Week 7 - of the campervan advenutres - out of the campervan :)

---

Day 42 2^nd October 2013 Gibraltar

After a little sleep in and a trip to the supermarket to get supplies for the day we got on our bikes and road into Gib­­­­­­raltar. Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. It has an area of 2.6 square miles (6.7 km²) and a northern border with the Province of Cádiz in Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the only landmark of the region. At its foot is the densely populated city area, home to almost 30,000 Gibraltarians and other nationalities. We had heard lots of stories about how the Spanish boarder control where searching all cars and the lines to get in were very long, the day we visited this was proven to be true with the line to enter being about a mile long. We were very pleased that we decided to leave Stan behind (yes we left him again) and enter on our bikes as we had no problems getting in, we showed our passports and cycled through without them even checking them. Gibraltar is a strange place, it feels English with a little Spanish twist. All the signs and shops are English but then you hear people talking Spanish. One of the first signs of this I saw as we road onto the island/rock was a Morrisons (English Supermarket). We didn’t visit and this was because we were too busy cycling around and up and down the rock. We didn’t really know what we were doing or where we were heading (us harden travels don’t go to the tourist information centre anymore and when I think about it I don’t think there was one on the rock) so after a little cycle and walking around the town to get warmed up Steve took the road that looked the most direct to the top of the rock where the cable car is. After some heavy cycling, two stops and one little walk we made it to the national park. To enter the national park with a car or to visit all the sites (war tunnels, museums and caves) you have to pay £10 each we just wanted to walk around we paid 50p each and the guy on the entry gate.He was surprised that we had cycled up but impressed and thought we must be super fit, how wrong he was, he told us about a walk we could do around the rock, it’s called the Mediterranean steps, he said the locals run it. They must be mental, it was a 8k loop up and around the rock, the steps where all uneven and this is no exadjuration at times the step was a meter high, it was a struggle in some stages and Steve and I were wearing our traveling shoes (thongs/flip flips) just to make it a little more fun. On the walk we meet an English man who lived on the rock following his retirement from the navy, he was very friendly and told us some interesting facts about the place, its history and also about there being no VAT on some items which makes it a cheap place to shop, but housing being expensive that’s why so many people live in Spain and work in Gabraltar, he also spoke about the offshore gambling that happens on the rock. He was a bit of a talker but I was pleased to have meet him as he was better than any tour guide we would of paid for. After finishing our epic walk we went back and picked up our bikes and went to explore the national park further. There is an area where monkeys live, they say they are wild, but they are looked after by the park) I loved just watching them and taking photos of them. After some monkey watching we headed back down into the town, where we treated ourselves to a drink in an Irish pub, due to the price (two drinks £10) we only had the one each as were a little cheeky and eat our packed lunch in the bar – even though it was way past lunch time. It felt wrong to not have a look around the shops, so we did and treated ourselves to a pair of tax free Ray Bans each, the man done as a good deal so it would have been rude not to have brought them. We cycled around the rock a little more but our legs and my butt was starting to hurt so we decided it was time to leave. We did not time this very well, it seemed we were leaving at rush hour and our exit was not as easy as our entry. We were made to wait in a line with other cyclists, motorbikes and scooters next to the car line, while they did random stops and checks on everyone, we waited for about 20 minutes but were not searched, I would of laughed if they stopped me because I did not even have a bag. On returning to Stan we hit the road in search of a place to sleep, Spain is really not as free camping friendly as Portugal and we have ended up staying in a coach park in the city of Estopona.



Day 43 3^nd October 2013 Estopona – Marbella

This morning we did not wake till 10am, this is very unusual for us, we are normally awake by 8am, our plan was to go for a run and explore the city it was already very warm by the time we woke so we decided to just head to our next destination Marbella. We were very excited about going to ‘Marbs’ not for the place but to meet up with our friends Emma and George and their parents, as much as I love spending time with Steve we were both looking forward to seeing other people, as well as staying in the Kirkham’s holiday home. Before getting to see them of Course we had to find the house. We had an address that google maps did not seem to like and directions George had sent us that appeared to end after coming off the motorway. So we did our best, and that was great, we made it to the town, drove around a little then found a map up on the hill, from this map we found the place and were greeted by the very welcoming Steve and Joy Kirkham (George’s parents), their place is lovely, from the living area you can look out into the garden and pool and you can see the ocean. As soon as we arrived we knew it would be difficult to leave. We spent the afternoon by the pool trying not to get drunk before George, Emma, Mark and Louise (Emma’s parents) arrived later that evening. I don’t think we were to drunk when they arrived but that night we all got a little merry while telling our travel stories and having a good catch up.

Day 44 4^th October 2013 Marbella

I thought I would of woke this morning feeling rough as a dog, I won’t lie I have felt better but I was well enough to go for a run/walk. Steve also went for a run with George, I think he was feeling worse than me. Once back and sorted we all headed down the beach front for a walk and a few drinks. This lead to an afternoon drinking session in ‘The Garden Bar’ which is one of the bars that the Kirkham’s and Pools drink in when they are on holidays. That evening we had a lovely meal in the local Italian and then spent the night in a local bar (Angelo’s’) where the Kirkhams are well known and get treated very well. (which is the case in most places in Marbs) The night is a little blur but I think it ended about 4am.

Day 45 5^th October 2013 Marbella (Happy Birthday Mum)

We all woke at midday today feeling very sad and sorry for ourselves. The day was spent by the pool, with no drinking. There was talk of a BBQ in the evening but the plans changed due to it being the Rugby League Grand Final and the men wanted to watch this so we went to another bar to watch the Rugby and of course the drinking started again. The night ended with Wigan winning, noodles in a box for dinner and Louise being incredibly drunk and falling asleep in the garden, while we watched the X-Factor.

Today I also had a long overdue chat with my Mum and Dad which was lovely.

Day 46 6^th October 2013 Marbella

Everyone (except Louise) woke feeling good (well compared to how we had been the last couple of days) and us ‘kids’ went for a little outing into Marbella to check out the area. It really wasn’t what I was expecting, it was really nice. The harbour is full of large boats/yachts that scream money and all the shops are designer, the was also a few sports cars around, we were told in summer the place is full of sports cars and people showing off their money or the money the pretend they have. After our little trip out we ended up back in the bar we were in last night as Mr Kirkham was watching the football. We then went for a nice meal – the grownups had a roast in one place and we ‘kids’ had a meal in another little restaurant. It was rather sad as this was our last meal with Emma and George as they left later that evening as they had to go back to the UK to be grownups. That night we stayed in and watched X-factor and I had an early night, Steve stayed up drinking with Mr Kirkham.



Day 47 7^th October 2013 Marbella

As I was a good girl last night, I was feeling good this morning and got up and went for a run, as for Steve he was feeling a little poorly and stayed at home, I think he knew he would need all his energy as its Joys Birthday. The day was very relaxing, we spent the day by the pool, watched a little ‘Come Dine with Me’ and ‘Dinner Date’ (Shows I have missed dearly) and then we went for a lovely meal to celebrate Joys Birthday. There was lots of drinking involved and after leaving the restaurant we went to Angelo’s bar, where we had a lock in. I am unsure what time the night ended but it was a lovely night, it was a shame that George and Emma could not be there.

Day 48 8^th October Marbella – Nerjo

Today everyone woke saying they were never going to drink again. Steve and I were unsure if we were staying or going. As we knew when we arrived if would be very hard to leave, the place was beautiful and the Kirkham’s hospitality had been amazing but we are travelling so we had to say goodbye to the Kirkhams and Pools and the luxury of the place and get on the road again. So after spending the day trying to get organised we got in Stan and hit the road. We had a little stop at our favourite supermarket Lidl and then found a nice spot to spend the night on the beach front. It feels strange being back in Stan but if feels right.

---

Photos

Steve and Africa
Nice clear day and you can see Africa.