BLOG: Our daily adventures,
Week 1: Gibraltar to Los Barrios
January 8th - 14th
- Day 1: Zurich - Heathrow - Gibraltar
We left the Kinderhaus Bodensee in the very early morning of the 8th of January, for a very slow taxi ride (70km/h on the autobahn) in the snow to Zurich airport. We are ready for any covid tribulations: Our negative PCR-tests, done the previous day, in our pockets, our UK passenger locator form ready for our transit in Heathrow, our covid vaccine passes and regular passport in our day packs. Zurich airport is empty, a ghost of its past...appart from the regular checking queue... empty corridors and deserted yodeling trains to the international departures terminal. We take off on a perfect swiss timing and slept all the way to Heathrow our first stop.
There, in London HTR, we experienced quite the opposite: a "cahotique", crowded and kilometre-long queuing lines to pass the very few open security chek counters... fully loaded terminals (very counterproductive anti-covid measures) ...we barely made it on time for our boarding...luckily our flight crew was missing, which left us a good hour of peacefully waiting before embarking on our final flight destination Gibraltar: just enough time to fill another passenger locator form (this time for the Gibraltar authorities) and book and pay for our rapid antigenic covid test (called actually a "lateral flow test by the locals to sound funkier).
Both Laterally flowing negatively, we jump in the next taxi for an educative ride to what will be our hotel, last taste of luxury and preparation headquarter for the next 2 days. Our driver, enthusiastic, tells us all about the only airport runway that you can cross by foot and car, and for which the road traffic has to be interrupted to let the next plane land or take off. Warmly welcomed for our first day in Gibraltar, with the happy surprise of an article about our project "making it" into Celine's homecounty (Alsace) newspaper. We are overjoyed !
Both Laterally flowing negatively, we jump in the next taxi for an educative ride to what will be our hotel, last taste of luxury and preparation headquarter for the next 2 days. Our driver, enthusiastic, tells us all about the only airport runway that you can cross by foot and car, and for which the road traffic has to be interrupted to let the next plane land or take off. Warmly welcomed for our first day in Gibraltar, with the happy surprise of an article about our project "making it" into Celine's homecounty (Alsace) newspaper. We are overjoyed !
We celebrate our arrival on the beautiful sunny and warm terrasse, of the Rock Hotel (coincidentally located on Europa Road) : our favorite cocktails double on the Rock (on the Gibraltar Rock).
We learn from the giant Hall of fame exhibited in the lobby that John Lennon came here to get married to Yoko Ono: they flew in from London, got married in a few hours at the Rock Hotel and flew back, almost as fast, with their private jet (Gibraltar must have been, back then, the Las Vegas of Europe).
Our neighbors at the next table (two beautiful ladies (Carol and her mother Rosalita/Rose) and a very talkative man (David)), started to engage a conversation with us...a few more cocktails later, we got ourselves a date with our new friend and historian, Dr. David Robinson, to explore what the locals call "the jungle" and its semi-secret (known only to the inhabitants) tunnels carved in the Rock of Gibraltar.
- Day 2: January 9th - Celine's birthday - guided tour of Gibraltar and its tunnels by Dr. Robinson - 13km.
We wake up early to meet our new friend and historian, Dr. David Robinson, who becomes our tour guide for the day. He leads us through a labyrinth of tunnels carved into the Rock of Gibraltar while talking about the history/politics/economy/environment in Gibraltar. Plenty of anecdotes.
The British military, constructed the fortification and defensive tunnels initially in the 18th century against the Spanish. And, later on, during WW2, the British dug out even more tunnels. David is leading us to a set of tunnels that is not yet open to the tourists. They are only known to the locals who can access it through an unlocked metallic gate.
The tunnels were created by blasting out the rock with dynamite and then dug all out by hands. They knew how to use the natural splits in the rock to place the dynamite charges and blow out everything.
The whole area we are visiting used to be called "the jungle" by the locals, since the plants took over and blocked the access of the tunnels. The government only started to clean the area recently to render those tunnels eventually accessible to the tourists in the future.
The tunnels were created by blasting out the rock with dynamite and then dug all out by hands. They knew how to use the natural splits in the rock to place the dynamite charges and blow out everything.
The whole area we are visiting used to be called "the jungle" by the locals, since the plants took over and blocked the access of the tunnels. The government only started to clean the area recently to render those tunnels eventually accessible to the tourists in the future.
There are more roads inside the rock than there is outside. Some of these caves have been locked for more than 50 years and got forgotten.
During WW2 an operation was prepared here. The British were worried that Franco might allow Hitler into Spain and that Gibraltar would get taken. In the event of that happening, they had planned to leave some special forces units here in tunnels that they've constructed here, way on the top of the rock, secretly, so they could spy on what the Germans were doing.
They were prepared to live there for about 3 years so they built all the necessary accommodations to survive in there: they had doctors, sleeping areas, offices, toilets, gigantic water tanks, etc..
A doctor, still living here in Gibraltar, 98 years old, had been one of the doctors who were supposed to be part of this operation. Thanks to his help, the authorities were able to find these caves and tunnels.
During WW2 an operation was prepared here. The British were worried that Franco might allow Hitler into Spain and that Gibraltar would get taken. In the event of that happening, they had planned to leave some special forces units here in tunnels that they've constructed here, way on the top of the rock, secretly, so they could spy on what the Germans were doing.
They were prepared to live there for about 3 years so they built all the necessary accommodations to survive in there: they had doctors, sleeping areas, offices, toilets, gigantic water tanks, etc..
A doctor, still living here in Gibraltar, 98 years old, had been one of the doctors who were supposed to be part of this operation. Thanks to his help, the authorities were able to find these caves and tunnels.
David also explains us how Gibraltar's government is all corrupted. All of the chief and senior ministers in the government are coming from 2 of the most powerful law firms in town. They come from the same wealthy elite families, study law abroad in UK's finest universities then come back in Gibraltar and get into power. Then they give the government contracts to their own law firms. No one says "Hang on a second, something there is shady". The idea of conflict of interest just doesn’t exist. And there’s no real political opponent there because the voters think "What the point, there is nothing you can do". All sorts of shady deals, money laundering schemes, tax evasion happen here in this offshore british territory and fiscal paradise.
Britain has many of these small offshore territories like the Caiman islands, Guernsey, Jersey...they all turn into offshore financial centres where all sorts of dodgy deals get done. In fact the British offshore banking system funds about 60/70% of the world’s business projects.
Gibraltar’s bank account are full of money from what is called "capital flight from Africa".
That's what Dr. Robinson calls "informal empire". When the British empire collapsed, it still maintained its financial power thanks to offshore banking.
Gibraltar’s bank account are full of money from what is called "capital flight from Africa".
That's what Dr. Robinson calls "informal empire". When the British empire collapsed, it still maintained its financial power thanks to offshore banking.
A lot of money Laundry is going on in Gibraltar. The Russian mafia, with its giant yatchs, for example, come here to buy a millions worth of a house here and sell it years later to get their money cleaned. Everyone knows. There is an interesting documentary called "The spider’s web" that describes this and the history of the British offshore banking system from the end of the British empire.
When it comes to tax evasion, some houses here are worth millions, empty houses. The british would be registered in Gibraltar as tax residents without ever living here. They would then only pay taxes in Gibraltar on all their worldwide income.
When it comes to tax evasion, some houses here are worth millions, empty houses. The british would be registered in Gibraltar as tax residents without ever living here. They would then only pay taxes in Gibraltar on all their worldwide income.
The best way to circulate among the narrow streets of Gibraltar is by scooter. David explains that here there are more cars than parking spaces, leaving the inhabitants frantically looking for a parking spot as if playing a game of "musical chairs". So the locals prefer to adopt the scooter as their means of locomotion: we witness streets lined up with these. David describes their way of driving in these terms: "Honestly the way they ride them would make Rome looks like a bunch of old ladies on a Sunday".
Another historic anecdote from Dr. Robinson: The admiral Nelson was shot during the battle of Trafalgar and his body was repatriated in a barrel of Brandy. The sailors aboard the Victory ship may have drunk a sip or two of the precious liquid when his remains were still inside, hence, the now famous saying: "tapping the admiral".
After a little good-bye dinner with David, Carol, Rose and Jack at the Jury's restaurant, we head to the docks for the sunset...I play a few songs in the sun. On our way back we meet a kid who was fishing with his dad, he shows us his catch of the day, 3 fish, baptised Nemo, Devil and Happy Birthday (how synchronistic, on my birthday!).
We are resting our legs after the first 13km done by following Dr. Robinson and his tour of the Jungle and the town at the base of the Rock.
- Day 3: January 10th - Visit of the upper levels of the Rock - 14km
On our way, to visit the upper Rock, we meet Linus, a German, who has been cycling through Europe from Stuttgart. Remembering his own cycling journey of 7000 km through the Canadian west coast to Anchorage in Alaska, Casey feels instantly the need to talk.
Attached to Linus bike a gigantic traditional smoked ham that will accompany him on its way along the coast of Spain and Portugal.
Attached to Linus bike a gigantic traditional smoked ham that will accompany him on its way along the coast of Spain and Portugal.
We then climb what the locals call "the Mediterranean steps, a set of steep stairs along the Cliffs. We almost got hit by stones thrown from the top by the most peculiar inhabitants of the Rock: monkeys.
The intricate steps leading to this amazing perspective of Gibraltar's Rock.
Gibraltar is known for its monkeys. They can become quite agressive as Dr. Robinson has experienced it, getting bitten by them twice. They must have come across either deliberately by the Maures or by some other ship. They are macaques for the Atlas Mountains and they are about 300 here on Gibraltar.
Of course there is an old British tradition attached to them. In Britain, an old tradition stipulates that if the ravens leave the Tower of London, it will fall down. So, the British somehow translated a similar superstition here with the monkeys: Gibraltar will always be British as long as there are monkeys on the Rock.
This superstition went so far that in the second World War, when the population of monkeys was running down in the middle of the war, Churchill allowed more from Morocco to be brought over.
Of course there is an old British tradition attached to them. In Britain, an old tradition stipulates that if the ravens leave the Tower of London, it will fall down. So, the British somehow translated a similar superstition here with the monkeys: Gibraltar will always be British as long as there are monkeys on the Rock.
This superstition went so far that in the second World War, when the population of monkeys was running down in the middle of the war, Churchill allowed more from Morocco to be brought over.
At the top of the Rock, again, tunnels connecting, this time, different parts of a complex machinery which was necessary to help calibrate/adjust/supply the heavy weaponry and cannons dating from WW2.
At the commands of one of these: what seems to be Teenager Casey's perfect Doppelganger.
At the very top, this canon, pointing, as Casey's finger, at Africa only a little less than 15 km away under the nonchalant eyes of this monkey.
We go on discovering the little marvels along the slopes of the Rock...this time we are about to have a definitively awakening experience.
Carved, this time, naturally, we enter saint Michael's cave...
...a cathedral of stalactites and stalagmites rendered even more grandiose and magical by a sound and light show projected on them. We got goosebumps!
Casey, fighting his fear of heights by crossing the suspended bridge: stunning view of the harbor above a vertiginous valley.
At the top, this orientation table showing that Los Angeles on the U.S. West Coast is at exactly the same amount of km that Casey and I will have to walk to reach the North Pole.
Happy Casey among the flowers...never seen these in winter time!
Our hike up, down, and around the Rock was the perfect training before leaving the next day with our full backpacks. 14 km done!
For a first total of 13 + 14 =27km
For a first total of 13 + 14 =27km
- Day 4: January 11th - Leaving Gibraltar behind for our first "real hike" to reach the next landmark of our itinerary - 15km
We depart, at last, from Gibraltar. Little picture time to immortalize our starting point, our hotel street is conveniently named "Europa road" which is perfectly fitting with the goal of our project to hike across Europa from south to North.
We stroll down the streets of the old Gibraltar, towards the border located on the other side of Gibraltar's airport runway. One of, if not the only, runway in the world that allows you to walk or drive across it via the only road access to Gibraltar. The traffic is interrupted when planes land or take off.
We then pass through the Spanish border control with very minimalist checks, we just flash our european passport at a distance under the flegmatic look of the border agents...no covid test or pass are asked, despite our readiness to provide all the documents.
We now enter the city of la Linea de la conception : direct shocking contrast between the luxury of Gibraltar on the other side of the border and the poverty of La Linea with its small but animated mercado, its rundown buildings and deserted streets.
We try to get out of the industrial outskirts of la Linea, struggling to find an alternative to walking along the highway to San Roque.
After a failed attempt to find a pedestrian path along the main highway.
After a failed attempt to find a pedestrian path along the main highway.
We google our way at last to a path that takes us on a detour, away from the highway, avoiding also the nearby military zone, above La Linea, up into the hills of la Sierra Carbonera.
We hike up the hill, slowly accustoming ourselves with carrying the 17kg of our backpacks, pushed by the strong wind, up the hill, on la Sierra Carbonera: around us old bunkers from WW2, we walk on a small paved road then on small sendero made of rocky red/orange dirt.
It is our first night camping outside, we fight against the wind to prevent our tent from flying away...we have to avoid spiky bushes and uproot loads of spiky flowers to clean out the small grass area where we want to pitch our tent...
Amazing view of the sunset on Gibraltar's bay and little evening snack time, from the rounded rooftop of a nearby bunker. The rock seems, like a factory pipe, to emit a stream of smoke with elongated clouds blown westward across it by the wind. And in the forefront, the actual petrol refinery chimneys, this time, definitely emitting its toxic fumes in the far distance.
15km done fully loaded, for a total of 42km
- Day 5: January 12th - From the Sierra Carbonera to San Roque - 16km
We are walking through la Sierra Carbonera, a dry rocky landscape and toundra-like area, with again, loads of spiky plants/bushes and old military bunkers along our way. On our path, we meet Valentin and his uncle Edouardo (both on vacation here and coming from France). Edouardo, 70 years old, is coming back after 50 years of absence in San Roque where he was born and raised, trying to revive his childhood memories and showing the area to his nephew Valentin (himself photographer and gastronomic tour guide).
Valentin recommends us to explore the little villages (Cassares/Gauvin) in the mountains behind San Roque, they are known for their preserved nature and, to the ornithology lovers, for the perfect place to go to capture photographs of vultures, storks and other rare species birds who fly above the area. Apparently the villagers live quite simply and offer shelter to the hikers, serving a cuisine that is still from the medieval time. Too bad, it is not on our planned itinerary.
His uncle Eduardo ( Édouard) is originally from San Roque (military base). He informs us that the name of the area "Sierra Carbonera" comes from the word carbon (=coal). Back then whole area was known for its coal production. The locals harvested the roots of the short bushes seen in la sierra to produce coal. Now that this era is over, these small trees became more abundant and overgrew into massive spiky bushes in the area to the point that Eduardo can hardly recognize the landscape or cannot access the places he used to know as a child.
Gibraltar's bay was a very develop harbor with the coal industry which served, back in the days, as point of supply for steam ships to reload coal when coming back from an Transatlantic expedition or loading up for one. When ships/boats started to use engins powered by gazoline, the coal industry, becoming obsolete, disappeared, leaving the population jobless, until Franco built his petrol refinery for which they now work. Franco's idea was to provide new jobs for the inhabitants of San Roque area but also, according to our friend Dr. Robinson, to purposely pollute the area who was, back then, one of the favorite place of leisure for privileged Gibraltarians to built their summer houses and properties. Now being one of the most polluted area in Spain, with a very high rate of cancers, all these mansions built around San Roque and Algeciras became abandoned and unsaleable.
After this historical lesson by Eduardo and Valentin, we leave the Sierra to reach San Roque, after a quick refill of food at the local supermercado, we pitch our tent in a nearby park in the dark.
Sunny wake up the next day.
16km done for a Total of: 42+16= 58km
- Day 6: January 13th - From the San Roque to La Finca Del Patron - 14.5km
This 18th century drinking fountain is one of San Roque's timeless symbols. Its name appears in old songs and legends. The vision of the fountain is linked to old-fashioned water carriers, who would put their water pitchers brimming with fresh spring water on their donkeys' backs and supply it to the inhabitants of the city of San Roque. The fountain has always been a recreational center for the locals, a resting place for the walkers and inhabitants of the neighboring Arca mountains when they came to the town center. The town folks who identify closely with the fountain were the ones who gave the place its name - Fuente Maria Espana - against the wishes of the mayor who had wanted HIS name to be used.
Not unlike these old times tales, the fountain is still used by the locals to collect fresh drinking water, in the span of half an hour we saw a "cortege" of water seekers coming in and out to fill their huge galons of water at the fountain. The locals don't like to drink their polluted, chlorinated water and rather come here to supply themselves in drinking water.
For Casey and I, the luke warm water provided by the fountain was the perfect opportunity to test my newly acquired christmas gift "the Scrubba", a wash bag given by my brother, to do our first laundry. Very useful piece of equipment..thumbs up for you David!
On our path leaving the town of San Roque, we are surrounded by farmland and lush landscapes. Casey briefly tries to reenact his childhood vacations in Montana by talking to the cows along our way and reverting back to the tiny cowboy he used to be on his uncle estate.
The trees along our paths are mainly eucalyptus which, apparently, came from Australia and took over the local plants territory.
We also witness fields of cork trees - which I called crying trees - who are harvested to produce the corks that you pop out of your wine bottles. We were told later down the line that this harvest is authorized only every 9 years so the parcel of trees harvested can regrow its skin. Cork oak trees can be harvested for the first time for cork bark after about 25 years. Thereafter, the tree bark is harvested every 9 years. A cork tree will be “stripped,” on average, sixteen times in its 150 to 200 life. There is a saying in Portugal (where most of the world’s cork oak forests exist) that: Nature got it wrong–there should be a cork harvest every year, but women should have babies just once every nine years.
They use a special varnish to protect the harvested tree from insects and parasites. The industry is quite lucrative for the harvesters, they can make quick cash in the span of two weeks for the job. However, it is done always in the peak of temperatures in the summer (40 degrees C in the shade) and the workers camp there from one piece of land to the next and are quite exhausted after these 2 weeks carving out cork out of the trees - "dead" - was the exact term used by our friend Steve to describe the workers state after harvest.
They use a special varnish to protect the harvested tree from insects and parasites. The industry is quite lucrative for the harvesters, they can make quick cash in the span of two weeks for the job. However, it is done always in the peak of temperatures in the summer (40 degrees C in the shade) and the workers camp there from one piece of land to the next and are quite exhausted after these 2 weeks carving out cork out of the trees - "dead" - was the exact term used by our friend Steve to describe the workers state after harvest.
We are taken aback by the beauty of the intricate patterns of these trees' branches which grew swirlingly according to the mood of the strong winds in the area.
The sun start to set slowly and we are still looking for a place to set camp, everything around us and along the road is fenced farmland.
Luckily we find a gate open leading to El finca del Patron - very intimidating name - to pitch our tent..(let's say we'd rather not meet el patron when wild-camping on his property). the next morning was another first fun time experience "how to un-pitch your tent when its raining cats and dogs" with a heavy rain that ask us to deploy some kind of ingeniosity to keep most of our equipment dry.
14.5km done for a Total of: 58+14.5=72.5
- Day 7: January 14th - From La Finca Del Patron to Los Barrios - 12.5km
After a rainy start, we cover bodies, guitalele and backpacks, and off we go walking in the country side towards Los Barrios.
The sun seems to beam on Los Barrios on the distance..pointing at the goal of the day.
The local population: cows, disproportionate insects and Goats.
Casey, most certainly, regretting not to have taken 3 of these goats on our trip to carry the heavy load off our back onto theirs.
After the heavy rain this morning our shoes keep accumulating what seems to be argile dirt all along our way through the pastures, adding what feels like 1 extra kg under each foot.
At the entrance of Los Barrios, a conveniently located bar/restaurant welcomes our muddy and hungry selves. We order a carnival of tapas, each more delicious than the previous one: potatoes/octopus salad, shrimps tacos and caso frito con "marmelade", fried chicken.
We take this opportunity to : warm our bones, charge our digital maps/phones, and invade the bar's bathroom to clean ourselves, our shoes and our clothes.
At the entrance of Los Barrios, a conveniently located bar/restaurant welcomes our muddy and hungry selves. We order a carnival of tapas, each more delicious than the previous one: potatoes/octopus salad, shrimps tacos and caso frito con "marmelade", fried chicken.
We take this opportunity to : warm our bones, charge our digital maps/phones, and invade the bar's bathroom to clean ourselves, our shoes and our clothes.
Celebrating our first achievement by sticking our "walk your talk - en marche" logos in Los Barrios.
Starting from here, we will follow at last a real european hiking trail: the E12 (Arco Mediterraneo).
This leads us to our next charming wild-campsite next to a small lake reflecting the beautiful moonlight. Romantic!
12.5km done for a total of 72.5+12.5=85km