Gibraltar

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Since Lisbon the ports have been daily. While other passengers headed off to Seville, ML and I enjoyed a spa special. I have never felt to pampered in my life. Full body exfoliation and massage, and facial. After, I lounged in the thermal suite reading and used the thermal pool (like a giant hot jacuzzi). I could have had a steam bath or sauna but I was much too relaxed to try.



I had visited Gibraltar last fall so some of the touring stops were repeats but…. This time we saw the rock from tip to toe. Visited the siege caves built when the Spanish tried to starve the British off the rock. It didn’t work. There are massive fortifications around the rock to protect it from invasion and guard the entrance to the Med. While at the lookout we watched planes landing at the airport while traffic was held up until the air traffic was cleared. The road to and from Spain crosses the runway.



At the top of the rock we could play with the monkeys while looking at the Med on one side of the road and the Atlantic on the other. Everything on the shore looked like toys.



There is construction every where you look, mainly apartments and hotels. One innovation was the purchase of a luxury cruise ship, towing it to the port and converting it to a luxury hotel. They left the engine room in tact in case it didn’t succeed. Well, the engine room is now a casino and the only way the ship will move is if it is towed. This five star hotel and casino is located in the middle of an area called the Village. Shops, restaurants, cafes, pubs, apartments, hotels and swimming pools are all there. Work is now underway to expand the Village to the port area, replacing the old custom house and warehouses.





Across the straight is Africa although today it is shrouded in mist. The winds are from the NE and bring the moisture. As they change to the SW, the sky will be crystal clear.

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