This morning the headed towards Gibraltar and arrived at midday.
I had booked on a tour called ‘Fortress Gibraltar’ so our group in a mini-bus
Headed off, firstly to the airport at the border with Spain where you have to drive over the runway to get to the terminal and border control.
Here is The Rock, facing Spain.
Fortunately, during WW2, Franco didn’t give Hitler access through Spain to attack Gibraltar by land.
Then we drove through the narrow city streets, through the walls that surrounded Old Gibraltar, past the spot where they brought Wellington’s body ashore after the Battle of Trafalgar,
past the beach,
and the salty water resurning to the sea from the desalination plants that supplies all the drinking water,
to the southern most point of Europe, Point Europa on which sits a mosque donated by the Saudis.
The big guns face the straits
and Morocco.
Our driver had to stay in first gear to get up to the entrance to the tunnel tour, but it was a great view for us.
There are 35 miles of tunnels in The Rock, which accommodated 16,000 troops, 3,000 works (many from Canada) and 600 nurses. The nurses had locked quarters.
We only had to walk half-a-mile.
It’s damp inside, so the workers had to spend 8 hours digging, 8 hours moving equipment and supplies so they didn’t rot and 8 hours rest and sleep in bunks used in shifts by three men.
The Rock is actually split in two – by an earthquake millions of years ago.
Fresh air access.
From Jock’s Balcony, a view of the airport and Spain. The runway was constructed using the fill from the tunnel excavations.
Returning to the ship, we find that the Governor of Gibraltar has come aboard.
We wonder who is important enough (apart from Fr M) to warrant a vice-Regal visit?
I couldn’t possibly say, however many members of the Royal Family have been guests on the Queen Victoria.
Father M 