooked in a large shallow pan called a paella which

Clearly inspired the name of the dish and there are many varieties of paella but research carried out in 2022 at the University of catholica de Valencia encouraged by a local chef says there are only 10 permitted ingredients and those don’t include fish or shellfish ever and don’t forget summer in the southern

Regions of Spain can be extremely hot however cooler temperatures in the summer can be found in coastal areas or in the Sierra Nevada mountain range which can be 10 degrees Celsius lower than the closest city of Granada but still bring your sun cream foreign lots more still to come on the show including

Ideas on where to stay for next year’s Paris Olympics and the spicy takeaway that’s blown traditional fish and chips out of the water in the UK Glasgow is Korean Korea Glasgow so don’t go away I’m on the cultural tourist Trail in Malaga and discovering more about this many layered ancient city with tour guide Isabel what I can see is how rich and diverse the culture is here oh yeah Malaga is one of the oldest cities of the western world a good example here in 100 meters we

Have a Roman Theater of the first century right Fortress Palace of the 11th century and the Customs that nowadays is an archaeological Museum from the 18th century so here we have a the best just within 100 yards division 50 yards yeah wow many of these architectural Jewels were

Built over by each successive generation the cathedral was constructed on the sides of a mosque in the 15th century and a Roman Amphitheater was only fully revealed when they recently knocked down a 1950s building but the key to malaga’s civilization and wealth is its proximity to the

Mediterranean the city’s name is said to come from The Phoenician word Malak which means salt as Malaga was where fish were preserved we exported from here to all over the Known World all kind of products in Muslim times the ceramic from Malaga is was very well known they also exported silks raisins figs

And leather across the Mediterranean even as far as China so all the different civilizations left layers in our personality and that essentially is Malaga today shaped by Century upon Century of diverse influence Is looking at 2024 hello from Paris capital of the country that attracts more International visitors than any other and host City for the 2024 Olympic and paralympic games sales for tickets for the events are already underway and those lucky Spectators now face the prospect of booking travel at a busy and expensive

Time we’re here to help First though in Florida the rail line linking Miami Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach is due to be extended to Orlando International Airport later this year the company responsible brightline is testing trains running at 110 miles an hour and claims it’ll be a cleaner way to travel using a mix of Greener

Fuel solar power and an offsetting scheme in an effort to be carbon neutral normally in July and August Paris empties with the citizens escaping to the beaches the countryside and the mountains in summer 2024 though Paris will come alive as host City for the 33rd Olympic games from previous

Experience I know that hotel rates will soar ahead of the expected large number of visitors one option inside the city and traveling in English day using the excellent rail network Claire rodino is travel editor for Le Figaro based here in Paris what will the city be like will it be very expensive

Will it be very crowded yeah I guess both of that so if I had an advice to give to Travelers it would be to book really early from now on if they can because some people bouted their tickets this week so they can already rent their Flats on Airbnb or on other French

Platforms and if they can book today let’s do it I’ve been doing my own research to find the perfect place outside Paris to stay based on transport times availability of accommodation and how much there is to do there and I’ve come up with four ideal locations which is very close to Monet’s gardeni

What do you think of those these are good options for example in shaft you have the cathedral in company there is the memorial of the first world war but to my mind if you want to be at the center of the action you should stay closer to Paris for example there is

Which is only 25 minutes by train from Paris and which also has a castle a park where you can learn to cook the famous tremson tea and it’s closer than company for example Following our feature on European rail travel last month it’s clear that many of you are organizing your own Adventures by train Mike and Kate got in touch to say we’re planning a three-week interrail trip in September what itinerary do you recommend well I’m also planning a trip using the unlimited

Travel pass and let me Begin by saying where I won’t be going France Spain and Italy are off my list for making the most of interrail all three have fabulous trains but for expresses you need to pay a supplement and book ahead in my opinion that defeats the purpose

Which neatly leaves Austria Germany and particular Switzerland where tickets are positively Alpine in their prices and the rail journeys are spectacular especially their Glacier Express across the mountains that’s all for now from here in Paris but do get in touch send us your travel problems and I’ll do my best to find a

Solution goodbye and finally this week we’re off to the kitchens of Scotland now back in the day UK Cuisine had a pretty iffy reputation around the world many visitors still stare into their soggy and beige fish and chips dinners with disappointment but did you know that fish and chips

Isn’t even the UK’s national dish because back in the 1970s a newcomer arrived with zingier flavors and Wilder colors we sent William Lee Adams on a culinary quest to Glasgow I’m a Vietnamese American from Georgia in America’s Deep South so I grew up eating spicy noodle dishes Fried Chicken

Swimming in Tabasco sauce and chili with plenty of chilies but since moving to the UK I’ve always found British food a little Bland so I’ve traveled to Scotland’s biggest city or I’ve heard the food has a bit more kick Glasgow is often voted the World’s friendliest city and locals Pride

Themselves on their good cheer good humor and chattiness it’s one reason that generations of immigrants from all over the world have decided to call Glasgow home and it’s here where Britain’s most popular dish was born and it is not fish and chips This is chicken tikka masala it’s boneless chunks of chicken marinated in a sauce of tomato and cream and it has this fantastic orange color because of the spice mix you can get the dish all over the city but according to local Legend the original chicken Tikko Masala was

Created here at the Shish Mahal restaurant in the 1970s every day the chef marinates 30 kilograms of chicken and roast up to 400 skewers in his Tandoor this is our secret sauce you can taste it all right here we go That’s got some kick to it have you ever told anyone outside of the restaurant what’s inside no well he’s staying tight-lipped so I head over to the dining room to meet with Ali Asif this is my dad ask his father sadly passed away in December but his legacy

Lives on to the family restaurant where in the early 1970s he’s reputed to have created the world’s first Tikko Masala it all started when a grumpy bus driver complained that his chicken was too dry as his dad needed a quick fix so he grabbed a can of tomato soup that he’d already opened

Into the curry heated up and served it and the customer loved it and the customer asked what is this called the tikka masala because it’s the most generic name we could find so these days you can get tikka masala as a pizza topping Frozen at the grocery store as a

Takeaway what do you make of everyone copying your dad’s recipe he said people enjoying kingford is more important than where it came from or who invented it he used to say he was born in Pakistan but he was made in Glasgow like any legendary dish the origins of

The chicken Tikko Masala are disputed but asif’s Dad remains a local hero anyway he was part of a wave of people from Pakistan India and current day Bangladesh who came to Scotland in the 1950s when the UK faced a labor shortage but rather than returning to their home

Country after five years as was so often the plan many families decided to stay and today more than 60 000 people of South Asian descent live here and in the surrounding area we’re off to meet the comedian Sanjeev Kohli at one of his favorite spots in

The city sanjiv I hope you don’t mind I took the liberty of getting a little snack the paper Dosa oh okay not so little but like I should wear this it looks like a flotation device you could probably get into that Scotland in the winter it’s a bit like Finland

You need your comfort food it’s freezing it’s been dark for seven hours Sushi ain’t gonna cut it it’s got to be comfort food and the thing about Indian food is comforting like a big fluffy naan bread like a pillow you know what I mean or a core it’s just it’s just all

There all the salt all the fat all the stuff the Indian food is the most popular food in Scotland anywhere you see Fish and Chips you can see Curry that’s how integrated certainly the cuisine is and I’ve always thought that the cuisine the story of the cuisine reflects the story of of the

People if you know what I mean Glasgow is curry and Curry in Glasgow Sadly that’s what we’ve got what we got for on this week’s program but join us next week when we’re looking back at some of the favorite stories so far this year on the show from swimming with friendly jellyfish in the Philippines that way I think to try to navigate the world’s biggest Medina

In Morocco without getting lost I think that isn’t actually my blind alley I’m not gonna do that until then you can find us on the BBC iPlayer and on social media too we’re in all the usual places along with other great travel content from around the BBC

Right I’m now off to calm those hunger pangs and maybe get some tapas but until next time from me Raj and datta and the rest of the travel show team here in Malaga thanks for watching and goodbye thank you

Rajan Datar’s exploring the Spanish city of Malaga on the 50th anniversary of the death of its most famous son – the artist Pablo Picasso. Simon Calder’s got advice and recommendations for people looking to travel to the Olympic Games in Paris next year; and William Lee Adams heads to Glasgow for the story behind Britain’s favourite takeaway – the Tikka Masala.