Gibraltar and La Linea (posted from the UK)

Current Location: Boat in La Linea marina, Spain. Us in Southampton, UK.

We are back in the UK now for a few weeks but I wrote this before we flew back.....

Made it to Gibraltar - the first stage complete

Whilst not strictly the meeting point of two oceans it does feel that way here in Gibraltar. Well we aren't actually in Gibraltar but in a new marina in La Linea, Spain immediately north of Gib. In fact we are so close to Gib that we can see both the border and the airport from the marina. It will only take us 10 minutes to walk to the terminal building on Sunday when we fly. Although the border can be problematical when relations sour between Spain and the UK we understand that that is only for cars rather than foot passengers. Car queues were certainly long and vociferous yesterday.

Crossing the airport runway

La Linea is a poor town hard hit by the recent recession (see http://m.spiegel.de/international/europe/a-840854.html for the whole sorry story although things have improved somewhat since then) but the new marina is excellent, well protected and cheap with friendly staff. We've checked in for 7 weeks and have been impressed by the town too - no pretensions, but friendly and welcoming.

It's got to be Spain

At last it really feels as though we are on holiday. At last we can relax. Even though we are in Spain it feels pretty British in the marina with as much English as Spanish spoken. At last we've got to a place where you can put your toilet paper down the pan rather than in a little tub of dubious cleanliness.

Washing Day.......

....under the shadow of the Rock

As for Gibraltar it's a bit like Marmite - you either love it or hate it. I love them both. Walk across the runway of the airport from La Linea and you are in little England. More English than Essex with tattoos, large red and white bodies and cigarettes everywhere. There's basically a rock, a shopping street (Main Street) and an airport. Main Street has Marks and Spencer, Mothercare, pubs serving English breakfasts, an Anglican cathedral for Linda (though most Gibraltarians are Catholic apparently), the Rock fish and chips shop and red telephone boxes.

Britain's only Mediterranean enclave and so proud of it it is. The Rock sits up there with its Union Jack flying, mocking poor Spain sitting below. Gibraltar is heaving with affluent people making the most of duty free goods whilst across the border you have the down at heel but very real community of La Linea. Apparently most of its wealth though comes from offshore banking and offshore, online gaming companies. Everywhere is evidence of our former colonial glory - sculptures, monuments, tunnels, RAF offices, government buildings. It really is a wierd place.

But for us, underlying all this, is the underlying frisson of adventure. We are not the only boat here preparing for an Atlantic crossing. Almost every day we learn of new arrivals, either already in Gib or just a few days away. Talk is of provisioning, of weather forecasts, of mechanical problems discovered and mechanical problems solved. In all the marinas boats are being filled with stores for the crossing. The atmosphere is hard to explain but it's there, just under the surface, bubbling with expectation and excitement.

A great choice of emergency tucker at Marks and Spencer, Gibraltar