Supping the finest Pedro Ximenez in a Bodega in Malaga ...

Yesterday, having some time on our hands, we explored Malaga in ways I have never done before. We found a truly spit and sawdust sherry bodega - in fact the owner's contempt at the very suggestion that it was "Sherry" made me feel like I'd frozen over ... MALAGA WINES he bellowed at us, causing us to shrink back in fear.

Row upon row of vast wooden kegs lined the rear wall, each with a name chalked or taped onto the front of the keg.

As you bought, so your bill price was chalked onto the ancient wooden bar in front of you - scrubbed out with a gnarled hand each time the clientelle changed.

The atmosphere is magical, surreal - the Malaga wines warm, rich, evocative of Christmas while being completely in place in the warmth of a Spanish Summer.

We supplemented our large schooners, priced at a mighty 1€ per glass, with a plate of the freshest prawns - whose shells, heads, legs and tails were traditionally discarded roughly into the bins that appear along the length of the bar.

An absolutely unforgettable experience and a total must for all guests from now on - and I haven't mentioned the gorgeous tapas or our grilled sardines on the beach yet .....