Gibraltar and Spain - September, 2006

Gibraltar

One of the many big freighters we crossed paths with in the Straits.

This is our radar screen, showing the dozens of targets that represent these big freighters.

Joe at the helm with The Rock in the background.

One of the entrances through the defensive wall that surrounds the city of Gibraltar.  This one is relatively new.

That is Zia tied alongside the wall at Queensway Quay Marina.

Lots of cannons all over town...

You can see the Spanish influence in the courtyard off the main cathedral.

Not to mention the Arab influence at the southern end of The Rock.  The mosque is closed to the public for security reasons, we were told.

Also at the southern end, Point Europa lighthouse.

This is the symbol on the flag of Gibraltar, depicted here in the beautiful Botanical Gardens that run through the center of the city.

This cannon was right next to the boat, providing a convenient playground for the girls!

A view of the busy harbor on the way up to the Upper Rock.  Zia is tied up in front of the red-roofed building in the middle of the picture.

One of the stalagmites grew too heavy and fell inside St. Michaels cave.  This is a cross section of it.

The border with Spain is just the other side of the airport runway.

Our favorite site on Gibraltar Day - a Mexican band!

Casement Square on Gibraltar Day.

All decked out in our red and white for the occassion!

Of course they had a play area for kids and ours took full advantage of it!

You can see the minaret of the mosque and the Europa Point Lighthouse as we leave Gibraltar.

The Eastern side of The Rock.

Costa del Sol

Marbella, where we spent a quiet night at anchor.

The Sierra Nevada mountain range runs the length of the Andalusian Coast from Gibraltar to Cabo de Gata.

Sunset in La Herradura.

The beach in La Herradura, with Zia at anchor.

There were 15 of these in the sky at any one time.  They would take off from the hillside just to the left of that hotel and ride the wind currents along the edge of the hill, landing on the beach right behind us.

Our boating friends from La Herradura.

The wind and the waves don't look so bad in photographs!

Proof of our max speed on the trip up to Valencia.

Cabo de la Nao lighthouse, by Xabia.

Valencia (Ba-LEN-thia)

The Port America's Cup is a huge complex dedicated to the upcoming 32nd running of the race in Valencia starting in June 2007.  Here are some keels from old America's Cup boats on display.

All of this is new.  The marina complex is at the rear of the photo.  The channel leads into the port area for the competing boats.

Each competing team has its own section of the port.

One of the old America's Cup boats at dock at the Real Club Nautico de Valencia, where we stayed.

Ruben and Laura were wonderful tour guides.