Gibraltar UK

Wed 22/2 - back to the UK.... for a day....

perfect snooze only 2 min from ocean!

another slow getaway after a  beach walk and med swim (different sort of beach. Massive tired resorts, restaurants & huge private mansions only metres from sea. Litter and regular sewage pipe with associated smell. Look south and featureless, calm endless ocean seems pretty enough, look north - urgg.) Wound our way to Gibraltar where we had to find a park on the Spanish side (La Linea) and walk to the border, crossed with a slow stop at the Guardia Civil who found an irregularity in our passports (no stamps to say when or where we entered Spain), which la officer then found was normal for us Aussies who don’t need a stamp.

Above us a Royal Navy Hercules buzzing circles of the rock, paid for a cab guided tour of the Rock with Ronny, born and bred Gilbraltarese, descended from Italian and Maltese stock (workers who came in the early/mid 20th century to build the wall around the city), most of whom stayed.  Says they speak English at home, but they speak a Spanish dialect with Italian + Maltese + English words that is unintelligible to these Ozzie English speakers. They drive on the right but don’t have a siesta.

Guide Ronnie

Up the Rock past the old Moorish castle (1170‘s) and the massive stone city walls  onto 1 lane steep cliff edge “roads”, 1st to a lookout where we saw what the Herc was up to - dropping training paratroopers into the sea where they were being picked up by speedboats and could clearly see Africa looming on the horizon - not far for them pesky Moors to drift. Magnificent port and airstrip ( built across in front of the Gibraltar border from reclaimed land.

Africa just there!

Next stop the natural caves of St Michael to learn of neanderthal remains - Wil tells me of the different longer & flatter shaped skulls revealing a greater set of brain stem & sensory functions which evolved into a bigger forehead housing a greater thinking frontal cortex in us! Caves were used over the years for hiding in the wars; tunneling to surprise and ambush invaders; set up for a never used hospital in WW2 and even as a postulated path through which the apes arrived from Africa.

Most interesting were the 70kms of tunnels dug around the circumference of the Rock which served to house cannons & lookouts and were pivotal in the stalemate between the resident Brits & hopeful Spanish conquerers at the time of the 3 year Great Siege in the late 1700s. Gibraltar has an interesting history of some 70 odd sieges owing to its strategic position guarding the Strait across to Africa and the entry to the Med.

Cannon holes from tunnels in the Rock

across airport to Spain

walking across airstrip to Spain

It’s a funny little enclave of proud residents, more Spanish than anything but at all referendums they vote overwhelmingly to stay under the wing of the UK. They have a good deal with essentially private health care, heavily subsidized University education in the UK, financially supported housing ....but a Dutch company has just helped reclaim large parts of sea to build urgent housing ,hundreds of Spanish workers stream across the border daily; their main industry is internet betting , refueling tankers ( they buy subsidized cheaper Spanish fuel & on sell with reasonable profit ) & tourism - all a bit shaky.

Ronny dropped us at an Indian grocery - packed bags full of slivered almonds, coconut milk,curry pastes & vegemite!

Kel enchanted by minis of all colour .

Onto Costa de Luz through pretty, green, relatively untouched hills ( apart from gently turning wind generators) to gorgeous Tarife.The first time I’ve thought Spain pretty. Recommended a campsite from heaven, beachside under a eucalypt.  A much needed shower & bed.

Will stay here a few days, get into school work,clean up and maybe plan a crossing to Africa.

sunset view from Torre de la Pena campsite