Gibraltar Tomorrow...

So what is significant about that you say? Well it means that if the world was flat, later tomorrow we could see North America, that is what! It has been 100 days since we saw that. Some people are no doubt saying "are they still on that boat?" I have not looked at the blog counter lately or done any math on it but surely interest must have waned by now!

Do you remember the scenes from the epic film, Das Boot? It had some terrific scenes of the German submarine on the surface running the Straits of Gibraltar. As you likely know it is on the southern tip of Spain, or more correctly 'The Iberian Peninsula'. The waters here are dotted with ships coming and going east and west to and from the Suez and also between local ports. I was once on deck around midnight because I wanted to see the straits of Gibraltar even though it was dark. My gosh the ships and boats that were going in every direction was frightening, a very, very busy little stretch of water.

Spain and Britain, [England] have been traditional enemies for centuries. Spain was rather put out of the picture by Britain long before France. Do you remember stories of the Spanish Armada that set sail to invade Britain and the episode turned into a fiasco. That was possibly the last time Spain challenged Britain in any real way, not too sure on that. There is plenty of Spanish blood pulsing through English veins from sailors that were shipwrecked and stayed in Britain.

At one time Spain was about the major force to be reckoned with in the world. The Inquisition and the exploitation of South America was done in their heyday. Christopher Columbus, although from Genoa, was funded by Queen Isabella of Spain. Today Spain is an accepted member of the EU and is undergoing a bit of a quiet resurgence after many many years of being in the background.

Gibraltar and Britain are synonymous. Lord Nelson beat the combined French-Spanish fleet, [and suffered fatal wounds] at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, not far from Gibraltar. There are Barbary Apes that live on Gibraltar, looked after by the government because legend has it that "when the apes are gone Britain will leave Gibraltar!"

When you stop and think about past history and events that took place long ago and then take a deep breath and see where we are today it is amazing. Trafalgar Square in London is an example of a bit of thumbing your nose at old adversaries. There's also Waterloo Station, also in London, a bit of national bravado I would say. Can you imagine a train station in Germany called Dieppe Bahnhof, in triumphant chest-thumping of the beating Canadians and others took in WW ll? [Sorry to digress.]

The fact that Britain has Gibraltar, although ceded by Spain in the 1700's in the Treaty of Utrecht, is a sore spot in Spain. [Imagine if Germany was in legal possession of Manhattan, or The Isle of Wight?] The citizens of Gibraltar have had referendums on whether they want to stay with the UK or join with Spain. They always overwhelmingly vote to stay with Britain. Sort of like the Quebec referendum thing in a way.

I have been to Gibraltar only once before, in 1960. About all I remember is an eating establishment called 'Smokey Joes', where we could get what we then considered good food after six months of minestrone and other peasant foods. We were bumming around Europe and could live on about $7.00 a day, two people including gas for the scooter, food, drink and housing. We ate at Smokeys every meal until the chips, beans, sausages, and bacon all became nauseous. Everything was served with chips. The tea was good though.

Today was a leisurely day at sea and the sky was a beautiful blue, although a bit chilly out. It is now around 8.15 at night in full sun. We are pushing the limits of the time zone now and are actually west of Greenwich for the first time since passing the dateline off of New Zealand what seems like years ago but was just about two months ago. As I write this I can see land off the right side of the balcony, it is the South coast of Spain, near Malaga. The girls are at the movies again tonight.

TRIVIA TIME:
Gibraltar's name came from an 8th century Berber general named Tariq, combined with the name for rock, gebal, it became Gebal Tariq. [Say it fast.]

Goodnight folks.