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Street Art
Chamaeleon This was to be my first trip to Europe since 2016 and my first time to Spain. This was a surprise trip arranged by my boyfriend
As usual, I was packed a week before the holiday - my partner packed the night before. The trip to the airport was unusually smooth sailing - so to speak. I stayed at my boyfriend's place the night before and we drove to Gatwick. As it was an early morning flight, we decided to get breakfast whilst waiting for our flight to be called. To my surprise, the airport was really quite busy for such an early time - I had never flown in the morning and so I was under the impression that there would not be that many people there.
After a long wait - we got our breakfast and as soon as we started eating, our gate number was called. We kept our eye on the departure board and there was no information about the flight, so in a rush, we ate our meal, paid for it and ran to the gate ( which of course was on the opposite side of the terminal) We got there and
was met by a long queue that was waiting to board the busses to the plane itself. We were told then, that the flight had been delayed by at least an hour as a member of the crew did not show up ( due to illness) and another member was on their way. We were on the plane within the hour and were on our way.
The flight was around 2 and a half hours and we landed mid afternoon. We got the hotel shuttle bus to our hotel in Torremolino, which was right on the beach and the views were stunning. The hotel even had a huge pool. It was July and so it was extremely hot - both of us do not do too well in the heat, plus we burn easily. We dumped our luggage in the room and both had a shower before heading to the pool. As always, I brought along a couple of books and spent a few hours on a sun lounger with a huge parasol over me enjoying my book. Unfortunalty, I cannot swim as I have had a fear of having water over my head since an incident during swimming
In Bloom
Local Plant in Flower lessons with my primary school ( the bully held me under the water) my boyfriend is an excellent swimmer and used to teach kids at a local leisure centre - he was also undertaking scuba diving lessons. I did go in the pool a few times, just enjoying the coolness and the feeling of weightlessness, he has tried to teach me how to swim, but alas, I am no good at it - I just don't trust myself.
After a few hours, we went back to our room, showered and got dressed to go out. We both tend not to eat so much when it is hot, so we skipped lunch and went out to find some dinner and explore the local area. I don't usually wear skirts or dresses as I find them to limit my movements ( plus they don't always have pockets!) however I bought 2 new skirts that I had bought just for the holiday. Which now I am glad for as it was just too hot and humid for trousers. On our walk around the local area, we found a lot of shops much like our corner shops here in the UK where we
Canopy
Street covered with a canopy to protect from the Sun bought milk, cereal and several bottles of water and other drinks as well as some crisps and other snacks ( we emptied out the mini fridge in our room and put our stuff in there) It was about 7pm which is usually the time we eat back at home, and we managed to find a really nice restaurant. I had our meal and were suitably full. We spent the rest of the evening walking off the meal and making our way back to the hotel.
The following day, we got up, had breakfast and showered then went off out to explore the town further. The pavements are much like Portugal as they were covered in tiles so it can be slippery at times. We found our way to the main shopping area of Torremolinos by a winding staircase that has many gift and ice cream shops - of course we had to have an ice cream from what it seemed every shop we went passed as it was really hot, even though it must have been around 9am. We were really surprised that there were cleaning teams washing down the streets - and we saw many cockroaches that had
Façade
Front of an old building been stepped on the previous night. I was really overwhelmed by how many shops were crammed into such narrow streets. From tattoo parlours to perfume stores to jewellers to discount stores. Everything you could want was right here in these tiny alleyways. We even came across a shop that had tanks of small fish that ate the dead skin off your feet. The good thing about these streets are that they have covered in fabric to keep the sun off you in the heat of the day. Before we knew it, it was well past lunchtime so we grabbed a light meal and went back to the hotel for a shower and a nap ( with the air conditioner on as low as it could go) We woke after a few hours and we were quite hungry, so we got ready and went back into town to have dinner. We are fussy eaters but we do like to try new things when we are somewhere new. We got a huge dish of paella which had all kinds of seafood. Neither of us really like seafood, we didn't enjoy the mussels but everything else was amazing.
We were only in
Decorative
The front of a Church Spain for 2 whole days and the last day we had an evening flight. On the morning of our last day, my boyfriend told me to make sure I had my passport as I was going to need it. He had arranged a hire car for the day so we had to leave early to get to the airport to collect the car. We had a large breakfast at the hotel before we left as it was a long trip and we were hungry. This part of the trip was a complete surprise to me as I had no idea where we were going - only that the way to where we were going had a lot of tolls - thankfully I brought all the change along with me.
We ended up in Gibraltar. A spit of land that protrudes from mainland Spain. Gibraltar has been ruled by various cultures over the years, Romans, Greeks, Arabic and Spanish - now it is part of the UK - hence the reason for the passport. As you are entering the UK from Spain, you need a boarder check - which is probably the most bizarre thing I've ever seen. It's just
Coat of Arms
close up of the decorations a small building with E-gates and a few official staff. The Rock of Gibraltar is so big that you can see it foe miles before you are anywhere near it. My uncle was stationed here many times during his time in the Navy and told me many stories of the Apes stealing his brand new camera and of the " secret tunnels" carved into the rock for military use.
We travelled on foot from the Spanish side to Gibraltar as the traffic to get there was horrendous and the parking was cheaper. Once we got through passport control, we made our way into the town. However, there was a barrier stopping us from crossing the road. I soon found out that this was because a plane was landing and that the crossing was right through a live landing and take off strip. I really felt excited to be walking on an airports tarmac like that - strange feeling really but loads of people do it on a daily basis. The first thing you see when crossing the runway are petrol stations and tower blocks. There was a short walk into the heart of the city where again you are
Red and Yellow
Front of an Art Museum met with loads of shops selling gifts and trinkets. We stopped at a pub called the Clipper and had a light lunch and a few drinks. We then found a bus tour to the top of the Rock, it was quiet expensive, but it was worth it. Our guide was amazing, funny and very knowledgeable. The tickets also included entry to St Michael's Cave, Siege Tunnels and the apes den. There are 3 levels to the bus tours ranging from 1 and half hours to 6 and a half. As we were there for only a few hours, we took the shorter tour.
The bus was a tight fit but since we were the first people to arrive, we were allowed to sit at the front as there were bigger seats and more leg room. The ride up the Rock was winding, steep and in places really narrow. You can of course walk up the mountain but it was just too hot to walk. Our first stop were the siege tunnels, which are huge tunnels that were dug using crowbars and sledgehammers. There are around 1,200 meters of tunnels dug into the Rock. Our 2nd stop was at the
Street Art
Spanish Woman St Michael's Cave, which provided a much needed bathroom break and a drinks stop. Located at 300 meters above sea level, this natural cave which was formed by rain water eroding the limestone over many thousands of years. In the early 1970's, an exploration of the caves found Neolithic bowls and wall art. There were also 2 skulls found in the caves which were dated to be from 40,000 years ago. In the largest cavern there is an auditorium with a stage and seating for around 100 people. Many events are held here such as the Miss Gibraltar Beauty Pageant and Gibraltar World Music Festival as well as performances from comedians and Philharmonic Orchestras.
The next stop on the tour was to see the apes. There are not true apes, they are called Barbary Macaques and they originate from the Atlas Mountains. Where most Barbary Macaques are in decline, the ones living on the Rock are thriving. Records show what as of 2020, there are around 300 apes within 5 family groups on the Mountain. These monkeys are well looked after with medical care and a daily food supply to supplement what they eat naturally. They are microchipped and
tattooed with numbers to keep track of them. Unfortunalty, due to over population, some of these amazing creatures need to be relocated or culled. These monkeys are used to human interaction and will happily pose for photos and sit on you. However, be careful as these are still wild animals and will attack if provoked. Also, make sure that your belongings are securely stowed away as they will steal whenever they have the opportunity.
Our last stop on the tour was to the Pillars of Hercules. This is a monument to Hercules's 10th of twelve labours, herding the cattle of Geryon. From this point on the Rock, it gives commanding views of the rest of the town and harbour below.
After the tour we decided to start heading back, got a quick meal from Burger King and made our way back to the car. As it was a rental, we had to return it with a full tank of fuel. Once we filled up, we parked up so that we could use the facilities. While we were in the toilet, someone had parked next to us and took the passenger wing mirror with them - the didn't stay
Steam Propelled
and old paddle steamer in a repair dock for long and didn't leave a note. Thankfully, the car had a dash cam and caught the incident and the car hire company were really good in not charging us for it as is was not our fault. Once back at the hotel, we collected our bags and waited outside for our shuttle to the airport.
Once again, another amazing trip came to an end! However, I made sure to take loads photos to remember the time we had there.
Well, that's another travel blog over. As always, safe travels!
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