We docked in Gibraltar before dawn, here's the view of the Rock from our veranda. I mean...that's it??? This big rock I've seen photos of all my life...that a major insurance company based its reputation on and all I see is a bump in the distance???
Well, it's not quite that bad. The rock face we all know & love is actually at a 90 degree arc to the left & can only be photographed full-on in a boat from the sea.
Here's a shot on land from the other side, we went thru a tunnel to get there.
However, it turns out this Rock is all a scam. Thinking about the famous view, you get the impression that this huge thing stands anchored to fortress Europe. I mean, it's solid Rock all the way into Spain and beyond.
Well, here's an aerial view, a photo of a photo on the side of another bus:
There's actually nothing behind it. In reality, the world famous "Rock of Gibraltar" is the world's largest, oldest permanent movie set.
But it does have one advantage...it stands at the Mediterranean/Atlantic choke point which is a bit less than 9 miles wide. Here's Africa over a rooftop...seems like a not-too-distant swim (and lots of people have done it).
So in 1704 Great Britain grabbed this 2.6 square mile splinter of Spain & has held on to it ever since, to the massive consternation of the Spanish, very much like Guantanamo/Cuba. Spain laid siege by sea later in that century, it failed. They even tried to starve the Gibraltarians out in the late 1960's thru & into the '80's by shutting the border down...didn't work cuz the Moroccans came to the rescue to provide/sell whatever was needed. Spain finally caved in (permanently) as a condition to get into the European Community. But they still hate it as our Barcelona guide reminded us.
The place is so small, the only road to the Spanish border transverses the only runway at the airport. Relax...there are only six flights a day (to London only), so they close the road for takeoffs & landings.
All this for a population of 30,000.
The Rock actually encloses a huge cave (stalactites, the whole bit).
OK, moving on.
Some thoughts as the cruise is coming to a close.
As you can imagine, the serving
staff is a fixed group members of the United Nations of varying ages. They live mysteriously somewhere below deck 5
and are assigned various positions at the different dining venues at different
mealtimes. So the smiling lady who made
Susanne’s Cesar salad in the evening becomes our server in the casual breakfast
restaurant the next morning. Each of
these places has certain appropriate uniforms that must be worn & kept
scrupulously clean. (That in itself has
to be a massive undertaking.) And so it
goes as these folks pop up everywhere and anywhere. After awhile they're like old friends.
Our favorite is Alessandro, an
expansive Italian probably in his forties.
He’s a head waiter & loves kidding with the guests. Spotting him makes our meal. He tries to fake us out by tipping a capped
bottle of ketchup on a salad. Saying good bye the last morning was tough. And you know Susanne is a hugger!!
Last dinner on the ship.
Last dinner on the ship.
Here's the breakfast buffet:
I never did get around to shooting the lunch & dinner versions. Aren't you glad??
There are those PCs who still cruise in the old style, dressing for dinner. And it's all on display in the Grand Dining Room. In the center is a huge chandelier and under it sits the Captain's table. And only those guests who are PCs to the max & dress the part are invited to join Monsieur le Capitan, he's the one whose sleeves are festooned with more stripes than the other ship's officers. It's the ship's royalty and they look wonderful.
I didn't get a shot of the grand entrance, nor did I venture close enough to get a pic of the table.
Since this part of the trip is over, I'd like to draw it to a close blog-wise.
On to Barcelona!!!
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