U.K. with a Suntan

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Gibraltar...What a magnificent break from the world of Spanish. Andalu is soooo different from Castilleano. Everything with a c-s-z sound is pronounced with a th, making speaking with the locals an interesting experience. I hashed on that in my last post. Anyways, Gib is fantastic! Think U.K. with a suntan. A totally different country is located just a five minute walk across a border. The bus drivers are my favorite so far. They speak english, andalu, and algerian (at least). This side trip was well worth the money, or sterling.
The first day it was wet and miserable. The levanta(strong winds) were blowing a gale. The current in the bay was sooo strong, that the cruise ships were not allowed to dock in Gib that day. This was the day that I decided to wear my shorter skirt and lighter blouse. Luckily I had my sweater with me and luckily they still had siesta in Gib so there were many of hot tea breaks throughout the day. Note, when in the Algerian quarter, remember to be mindful of how you dress. My bare legs were unwelcomed in many places. I have found to be vigilant of your surroundings. If the women dress conservatively, then I should be too....Blending in is good.
You never know what language people speak...I was listening to two grandmothers on the bus going into town the 2nd day and they were speaking algerian. In mid sentence one asked the other where would she like to *pop off for a spot of tea this afternoon* in perfect English, then commenced futher in algerian. It´s a facinating country. The day was bright and sunny and I decided to go to the top of the rock. It was a perfect day to do it. From my hotel room in La Linea, the border town in Spain, I could see the continent of Africa from across the bay. There is no level place in Gib. It´s build on a rocky peninsula. Everywhere there are steep hills to climb. This is most evident on the Rock. Think San Francisco or Seattle. Luckily this day I was wearing a good pair of sandals. I was up there for more than five hours. At one point, after walking for more than an hour in the afternoon sun, I hitched a ride with a Spanish couple going to the last place that I wanted to see that day, the Seige Tunnels. These are tunnel dug into the rock that were built as a stronghold. Afterward, I hitched a ride back into town with an Australian family that now live in Gib.
People here in Gib are extremely friendly! I really have appreciated every kindness and generocity. I wasn´t paying attention when getting a picture and fell down some stone steps, I´m fine, but my knees didn´t fare to well. There were 3 women there to help me to gather my things and to make sure I was fine.
I have been reading the emails that everyone has sent and thanks for the encouragements. It has been an interesting experience. Even though I´m surrounded by many people all the time, I´m basically alone. To experience Tapas, it´s best to do it in a group. I wasn´t until I connected with some couchsurfing friends that I really understood what the time was for. Besides that I have just learned to jump in, especially with the grandmothers. I find that they have the time and patience to spend with me talking about everyday things. There was one who was on the bus with me and we talked for over two hours...What else are you going to do on a long bus ride? Bye for now....You all know how to reach me.---Christine

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