Wednesday 25th May - Gibraltar

There may have been good intentions to be up and about early, but that's all they were, good intentions. 

The ship docked around 8am, we were up about 8.30 to look on "the Rock" through blurry eyes, enjoying our first morning cuppa on the balcony. 

The Rock of Gibraltar from our balcony (which I will keep mentioning).

A leisurely breakfast from the "whatever you can think of, it's here" breakfast buffet, chatting with other members of the entertainment team, before we got ourselves together and left the ship.   We've been on Rock tours up on the reserve a couple of times, so the plan today was simply to have a walk around the bottom.

The Spirit of Adventure, docked in Gibraltar

 

I don't know what I expected, but in all honesty, it was just like being in any busy British town.  Like all other tourists, we walked along the pedestrianised Main Street. All the shops displayed in English, so that we could understand what was being sold.  Marks and Spencers, Morrisons, and several other big British names were all there, and the place was full of people out to take advantage of duty free prices. 

Veiw across to Spain

 

But it was hot, the plants were more desert cacti and palm like, and a lot of people were speaking spanish.  The other main difference was the battlements everywhere, walking around the town, the old barracks, fort walls and battlements were everywhere, integrated into the town to a point where you almost didn't notice them. 

Loads of cannons and guns of various ages displayed everywhere

`

So Gibraltar is for shoppers, or those interested in the Rock.  We were neither today, but took a walk through it all, heading for the Trafalgar Cemetary and the Botanical Gardens.  Peter was dying to take one of the paths up the rock, but I felt it was too hot and would be too tiring, so we stayed at town level

 

The cemetary and the gardens were OK, and we decided to walk back along a different route and ended up on top of the wall. Then it was back along Main Street, heading for the square at the entrance for icecream.  We found the stall, but the woman wouldn't take visa, and we had no cash, (cos I thought Peter had brought it out with him, and he didn't).

So back to the ship, hot and tired, and since we'd missed lunch and icecream, we wolfed the chocolates that had been put on our pillows every night (I'd saved them up).  After a nap, we headed for our evening meal in the Grill absolutely ravenous, taking full advantage of the four courses. (Dinner in the grill is full waiter service, exactly as it would be in the main restaurant).  And I managed to spot a pod of dolphins from the Grill window.

Afternoon view

The day ended on the balcony, supping tea and enjoying the noise of the waves.  

Tangier across the Straits of Gibraltar as we sail on, into the Mediterranean

You can read about our next visit and our walk up "The Rock" here:-  Thursday 13th April, Gibraltar and a walk up the rock