Gibraltar to Sevilla

Plan A (we often went through several plans during the course of a day) was for us to rise early, have our breakfast, and leave the hotel for a tour of Mount Gibraltar promptly at 8:00 AM. We were to have our suitcases packed but left in our rooms until we return at noon to check out and load the luggage in and on the vans. This would prevent having to stay with the vans all the time. To prevent theft of our suitcases and valuables someone has stayed with the vans at all times when we have been touring or eating. Brothers Wiggins and/or Markham have usually stayed behind to keep an eye on things. We all appreciated their sacrifice to insure the protection of our luggage.

We set our alarms and rose early with the seagulls. You could hear their cries in the early dawn over this Mediterranean seacoast town. I slept much better last night and woke refreshed. We showered and dressed, repacked our bags, and made our way downstairs for the complimentary breakfast about 7:15. It was really quite nice, especially to be included in our accommodations. It was a buffet with some hot items, like fried eggs, some rare looking bacon, fat and greasy sausages, pork and beans, and something that appeared to be scrambled eggs. There was an assortment of breads (typical European) fresh fruits, cold cuts (I’ve never understood that for breakfast), cereals, juice and coffee. We made a nice meal and met our group in the lobby on time.

We made the drive to the city that surrounds the base of Gibraltar, which we learned is still under the crown of Britain. They speak English, trade in the British pound or the Euro, are mostly of Spanish descent, and have talked of independence from Britain for many years. As a result we all had to show our passports for entrance into the country and when exiting the area back into Spain. The rock is an important area for defense in the region. All shipping, trade, and defensive craft must come through the straits of Gibraltar or the Suez Canal to gain access to the Mediterranean Sea. Just eight miles across the straits is the continent of Africa and the country of Morocco. Something else I learned was that there are two fairly large Spanish cities on the African continent. Spain retained control in that area to ensure their protection.

The first stop on our tour was at St. Michael’s Cave. After a short drive about half way up the mountain our vans dropped us off and we entered a large cavern. Cement walks, ramps, and wooden bridges provided easy access through the cave. Accent lighting provided adequate light and lit up the various formations in the cave. The main room of the cave was large enough that they created a stage and seating in an amphitheater design that would accommodate over 100 people, I would guess. Someone said that weddings have been conducted there besides other events. It was interesting and obviously totally exploited for commercial tourism! We made a bathroom stop and shopped for curios before proceeding to our next stop.

We were able to see about six or eight monkeys while in the next area. We found that there are about 300 apes in all that live on the island and that they divide themselves in about 6 packs. Ron Krantz was the only one who got close enough to allow one of the apes to jump on his back. It was rather short-lived and I missed the opportunity to get a picture!

A good stiff walk up the road (maybe ½ mile) there is an entrance to a man made tunnel that goes around near the outside of the mountain. There are holes cut out through the rock where ancient cannons were once used to defend their position from invaders. The entire tunnel is about one mile down the inside of the mountain. I may have gotten halfway down when some of our group started coming back out. I had taken a lot of pictures of the cannons, displays, and the city and sea down below, so I returned to the surface with our group.

We took more pictures from this vantage point outside the tunnel that is probably about halfway up the sloped side of Gibraltar. The Mediterranean is so beautiful from this viewpoint. It has a rich blue-green color. Across the bay you can see the city where we spent the night. It is an incredible view.

From this last stop on Gibraltar we headed back down the mountain in the attempt to get back to the hotel on time to retrieve our bags. Well we didn’t make it in time. First there was the traffic that was difficult to maneuver on the narrow and twisted streets. We also had to stop for diesel (both vans are diesel powered). At the little gas station Missionary Sones found Dr. Pepper! He, being a true Texan, could not resist the purchase of two cans of the heavenly brew. I’ll have to remember that passion when he comes to the states. Shouldn’t be too difficult to remember since I usually have an adequate supply.

Spanish signs do not always provide sufficient direction to get us where we need to go. Brother Sones headed off a different direction than that we came because he saw a sign pointing in another direction. We eventually found our way back to the Autovia, but we were sufficiently delayed that we did not make our checkout time at the Reina Cristina. However, after a call from the missionary, they kindly allowed us back into our rooms to retrieve our bags.

By the time we got out suitcases tied down and everyone loaded it was time to eat again! We headed out to find a Burger King (great Spanish food) but ended up looking for a McDonalds. There are more McDonalds that BK’s so it proved to be a little faster to find one. It was quite a nice McDonalds. I felt like I was back in the states except the attendant couldn’t quite understand my English (which sometimes happens in the states) and the signs were all in Spanish.

We took the scenic route to Sevilla, the location of our next night stop in Spain. Driving along the coast provided some outstanding views of the Mediterranean. We stopped at an overlook for picture taking and marveled at how clear and close the mountains from Africa appeared. There was also a tourist shop at this little vista. I purchased two ice cream bars. Mine was a chocolate covered vanilla on a stick with almonds chopped up in the chocolate shell. It was absolutely the best I believe I have ever tasted. At 2 Euros each it was well worth the extravagance!

Most of the roads through the scenic route were “Arkansas style” roads, that is two lanes, narrow, with little or no shoulder. On one occasion we had come onto a broader three or four lane road and Brother Sones attempted to pass another vehicle that was impeding his progress. Just as we whipped around to pass there was a popping sound and one of the suitcases tied to the top of the van slipped over the edge and dangled along the side window of the van. He slowed, found a safe place to pull off the road, and came to a stop before completely losing one of the Bertram’s suitcases. Some of the more gifted rope artists among us secured our load and we continued. We were thankful not to have lost another Bertram suitcase!

We arrived at Hotel Ibis about 7:00 PM just as it was getting dark in Sevilla. The ladies had been promised for two days that there would be time to shop in Sevilla so they were holding us to it! The plan was to check into the hotel, get back into the vans for a trek downtown and shop for a bit while Brother Sones scouted out a place to dine for our evening meal. Among the beautiful old buildings of the area there are narrow pedestrian streets lined with stores and shops of all kinds. All were rather expensive (some were very expensive, like Burberry) but there was a distinct European feel in the shopping here. I priced a few pairs of shoes before deciding that I would save my US dollars for Marshalls, Ross, and TJ Maxx at home! With the current exchange rate of 1.33 per 1 Euro it is not to our advantage to shop in Europe.

I escorted by wife from shop to shop (being interpreted --- I followed my wife from shop to shop). She did however find the perfect purse for our daughter but she was undecided. I suppose we will have to return tomorrow to complete the purchase! (An excuse for more shopping!) However (due to my sharp skill of observation), I spotted a Starbucks on a street corner across from some of the shops. Well, I had to try out Starbucks in Europe! Even with the barista’s limited English skills I was able to communicate in Starbuck-ese and ordered a venti White Chocolate Mocha! It was very near to the taste of what we get at home. I did not attempt to request decaf coffee or fat-free milk; neither did we discuss whipped cream. So it was delicious!

We met with our group outside the El Corte Ingles – which they say is something like Macy’s (I thought it more like Sears). Regardless, it is the largest retail chain in Spain and provided a recognizable meeting place for our group. From there Brother Sones had us follow him on foot several blocks to our dinner spot. It was a small café with a decent and clean appearance. We rearranged the place to line our tables along the way for our group of twenty. We are trying to adjust to some of the European customs. One is eating dinner so late in the evening. I’m not sure they all do it but it has been our custom here. It has been 9:00 or later every evening! Another is custom of having meals in courses rather than all together. Conceptually, I like it. However, it seems a bit strange to eat cold vegetables out of a can and call it salad. I had the potatoes drowned in a white garlic creamy stuff … also cold. The next course was a choice between meatballs (served on a few French fries a spoonful of canned vegetables and some broth), pork (chunks of meat served over a few French fries with some gravy), or paella (the yellow rice stuff with chicken or seafood surprises)! Most of us went with the meatballs. After some ketchup and salt it wasn’t bad. I didn’t ask what the meat consisted of!

We made it back to the hotel about 11:00 and were instructed to meet the following morning at 9:15 for another adventurous day in Spain and the trip to Portugal!