Ads not shown when logged in
Page 6 of 8 FirstFirst ... 45678 LastLast
Results 51 to 60 of 74

Thread: The Gibraltar Blog

  1. #51
    In Search of Ebriety Millay's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Wandering, or wondering, or wandering in.
    Posts
    1,375

    Default

    Beautiful views out across the Bay this bright morning. The port of Algeciras can clearly be seen and the mountains of Africa peeping their heads above the clouds. There is also a massive cruise ship entering port ready to disgorge it's 3000+ passengers. I'll need to get to that cable car quickly if going to beat them to it. Must try to stay out of the sun more today.
    I've just joined Alcoholics Anonymous - I still drink, just under a different name.

  2. #52
    Palookaville hondo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Posts
    3,154

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Millay View Post
    you should never miss the chance to walk across an airport runway if you get it. Unless anyone knows otherwise I think Gibraltar is the only airport that has a public road running across it
    on barra they land on the beach

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barra_Airport_(Scotland)

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	hia__1269621522_Barra-Appliances-006.jpg 
Views:	151 
Size:	46.2 KB 
ID:	747
    "Do I know where hell is? hell is in hello"

  3. #53
    In Search of Ebriety Millay's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Wandering, or wondering, or wandering in.
    Posts
    1,375

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by hondo View Post
    Are you shore ? Do you think they have a please fasten your lifejackets sign instead of a seatbelt one.

    Big queue for the cable car so had a walk around the beautiful Almeda Gardens. Came back and the queue was three times as long. Place is packed with tour buses, presumably from that cruise ship. Will have another go later today or tomorrow morning.
    I've just joined Alcoholics Anonymous - I still drink, just under a different name.

  4. #54
    In Search of Ebriety Millay's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Wandering, or wondering, or wandering in.
    Posts
    1,375

    Default

    Had a bit of a boozy * afternoon yesterday and went off piste to find some of the small bars that the tourists don't tend to frequent. Of those of note I found a Spanish bar called the El Cortijo with a bullfighting theme, complete with what i hoped was a fake bulls head mounted on the wall. I also found two Moroccan clubs with beautiful tiled interiors. I remembered one of these, the splendidly named Splendid Bar, from my 2002 trip. In there i met a guy i had seen in El Cortijo earlier and he insisted on buying me a beer. The Moroccan bars were understandably quiet as we are still in Ramadan, I even had to wake the barman up in one with my best "Hola !"

    Going to be another hot one today so going to try to catch the first cable car up the Rock. Me and a few dozen others i suspect.

    * The predictive text on this phone is driving me mad, it wants to turn boozy into booty and every time i type in Gibraltar it tries to turn it into vibrator!!. So i have to be very careful if i am planning a Gibraltar boozy afternoon.
    I've just joined Alcoholics Anonymous - I still drink, just under a different name.

  5. #55
    In Search of Ebriety Millay's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Wandering, or wondering, or wandering in.
    Posts
    1,375

    Default

    Well I finally made it up the big Rock today, I was on the first cable car up and it wasn't too busy that early. There are some fantasic views from up there and it was interesting to see the extent of the new Ocean Village marina development that wasn't there on my last visit. There seems to be some land reclaimation going on on the other side of the Rock as well, near to the Caleta Hotel where I've stayed before. I remember the wonderful sunrises from their breakfast room and had hoped to pay another visit but the buses don't start that early and I think I've done enough walking this week.

    Apart from the views it's interesting to walk around the top of the rock and explore all the brick and concrete buildings that are now in ruins. Presumably these would have been military posts and stations and one stage. But the star attractions of course are the Barbary Macaques, and although these tend to be referred to as apes they are in fact monkies. They are also the only non-human primates living wild in Europe, if you exclude England football hooligans. Legend says that if these macaques were to leave Gibraltar it would cease to be British which, rumour has it, led to Churchill ordering their replenishment when numbers dwindled during WW2.

    Not that numbers are a probalem now, there are around 300 of them in 5 troops dotted around the Upper Rock. The troop at the top cable car station looked to be around 30 strong and very friendly and used to human contact. In fact they always seemed to ensure that one or two of them were there to greet each cable car as it arrived and they were all totally untroubled by the shrieks of delight and the numerous photos being taken. In fact they seemed rather disdainful. The young would bound around from balcony, to rocks to trees providing entertainment and the older ones, even a female with her baby, were quite happy to sit with their disinterested look amid a dozen or more of those funny humans clicking away with their cameras just a few feet away. And then suddenly they just walk away looking bored and settle somewhere else, but never far away from their human cousins. Although fed daily by the local authorities, mainly to stop them coming into town to forage, they will at any opportunity look for food. We were advised not to carry plastic bags as they associate these with food and will try to steal them, and also that there is a £500 fine for anyone feeding them.

    A trip up the Rock, either by cable car or by road, is highly recommended should.you ever find yourself on this craggy little bit of Britain.
    I've just joined Alcoholics Anonymous - I still drink, just under a different name.

  6. #56
    Still about Mobyduck's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Out saving pubs and enjoying it.
    Posts
    5,775

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Millay View Post
    A trip up the Rock, either by cable car or by road, is highly recommended should.you ever find yourself on this craggy little bit of Britain.
    Did it by road in 1990,The apes/monkeys were buggers then.
    "Everybody's got to believe in something. I believe I'll have another beer."
    -W.C.Fields

  7. #57
    In Search of Ebriety Millay's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Wandering, or wondering, or wandering in.
    Posts
    1,375

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Mobyduck View Post
    Did it by road in 1990,The apes/monkeys were buggers then.
    I don't imagine the Spanish were much better around that time
    I've just joined Alcoholics Anonymous - I still drink, just under a different name.

  8. #58
    In Search of Ebriety Millay's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Wandering, or wondering, or wandering in.
    Posts
    1,375

    Default

    After a bit of a lazy afternoon yesterday (Wednesday) I popped out around 7pm with the intention of having a couple of drinks and trying to turn my remaining Gibraltar pounds into English ones. You wouldn't believe how many bars I had to go into to get this done But it gave me a chance to tick off a couple of new ones for the review thread, when I finally get around to it. After finding ESB at the All's Well (it was) on Casemates I had a final ceremonial bottle of Bushy's Barbary Beer at the Star Bar, got back to the hotel around 10:30pm, and promptly fell asleep.

    So I'm awake early this morning and have been putting the final finishes to my fantasy football teams, doing my SuperBru picks for the weekend and also doing some transfers in my fantasy cricket teams. It's a busy time of the year when the last few crucial weeks of the cricket season overlaps with the new football season. Plus I signed up for the Currie Cup competition on SuperBru and that's just started - they'll be total guesses.

    The other thing occupying my unquiet mind this morning is how I'm going to get all this new stuff I've had to buy into what was already an overstuffed suitcase. I think the hotel maid may be left with a few things, although what she's going to do with avocado shaving gel and gold lame speedos I don't know. I must remember to find the receipts for my new purchases and make sure they're in my hand luggage. It would be quite ironic if they were in my suitcase and BA were to lose it completely on the way home. I'll certainly be checking my luggage sticker very carefully this time.

    The flight home leaves at 12:50 so I will need to leave here around 11:30, no point in getting there early, I don't imagine there is anything akin to the Heathrow Galleries Lounge at Gibraltar's airport. Then I'll be saying a fond farewell to the Rock and leaving behind some good memories - and the avocado shaving gel.

    Tomorrow I'm meeting up with Grailhunter and a few others for a crawl around North London and on Monday morning I'm due at my doctors for a blood test I hope they find some mixed in with all this alcohol.
    I've just joined Alcoholics Anonymous - I still drink, just under a different name.

  9. #59
    This Space For Hire gillhalfpint's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    West Midlands
    Posts
    1,531

    Default

    Thanks for sharing your holiday. I enjoyed reading your adventures.
    Alcohol doesn't solve problems .... but then again, neither does milk.

  10. #60
    Palookaville hondo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Posts
    3,154

    Default

    an enjoyable read safe journey home
    "Do I know where hell is? hell is in hello"

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •