The rock and the sea

It all happened in a bit of a hurry, my trip to Gibraltar. There was a distinct whiff of trips to the boat, with last minute plans and a rush to get things organized. But instead of a month, this was barely a couple of days.

While it wasn't the first time I was leaving the country since I'd arrived, it was the first time I was flying. Which made the last five months the longest break from airports since I'd started flying :). I can't say I'd missed it terribly, to be honest.

Over the years I'd had a couple of opportunities to visit the rock but somehow never managed it, so I was quite thrilled to see it come into view from the aircraft! For a slip of land that small, Gibraltar packs quite a lot of interesting sights.

The customary visit to the top of the rock itself provided spectacular views out over the Mediterranean, all the way across to the hills on the African side, blanketed in a haze. And of course, views of large expanses of Spain. It is almost baffling sometimes to think how something this size has managed to maintain its own identity for this many years.

The work part of the trip involved a boat, so that's where I spent the majority of the last few days. I was not particularly surprised to see the familiarity of all things seismic hadn't left me in the slightest. I wonder how long it will be before it does, maybe a little bit.

In between work I managed to walk around a little and soaked in a little of this sun drenched, largely lazy and laid back bit of the world with its unique mix of British and Spanish accents. Special mention must be made of Ocean Village.

With every other establishment caught up in the English Premier League excitement, the gorgeous yachts tied or anchored in the marina and the occasional aircraft thundering off the runway not very far away as the sun set over the Spanish horizon, I was left thinking, this is not bad at all, hey!

Currently: ready to head back home
Listening to: John Newman - Love me again