Gibraltar.

Our friends Phyl and Larry have family living in Lagos, who very kindly, quite frequently, lend them their car. They’ve been coming to the Algarve for some fifteen years now, so we are fortunate to have had them show us around. We spent much of October exploring further a field, inland, up into the mountains, surrounding towns and villages, as well as taking a trip back west to Cape St Vincent and a four day trip east to Gibraltar and Ronda in South Spain. It’s great to visit a notorious headland on foot, which you’ve rounded by boat, looking out to sea, seeing the landscape in reverse; we did the same at Cape Finisterre, in Spain. Cape St Vincent however is the most extreme southwest point of mainland Europe and is therefore quite special. The difference in weather conditions within just ten paces is unbelievable. Breathtakingly strong winds and angry ocean waves batter the cliffs of the Atlantic coastline in total contrast to the baked southern cliffs, sheltering beautiful calm coves.

Our trip to Gibraltar stemmed from both ourselves and Phyl and Larry wanting to say goodbye to friends we’d met on the way down who are taking part in the 2005 Bluewater Rally (around the world in 22 months!), with the added possibility of getting to see Francis Chichester’s recently restored Gypsy Moth IV, which is also circumnavigating the world once again along with the Bluewater Rally. After a six hour drive we were in La Linea, the bordering Spanish town and checked into a hostel. The hotels were less expensive in Spain and it was a lot less hassle to cross the border into Gib on foot than by car. We’d never walked through a land border before; it was quite strange, and even more bizarre to cross in and out of a country several times a day! Gypsy Moth was easily found, she had no special berth, just moored up like any other yacht and she looked fabulous! We were fortunate enough to be invited on board for a while by the (female) First Mate and felt very honoured.

We caught up with our friends that evening over dinner and drinks in the local Casemates Square, Angie succumbed and ordered fish n chips, her first in 6mths! It was a little odd being back in ‘Little Britain’ - red telephone boxes, double decker buses, British bobbies and Sterling pounds - not sure we liked it that much either. The following day we breakfasted in Spain, crossed the border once again, spent more time with our friends before heading off on a mission to find the Morrisons supermarket! Sad we know, bought a few items but couldn’t go too crazy as we had to carry it all back into Spain! After 36hrs, none of us were very taken with the place (Gibraltar not Morrisons!), so on Saturday morning we decided to take a proper tour guide to find out what Gibraltar was really all about. We’re very glad we did, our guide was a Gibraltan, born and bred, and spoke fluent ‘Spanglish’! We learned a lot about the cross culture, the political situation and it’s huge history. The tour of the rock caves and tunnels was amazing, as were the views, in every direction. Sadly, the Barbary Apes were very aggressive and although we tried to avoid contact with them we still got attacked!
   

Ronda.

After we’d exhausted all that Gib had to offer, we took care of our final farewells to friends on the Bluewater Rally and jumped into the car, headed North East into the mountains, in search of a place called Ronda that had been highly recommended.

The drive up through the mountains was spectacular and would have been satisfying enough if Ronda itself had been a disappointment, but Ronda, well, ‘Wow’! An old Moorish walled city, high in the Spanish mountains, surrounded by a deep, dramatic gorge, unbelievably picturesque and steeped in history. We arrived in the evening, found a hotel and went out to dinner to celebrate Larry’s Birthday; we couldn’t have picked a more memorable place. First stop the following day was the tourist office, where we obtained a very comprehensive guide of the city. We spent a delightful day soaking up this fascinating place, the preserved 13th Century Moorish baths and the views from the main entry bridge were particularly awesome. Ronda is also the birth place of bullfighting as we know it today, and has the famous bullring and museum which was immortalised by Hemmingway.

We drove back to Lagos that night and back down to earth I’m afraid. Our trip completely blew October’s budget half way through the month, but it was worth every penny. We feel it’s important to budget for excursions inland, to experience the full flavour of a country, visiting places we cannot reach by boat - we’re now planning and saving for a trip to Lisbon, oh, and a trip back to the UK!

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