Gibraltar: 36:08.091N 005:21.296W
Seaflute
Sun 9 Oct 2016 15:27
beautiful coastline and the site of the Battle of Trafalgar, god bless their
souls and could see Morocco in the haze as we entered the Straits. The Rock
was soon visible ahead of us rising out of the sea.
Can understand why the Ancient World though that this was the edge, beyond
which was a bottomless waterfall (presumably this is where the Atlantic
broke through all those years ago) and where Hercules separated the land
into two pillars as of one of his 12 labours.
The Rock does rise above everything else - 400+m of limestone, uplifted as
the European and African plate collided over 200 million years ago (and
still do today), dominating the land, sea and Spain all around.
First impressions - it's an eclectic mix of Portsmouth, Gosport, Birkenhead
(best bits of course), a smattering of Florida Keys board walks and bars
mixed with the odd magnificent old colonial mansion on the water's edge.
We had a very pleasant surprise on day two, a text to say welcome to
Gibraltar folks and speak with Owen at The Lounge Restaurant literally 50
metres from the boat. One of Ian's old friends, David Flood, had arranged
for the crew of Sea Flute to dine at his expense. A fantastic meal was had
by all, thanks Floody.
Gib has been an important military and naval base since god was a lad - by
the Moors from 711, Spain in the early 1300s, then back to Moors and finally
Spanish in 1422. Admiral Sir George Rooke captured the place for the Brits
in 1704 and it was ceded to us IN PERPETUITY in 1713-ish as part of the
Spanish Wars of Succession. The airport marks the line and is literally a
former field and race track, each end of which was been extended into the
sea during the first half of the 1900s. Tricky place to land because of
cross winds and a short runway so pilots only get two attempts then they are
sent on to Malaga.
Loads to see because of its history - France and Spain have been trying to
nab it back since it was granted to us, including via a 4.5-year siege in
the late 1700s during which time the Great Siege Tunnels were built -
definitely worth a look. Used extensively in WW2 where we carried on
tunnelling and there are now more miles of road tunnels than there are miles
of tarmac roads in Gibraltar.
St Michael's cave is a natural grotto with fantastic stalagmites and
stalactites - very impressive, even for someone who has done more caves as
part of geology field trips than one would care to remember.
No visit would be complete without a trip to the Upper Rock Nature Reserve
with those cheeky macaques (aka the Barbary Ape). They are good time
wasters but hold onto your bags, pockets and ancillaries.
Lots to see and do, a very friendly place but everything is either uphill or
downhill - very good for the legs - so remember some good walking shoes.
Bye for now.
Liz
