We leave Sevilla on our way to Gibraltar. It is Monday, Day 9. It is a lovely day and quite warm. We start out early on the bus, as we do on a daily basis. The drive is about 3 to 4 hours, with a couple of “comfort stops” along the way.
Gibraltar is a unique location. It is a British Territory at the very tip of Spain and only about 8 nautical miles from Africa. You can see Africa at several points within Gibraltar and while approaching it by bus. The official language is English, of course, although Spanish is spoken throughout. Their currency is British pounds, though they will accept Euros. We start out by parking the bus nearby and walking across the border. The Spanish immigration authority stamps our passports as we leave the country. British authorities merely glance at our passports as we walk past their station. On the return, Spain again stamps our passport as we re-enter the country and we do walk past Customs who did not seem interested in what we may have been carrying across (souvenirs). Here are some pictures:
We boarded a 29 passenger van to tour Gibraltar. We went up to see one of the most famous caves within the Rock, St. Michael’s cave. Can you see why it’s called that? You can see the outline of St. Michael the Archangel. It’s very impressive. Next, we were told to be careful of the Macaque monkeys that are found in and around the rock (at higher elevations). They are very bold and will approach anyone with food or even carrying food in a bag or purse. When we exited St. Michael’s Cave, we were waiting around for our group to gather and we saw a Macaque. He was simply sitting inside, in front of the gift shop. I didn’t see what happened inside the shop, but I did see the aftermath. The monkey was watching a customer purchase something, and suddenly you see him jump up, run into the store and literally take a protein bar out of a woman’s hand as she was paying for it. He then ran just outside of the shop, sat down and proceeded to try to unwrap the plastic. In this picture, please don’t mistake what is in his hands with a banana. It’s a protein bar.
As we arrived into the tourist area of Gibraltar, it was recommended we try the ‘local’ food. Many of us had the fish and chips for lunch. Honestly, it was just ok. One big piece of fish and some french fries. I’ve had better. The restaurant that we decided to try was just as you entered the tourist area and it was very, very busy. The wait staff were mostly rude and unfriendly. It was a machine: serve them fish & chips and get them out.
Gibraltar is a small country. Because of simply having very little land, most building is done up. So it’s very crowded, with some lovely hotels and condominiums. I understand it’s expensive to live there as opposed to Spain. Not sure I’d be interested in living in such a crowded city. The views are spectacular, though.
Once we were finished, the van took us to the border, we walked across again and boarded our bus for the Sun Coast (Costa del Sol) in Spain. Prior to arriving to our hotel, we stopped at a very cute little town called Mijas. It’s a “white village”, where most homes are painted white. There’s a beautiful overlook where you can take in amazing views of the city below. Also, the town square has cute little shops, and yes, I did buy a ouple of items for myself. The most memorable thing about this village are the donkey taxis. Yes, I said donkey. Now, let me tell you, it was very hot here today, and in Málaga in general. The good thing is that the donkey taxi stand is covered so at least they are waiting for a fare in the shade. I did get a couple of pictures .Enjoy!
After this quick stop, we headed back down to the city of Torremolinos where we would spend the next two nights. We arrived at a beautiful ocean front resort with little time to freshen up before dinner would be served. We had dinner at the hotel restaurant which is set up buffet style. The tour group has now spent several days together and friendships are forming. A small group of us headed to the Rooftop bar after dinner. The views of the beach below are beautiful. Finally, I was able to order my Gin y Limon. A cocktail with Gin and Fanta Lemon carbonated soda. So, did my memory serve me wel? I loved this drink while in College in Madrid many years ago. On this day it was good, but not quite what I remember. I think I may prefer a Gin Sour or an old fashioned Gin Tonic. No worries, it´s all good. Here’s a pic of the view at night from the rooftop bar:
Day 10 started a little later than usual, 9am. Wow, huh? HA HA We were off for a drive to Málaga. We spent two nights here and it´s a beautiful city. An awesome vacation location for sure. Somewhere I would definitely return for a vacation. Not sure I would want to live here as it´s similar to where I live now. It´s a tourist town, beautiful beaches, lots of crowds, but has it´s local neighborhoods, too.
Today we boarded the bus for a local tour of Malaga. Did you know this was Picasso´s home town? We walked right past his childhood home and in a plaza right across from it sits a statue of him sitting on a bench. The town is quite nice with a beautiful cathedral, shops, restaurants and an ancient Roman theatre that was found years and years ago, right in the middle of town!
Our morning in Málaga was very nice, winding up with a stop at Antonio Banderas´ restaurant called El Pimpi. It was an opportunity to try a local sweet wine, much like a Sherry. Not for me, too sweet, thick and medicine-y. But certainly worth a taste. We then headed back to the hotel fo a free afternoon. Finally!
Most of our group couldn’t wait to put on bikinis ad speedos (!) and run to the beach or one of the two beautiful pools at the hotel. Me? Well, I live at a beautiful beach, so I decided not to pack a swim suit and instead walked out to the lovely boardwalk in front of the ocean and have some lunch along the way. Here are some pics of my afternoon and lunch.
We had a group Mediterranean dinner planned this evening, but I decided to skip it. I stayed in, ordered room service and got some much needed rest.
Day 9: 13, 396 steps. Day 10: 12,643 steps. Onward!