Day 101 - Gibraltar, UK

 

Date:  April 19

 

Location:  Day 101 – Gibraltar, UK,

 

Next Port:  Arrecife, Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain, April 21

 

Quick Summary:  We had a quick stop at the tiny British colony of Gibraltar – whose rocky silhouette dominates the strait between Spain and Morocco. The World Cruisers were invited to a special morning concert inside St. Michael’s Cave, high up on “The Rock.” It was a great experience.

 

Report:  Being on the western edge of the time zone, it was still quite dark as we circled the peninsula and sailed into Gibraltar’s wide harbor. Nevertheless, we went up to the deck just before 7:00 a.m. and got a bit of exercise before breakfast. It was fun to watch “The Rock” become more and more visible in the early morning light.

 

Shortly after 8:00, about 250 of us climbed into minibuses for the short journey through the town of Gibraltar and up to St. Michael’s Cave. It is the largest of the more than 150 caves here and is a series of chambers filled with stalactites and stalagmites. It’s a stunning venue.

 

We were greeted with orange juice, mimosas and champagne – at 8:30! It really will be hard to get back to normalcy! (Kids: Don’t worry, we only had the OJ.)

 

The 80-minute, classical performance in the grotto by the European Sinfonietta and violinist Barbara Doll was superb. This group tours throughout Europe and is primarily comprised of members of London’s greatest orchestras. Barbara Doll (Barbie Doll???) is originally from Germany and is a busysoloist and chamber musician. We felt very fortunate that their paths and ours crossed in such a spectacular venue.

 

On our bus ride down the hill, we made a stop at an outlook over the harbor, airport and the strait.

 

A geographical/historical refresher: Gibraltar sits at the end of a peninsula just east of the narrow 14 km strait separating Spain and Morocco (Europe and Africa). The Arabs and their Moorish armies seized the peninsula in 711 and went on to a successful conquest of Spain where they ruled for 750 years. The Spanish recaptured the peninsula and the rock in 1462…just prior to Columbus’ voyages to the New World. The English gained control in 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession and after several years of local skirmishes, finally ceded Gibraltar in 1713 by the Treaty of Utrecht. Spain has been trying to get it back ever since, but to no avail. It was a strategic outpost during the Napoleonic Wars and both World Wars. In 1967, Franco closed the land border with Spain to strengthen his claims over the colony, and it remained closed until 1985.

 

Further down the hill, we stopped to visit a colony of Barbary Apes that inhabit the side of The Rock. These cinnamon-colored, tailless monkeys are native to Morocco’s Atlas Mountains. Legend holds that as long as the apes remain on Gibraltar, the British will keep the Rock.

 

We were dropped off in the old town of Gibraltar and enjoyed congested, colorful streets and shops. There is definitely anEnglish flavor – pubs, red phone booths, police with Bobby hats and prices in pounds Sterling. Gibraltar is a bizarre anomaly of Moorish, Spanish and British influences. But its population of 30,000 is fiercely patriotic to the crown.

 

We walked back to the ship for lunch prior to our 2:00 sail-away. Lunch on this warm, sunny day was accompanied by the Voyager Quintet and an ice cream bar. Oh, are we going to be in shock when we return to turkey sandwiches at home!

 

Shortly after leaving the dock, Capt. Dag announced we would be turning slow circles in the wide harbor for an hour or so as our magnetic compass was recalibrated. This compass is located on the forward portion of Deck 12, right where the new forward observation point was put in. Apparently all the metal in the new railing was having an impact on the compass’ accuracy. It was interesting to watch the technician use magnetic rods in the base of the compass to recalibrate it to the ship’s gyro and electronic systems on the bridge.

 

We then sailed through the strait -- with the mountains of Morocco on the left and Spain on the right. Goodbye Med and, once again, hello Atlantic Ocean! We last left the Atlantic on Feb. 4, when we sailed from Cape Town. Now we really are on the home stretch!

 

This evening, we were invited to have dinner with Jamie and Dana Logan, respectively our Cruise Director and World Cruise Hostess. We were joined by Cecilia and Don. It was a great dinner. Jamie and Dana reside in Traverse City, Michigan six months a year and have strong ties to Chicago. We are hopeful thatthey will visit us someday. They are fun people to be with.

 

Karen and Larry

 

Photos of our cruise are available at the following web site:

 

picasaweb.google.com/larryworldcruise

 

Photos of our visit to Gibraltar have been added