New Years' Day dawned hot and sunny with cloudless blue skies. We had a long walk towards the coast and saw a collection of motorhomes parked at the football pitch for just 3 Euros a night. We even spotted a Wildax, the owner of which later told us that although cheap, the pitch location had been noisy at night with car drivers performing hand break turns on the sandy carpark into the early hours. The day was so gorgeously hot and sunny it lulled us into a false sense of never ending sunshine and unfortunately it didn't last. The next morning dawned grey, with huge clouds swirling over and obscuring the summit of the rock. It would be pointless to go up there on such a day so we decided on the wet weather pastime of shopping. Lured by the novelty of a Morrison's supermarket we braved the wet, windy weather and headed back over the border. Morrison's didn't disappoint and we stocked up on a few British items but didn't go too crazy. Having only been away for a few weeks we aren't craving any essentials as yet. What did take us by surprise on the shopping front was the Euroski. Just before the immigration/customs is a branch of the Spanish supermarket chain. We popped in to get some milk and were astounded to see a weird cultural mis-match on the shelves. In amongst the Spanish food items were Duchy Originals. Euroski in Gibraltar were proud to announce the availability of Waitrose goods. It all added to the eclectic mix that Gibraltar provides.
So, getting back to the van, I felt a bit disgruntled. I mean, a day spent looking at Morrisons and being wowed by seeing Bonne Maman jam next to items from the Waitrose Essentials range would hardly be a goal for overseas exploration.
The next day dawned, grey, wet and windy, just like the previous one. There was no way I was going to do any more mooching. I was ready to sightsee and learn, whatever the weather. Mike acquiesced, he must have weighed up the pros and cons of my moaning about being stuck with a menial day comparing it to his desire not to get his hair wet. We walked round to the cable car and it was shut due to the high winds. Undaunted we proceeded through the adjacent botanical gardens while Mike outlined the best plan to get around, over and through the rock. We climbed the steep slope through the gardens and onto the narrow road beyond. There was an entry gate to the protected area and the nice man in the kiosk sold us two day passes for £10 each. This included entry on foot to the park (£1.00) and the caves, the tunnels and the Moorish fortress. He pointed to the Meditterranean steps and explained we could take them to the caves. 'Not the best day for it though - rather windy' he added.
My only concern was the location of a cafe as I hadn't had the chance of my daily caffeine fix. He assured us that there was a cafe near the entrance to the caves, so without further ado we set off. The first few steps were great but as soon as we rounded the first corner we felt the full force of the wind. I let Mike go on ahead and managed not to get blown off the side. That would have made a rough start to the year. I then managed to make it to the top. Two agile female squaddies jogged jauntily up the steps as I was heaving painful breaths. The final steps were taken by physically lifting each foot up onto each uneven step. Thank goodness that the steps had been restored with rope side rails to steady myself with.
So, getting back to the van, I felt a bit disgruntled. I mean, a day spent looking at Morrisons and being wowed by seeing Bonne Maman jam next to items from the Waitrose Essentials range would hardly be a goal for overseas exploration.
The next day dawned, grey, wet and windy, just like the previous one. There was no way I was going to do any more mooching. I was ready to sightsee and learn, whatever the weather. Mike acquiesced, he must have weighed up the pros and cons of my moaning about being stuck with a menial day comparing it to his desire not to get his hair wet. We walked round to the cable car and it was shut due to the high winds. Undaunted we proceeded through the adjacent botanical gardens while Mike outlined the best plan to get around, over and through the rock. We climbed the steep slope through the gardens and onto the narrow road beyond. There was an entry gate to the protected area and the nice man in the kiosk sold us two day passes for £10 each. This included entry on foot to the park (£1.00) and the caves, the tunnels and the Moorish fortress. He pointed to the Meditterranean steps and explained we could take them to the caves. 'Not the best day for it though - rather windy' he added.
My only concern was the location of a cafe as I hadn't had the chance of my daily caffeine fix. He assured us that there was a cafe near the entrance to the caves, so without further ado we set off. The first few steps were great but as soon as we rounded the first corner we felt the full force of the wind. I let Mike go on ahead and managed not to get blown off the side. That would have made a rough start to the year. I then managed to make it to the top. Two agile female squaddies jogged jauntily up the steps as I was heaving painful breaths. The final steps were taken by physically lifting each foot up onto each uneven step. Thank goodness that the steps had been restored with rope side rails to steady myself with.
Following on from my flirtation with mountaineering I was full of energy and buoyant hope that my feet wouldn't hurt too much if we carried on and packed it all in. The cafe provided re-hydration and an unexpected and unexpectedly tasty Cornish Pasty. St. Michael's caves were breathtaking and we marvelled at the tunelling of British soldiers from the 1700s and during the Second World War where they had blasted tunnels into the rock itself. Finally we visited the siege museum and the Moorish Castle. Exhausted by the day's endeavours we couldn't face cooking ourselves a meal and treated ourselves to a slap up steak and chips in Casemates Square. Quite delicious.
What a brilliant day, and wonderful country. Would definitely go back.
What a brilliant day, and wonderful country. Would definitely go back.
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