So getting close to our leaving day and then back home to floods rain cold ahhh

We walked into the city first thing and after a coffee sitting outside The Royal Calpe pub we went to find the museum. We noticed people with a black cross marked on their forehead. Presumably to mark the first day of lent Ash Wednesday

The museum was a pleasant surprise. It looked at first sight small and uninteresting but as we explored each room and outside and up to the top floor we saw and understood much better the history and making of Gibraltar. We have bought a joint ticket so tomorrow we can go to Gorhams cave over view to learn about the evidence of Neanderthals on Gibraltar.

On the bus again we visited Europa point and walked around the area and sunbathed.

3 long sunny days since Sunday .

Another walk into the city late afternoon for “English traditional fish and chips” at Rays. Well worth a visit they are delicious…. can we fit one more time to go there I wonder?

Now I’m sitting on the balcony of our hotel room in the evening sun and hoping for a lovely sunset. Last nights one was extraordinary and so deep red.

We both wish we could have another week here!

We are really into the Gibraltar way of life now. Up at 8am down to breakfast and a huge variety of food to choose from. Back to room for a while then out to walk down into the city to start our adventure of the day.

Today after finding the post office and a stop for coffee, we got on the bus to the border. We didn’t realise how close the airport is to the city and in fact have been very near before without realising.

We went here to get a photo of the Rock and this is what we did.

The road crosses the runway! When a plane is landing or taking off the barriers come down just like a railway crossing! We walked back to town crossing the runway by foot. It felt so weird.

Grandad doing an impression of a plane landing 😂✈️🛫🛬🛩

We got on a number2 bus and went to the lighthouse at Europa point again. Today it is very hot and windy. The wind has changed direction. I had to buy a pair of shorts as I didn’t think to pack any.

By now it was late afternoon and we were hungry. We went to Rays English fish and chips (supposed to be the best in Gibraltar and they were very yummy)

Then as it is pancake day we had pancakes. Not as good as NewZealand last year!

Now we are back in the hotel and our tummies are so full they are hurting!

I’m a bit sunburnt for the second day running, hope this sun continues until Friday afternoon when we fly back

Love to you all xxxx

This is sunset tonight amazing reds

We have lovely warm sunny weather today, just right for Grandads birthday!

We visited our 3 favourite places. First the lighthouse, then the ice cream shop and coffee sitting outside at the pub in the centre near the cathedral. Next down to Camp Bay, where everything was closed but the sea was lovely!

We have had a totally relaxing day in the sunshine and having a meal out tonight.

Today we went up on the cable car. We walked to the cable car through the botanical gardens in front of the hotel. This is the view from the top at 412metres!

We also saw those monkeys again. They are so clever. I saw one jump on a girls back and unzip her bag throw out a hat and then grab her packed lunch before anyone could help her We next we went to see the 100 ton gun. It was so interesting .We saw the other one when we were in Malta. It has never been fired in battle and the time it was fired it broke all the windows in the surrounding areas.Walking down through the roads round these docks we walked through a tunnel

Nearby we eventually got to Camp Bay. It is a small rocky bay with public open air swimming pools and a restaurant in front of and by the sea. I had a delicious dinner of mixed salad and spaghetti bolognaise. The cafe was full of local families from this area of Gibraltar called Rosia. What a find by pure chance.

We returned to the city and now we are back at the hotel. We have had another brilliant day…..

The weekends in Gibraltar are for relaxing. The shops either do not open on Saturdays or close at midday. They are also all closed on Sundays. I told you it has old fashioned ways here! The pubs, coffee shops, fast food outlets and restaurants stay open though.

We had a delicious meal last night to celebrate our little anniversary. This morning we managed a smaller breakfast as our stomachs were still full!

We walked into the city to buy a mouse for the computer before the shop shut. We were surprised to see armed policemen patrolling around the commissioners residence. We have since read that an important meeting was going on about Spain and Gibraltar’s relationship post brexit.

We got on the Route 2 bus to go to Europa Point lighthouse. It was the windiest we have known since being here. It is so pretty down there and I imagine in the height of Summer temps in the thirties it would be heaving with visitors.

We spent most of the morning there and had a cheese salad at lunchtime.

Back at the hotel for a couple of hours. We are totally relaxing on this holiday and it’s doing us good. Grandad is feeling much better and looks much better too. We walked again into the city I’m counting my steps each day and trying to average 10000 each day! This time we had a cream tea mmmm!

The sun is out and now back at the hotel it’s a beautiful sunset.

I hope you like the photos I’m uploading today.

It’s a different kind of break for us this time as we are not travelling and exploring so much and so seeing the same things.

I will keep writing but the photos may be the same!

We woke to find the wind had dropped. We walked into the town and wandered through the shops in the Main Street. After talking to a taxi driver we joined a trip up to the top of the Rock to see the fab views and monkeys….

I did not like the macaques “barbary apes”. There were several of different ages of these monkeys at the top. They were jumping all around and 2 jumped on my shoulder

Aaahhh! Not my favourite memory of Gibraltar.

The guy gave info about the area though.

We had a light lunch . The wind was back again and clouds.

By the local bus we explored the beach on the way to the tunnel road way through the Rock. No one was on the beach and the waves were pounding the rocks. We walked a long way today and are now back at the hotel.

The sun has at last shone through. Let’s hope we will get the promised weather now!

Tonight we are having a special meal to celebrate all 50 years we have been together.

Photos later. (The mouse has broken we need to buy one tomorrow) xxx

We are celebrating today, boyfriend girlfriend for 50 years, where have all the years gone? So 2 children and 6 grandchildren later we are still very much in love and best friends xxxvince is amazed I know things like e.g. how many inches there are in a mile….( 63,360 )

So just for him this is how long we have been togetherGoing to enjoy ourselves for a few years more too!

Hi today the sun still didn’t shine but it’s dry and a warm wind again.

We used the bus route outside our hotel to go to the lighthouse. There is a 350 ton gun positioned there as well. It’s called Europa Point. It was a great spot for views of the Rock and over to Africa and also sights of Spain.

Neanderthals lived here on the Rock for thousands of years and there is evidence in skulls found and cave etchings.

I honestly had no idea how much History Gibraltar has. Just off this Europa Point, Nelson won the Battle of Trafalgar.

After taking loads of photos and looking at the gun and views we got the bus into the city.

Yesterday we looked up at the Moors castle and today we caught a local bus to take us up there. We wondered why the bus was a mini bus as so many people wanted to get on it. As the bus drove up the hill the road was very narrow and with tight bends then I understood! The local ladies on the bus had large bags of shopping and washing that they piled up at the front and as the bus was full they sat on the floor at the back. It was so noisy with Spanish chatter. A cultural experience 😂

At the castle you buy a ticket to enter the top of the Rock. It is a nature reserve and goes on for many square metres all over the top of the Rock area. We hadn’t reckoned on how steep the paths were up there and how far you had to walk. We walked so far up to the Moors tower and onto an exhibition of how the Gibraltans were nearly starved in the great siege in the 1700s.

We are going to go on a guided tour by taxi tomorrow to see all the sights up there. The cave, apes etc.

We saw 2 apes by the tower and they were climbing all along the walls and buildings.

I don’t like them I hear they bite!!

Back in the city we had a cream tea and relaxed.

Tomorrow is a special day for us find out more tomorrow! Xxxx

PHOTOS TO BE ADDED MOUSE BROKEN 😫

I feel like we are on another adventure even though a shorter one! 10 days in Gibraltar.

We left home just after 6am. This was to allow for traffic and any problems on road due to floods. We have just had 2 named storms in consecutive weekends.

Journey was good and we arrived far too early as we always do 😂

We got talking to a New Yorker from near the Brooklyn Bridge. He was Jewish and we talked about what makes a happy life? Then politics, royal family, brexit, trump European cultures and more. After we had set the world to right I asked him how old he was and he was 21! He was with a group travelling onto Israel with a 5 hour wait in Heathrow terminal 3. He was so wise for his age and such a lovely person.

The flight to Gibraltar took 3 hours. As we approached the airport the cloud and conditions were bad for landing and we may have had to land elsewhere. Fortunately the pilot was given the go ahead to land. A taxi was waiting to take us to the hotel. We travelled around the Rock past all the military areas and the driver pointed loads out to us.

We arrived at this hotel and have a lovely view from our veranda to the sea and port.

I took these pics with my iPad as I haven’t got round to unpacking my cannon camera!

They look murky as visibly was poor over the sea and you couldn’t see the top of the Rock. BUT it is a warm and humid mist. The waiter said it is very strange weather at the moment. We need a Westerly wind to bring the sun and clear views

It has a bit of an old fashioned feel here but I love it. Can’t wait to explore tomorrow.

So we are busy packing and sorting out camera gear and chargers etc ready for leaving Thornbury at 6.30am tomorrow.

Pleased the storms are over and althoughKerry-Ann, one of our cats is very poorly, they are safely in the cattery.

I am taking some embroidery to finish and books on my kindle. So lots of relaxing and walking and swimming ….. and taking photos!

Hope you all enjoy your half term break too, love from grandma and grandad xxx