Two days after the Azores we hit Gibraltar. It's easy to imagine trying to sneak a U-boat in on the incoming tide which must rip though the straight once or twice a day as the whole Atlantic tries to dump into the Mediterranean.
So why is it that the British get to go to Crimea and steal Russian guns and now Fox News is all bent out of shape about the Russians trying to protect their citizens? Does anyone remember Grenada?
The view from our balcony....great weather on the crossing...easy sleeping...the motion is soothing like being back in the womb...
The rock of Gibraltar...
Evidence of Neanderthal habitation in Gibraltar between 28,000 and 24,000 BC has been discovered at Gorham's Cave, making Gibraltar the last known holdout of the Neanderthals.
Most of the Rock's upper area is covered by a nature reserve which is home to around 230 Barbary Macaques, the famous apes of Gibraltar, although biologists insist that technically the apes are wild monkeys. These are the only wild apes or monkeys found in Europe.
Last month we were walking the Rock of Gibraltar. I was wearing a poorly deigned but stylish pair of loafers. We walked a LOT further than I had expected up and down the mountain and the heel pain caused by something called Plantar Facilitits flared up again in a moderate way. Then I fell off an elevated sidewalk onto some broken concrete and damaged my camera which died three days ago of its wounds.
Yesterday morning we hit the courts for tennis. I was only trailing by 4-3 when I heard and felt something rip in my heel while going after a tough return. The pain was enough to bring out a sweat. The same thing happened last June and it took about three months to get the pain down enough to play tennis again.
What we mainly do is hike, play tennis, read and cook. We skipped the planned airshow with the Thunderbirds and I spent the day alone resting my foot and reading a trashy Stepanie Plum novel called "Twelve Sharp". Mrs. Phred called in the afternoon to tell me that she was lost somewhere in Las Cruces and that the GPS was broken. I directed her attention to the map of Las Cruces I had left on the back seat and wished her luck.
Today we ride into El Paso to buy the special Z-Coil spring shoes that may hasten my recovery and maybe another GPS. The shoes aren't designed for sports that require lateral foot movement, like tennis.
With extra time on my hands I investigate the PhD programs offered here by the University of New Mexico. One interesting program is Astronomy. I also find a job for a CPA, but it's 50 miles away in El Paso. This would be a bad time to take a job from someone who needs one.
After a morning drive through the switchback mountain roads of southern Spain, we arrive at the city of Linea and then pass customs into British territory.
The sidewalk on the way in has a one foot drop off. I'm staring up at the rock and step off, taking a nasty fall on broken chunks of concrete. My camera is damaged and cracked. It has trouble extending its lens. My escape and evasion training finally pays off as I do a perfect tuck and roll onto the rocks. We spent almost a year learning to fall in a parachute landing and how to kill people with sticks, knives and our hands and feet. I dust myself off.
Looking across to Africa I imagine I am a bearded U-boat captain. I turn off my engines, rig for silent running and drift with the current at 400 meters past the flock of British destroyers guarding the Straights.
After a two mile hike, we find the number 3 bus, which takes us to the cable car ride to the top of the rock about 500 meters above.
The walk down is about three miles. We see the siege tunnels, a Moorish castle and lots of monkeys. The number three bus takes us back to the Spanish frontier. We wave our passports and reenter the European Union.
We've walked about six miles in the pretty shoes that Mrs. Phred made me buy to appear more stylish for the trip. Not unexpectedly, my plantar facititis flares up badly and I'm limping now with a very painful left heel. My sneakers make it feel a little better. The last time it took three months for the pain to recede.
On to Ronda and then Granada and the Alhambra this morning. I booked a hotel last night. The rates are about 1/2 what we paid during Easter week.
(Note from Mrs. Phred: I take no responsibility for the "inexpensive version" of the good walking shoes I suggested.)
