So Dave had spoken to our son Marcus on our arrival in Nerja on Monday afternoon & then informed me that we were due to collect him from Malaga airport 3 days later at 8:40pm on Thursday evening, that he would be staying 4 nights and would be returning to the UK on Monday.
So the previous day I thought I’d give him a call to advise NOT to only pack shorts and sunglasses as it IS winter over here and you DO need a broader selection of attire ! At the end of the conversation, I said “OK sweetheart – so we’ll see you tonight” at which point he announced that he had booked his flight for the FOLLOWING Thursday (i.e. the day we were leaving Nerja 😐…)
In the end (given the lovely Pizza & Wine Day at Kevin & Helen’s) it all worked out for the best BUT we had never planned to stay for TWO and a half weeks in Nerja so we looked at the map and on the Friday morning headed for Gibraltar !!! (and will pick up Marcus NEXT Thursday returning to Nerja for another week…)
We arrived mid-afternoon, had a late lunch in The Van and then trundled off on the bikes (with our passports !!!) 2 minutes up the road to Border Control…
And a couple of stamps later we were suddenly in a different country !!! As you come out of Border Control, the road is called “Winston Churchill Avenue” so Dave got a selfie with that in the background & also one of me with the Gibraltar sign… And one with the famous Rock of Gibraltar behind us. We took the shot (& it looks very cloudy) but 5 minutes later all the clouds had dispersed and it was azure blue skies & sunshine…
We had a bit of a cycle around and it was strange seeing shops like Mothercare and Early Learning Centre that have long disappeared from the UK – to still be thriving over there… We then had a beer & a wine in Casemates Square but it wasn’t as vibrant as it had been in Cartagena the previous Friday so we popped to the supermarket for a few snacks & returned to The Van to plan our “proper” tour the following day…
… and got pulled up by the Border Control guy as we weren’t wearing cycle helmets 😳
{I’ve since looked it up on t’internet and apparently it ISN’T compulsory to wear a helmet in the UK and it’s ONLY compulsory to wear a helmet if you’re UNDER 16 !!! I know I was a child-bride 😂 but sadly it’s been a LONG time since either of us could pass for under-16 !!! As ever – Spanish bureaucracy at it’s best 😐}
