Gibraltar - the Rock

We went to the Rock. On a bus. Highly recommend a visit to the Rock on a bus. You can take pictures out the window of the bus as you approach the rock. And you don't have to sit in...

this LINE:

Not to say there wasn't a little waiting but, Gibraltar has limited space, narrow streets and where do you park once you get there? And - even if you do park on the Spanish side (parking comes at a cost) and walk across the border (border control on both Spanish and English sides), it's a bit of a jaunt. Including a trip across the Gibraltar airport runway:

See that: Ped crossing and bike crossings noted alongside the auto lane on the runway. Just a bit bizarre. Not unlike the idea that the British still hold this "rock" as their own at the entrance of the Mediterranean. Not bizarre in a "doesn't make sense" sort of way but bizarre in that they've tenaciously held onto this 6 km square piece of granite for so long.

You leave Spain behind once you cross through the only entrace/exit and enter Great Britain essentially. Per our tour guide, Andy - a retired HMS Army gentleman, only UK citizens may be residents of Gibraltar (subject to same immigration laws as UK). Gibraltar has it's own currency, the Gibraltar pound, which is based on and same rate as the British pound. However, they have NO problem accepting Euro's - just remember the 'bank' will take it's cut on the currency translation so it's best to use your credit card unless you have pounds with you.

Gibraltar is something of a Tax-free shopping haven (primarily jewelry, perfumes/cosmetiques, Tech/camera gadgets, watches and liquor/cigarettes) combined with military base. We weren't interested in the shopping so much as seeing the island. Therefore, we had opted for the "Rock" tour. Our very capable guide drove us around on the very narrow one-lane (he claimed some were two-lane - Hah!) roads.

On Europe point (southernmost exposed tip with 'gun' capacity for anything entering the Strait - the mountain behind us is Morocco):

The Straits of Gibraltar - 14 miles wide separating the African and European continents and the Atlantic/Mediterranean Seas:

We toured the St. Michael's caverns - limestone stalagmites and stalactites - incredibly beautiful and spooky all at the same time:

They actually hold concerts and events in the Cavern - the auditorium is quite large and a little damp!

Gibraltar is also known for it's monkeys - they are wild on the mountainous portion of the rock and number over 200. They're quite interested in getting a free meal from the tourists/tour guides:

This stately guy is contemplating the 2nd largest dry dock in Europe:

The number of ships and freighters within the protected port area was amazing. They anchor within the Gibraltar protection area tax-free (including fuel) until their next order comes in. Complete with beautiful weather:

From this point, you can see the Mediterranean on the right and the port of Gibraltar to the left. The runway is across the bottom of the pic with the entrance/exit road to the Rock crossing in the middle:

On the way back to the hotel - Costa del Sol, Gibraltar and Morroco/Tangiers in the background:

We enjoyed our return to Spain's southern coast:

Hope it won't be the last visit, but if so - we made some more great memories.

Next Up - more Berner Oberland! My dad (Susan's) is visiting and we got our chance to go up to the mountains - weather's been ick! - but it was a fabulous day so I have pic's to share.

Til then! Have a great day!

The Alhambra: Granada, Spain

Frazee, Minnesota has it's giant Turkey. The Autopista from Malaga to Sevilla/Cordoba/Granada has it's Bull: And reminders for your 200km journey (headed to Granada) to mind your distance:

Those pic's were taken on the return trip. We started out Sunday morning at 7am in the dark - cold and raining - to reach our destination in a timely fashion. Through the hotel, we were set up to join an English tour of the Alhambra. They suggested driving from our locale (Estepona/Marbella area) and meeting the tour vs taking the bus tour group. That gave us a bit more flexibility time-wise and allowed us toilet/coffee break when we arrived before the meeting time.

The drive was very smooth, albeit wet, thanks to a holiday weekend in Spain AND it was 7am on a Sunday. This is a country that, on average, is eating dinner at 9pm (most restaurants don't open before 7:30 and don't fill up before 9)on a Saturday night so most people weren't out and about at that time.

I have to say it's always a bit surreal when driving a long distance in a foreign place in the dark. For one, the signs are in a different language (naturally) and two, you notice 'different' things like - cars pulling little trailers with dogs in them. So we start wondering if it's a law to transport pets in a separate container in Spain? Many of the dogs looked similar in type so were they going to the dog races?????

Once the sky lightened up, we could see that the landscape was similar to CA. And then the Eagles were stuck in my head "On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair........" - hummed that (I'm sure the the annoyance of Bart) for the rest of the day! Thanks to a high school chapel assembly in which this song was labelled bad, bad, bad for me - I carry a smidgen of guilt while singing it (result of said assembly was everyone memorizing the lyrics). But I've tasted pink champagne and it didn't draw me into the depths, sooooo.... I digress.

We did not find Hotel California (even though we were by the Sierra Nevadas!) but we did find:

Once we arrived, we were a bit perturbed! at the length of time it took for the tour operator to get things going (stood and waited for 1 hour). It was not our guides fault - he was great. The downside of it being a holiday weekend is that there were a LOT of tourists there - they had a lot of groups to arrange for.

I should backtrack a little: We opted for a guided tour as the Alhambra is a large facility and we didn't want to wander around uninformed as it's typically crowded. They only sell a certain number of tickets per day and it's advisable to purchase your tickets via internet or La Caixa (bank/authorized ticket sales) by phone in advance. All ended up well as we ended up being the last(!) group to start their tour but we were the smallest - a benefit on a guided tour.

Our guide (through Granavision) was very informative, looked a little like Martin Short and talked very fast! I'm bouncing around trying to take pic's and listen all at the same time - tiring. :) The Alhambra was completed in the 14th Century by the Muslim ruling dynasty (Sultans Yusuf I and his son Mohammad V) at the time, later seized by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel of Spain in the 15th Cent. and had changes of hand/fortunes (including much destruction at the hands of Napoleon's armies who used it as barracks) until the 19th Century when restoration work to preserve this small city/fortress began.

The history is too complex for me to indulge in here. Based on the guide's discussions and closing remarks I will relay this: those who appreciate their history of the Alhambra wish others to remember it as it was in the 14th Century when Muslims, Christians and Jews lived side by side with little turmoil in this part of the world. There is little focus on the later expulsion of the Jews and Muslims (Moors) during the Inquisition period. And the guide book (the pictoral In Focus book we purchased) deals mostly with the building/original inhabitants of the Alhambra and very little regarding the Monarchs who claimed it later. Interesting contradictions all over the place.

It is a work of art in it's entirety. The way the buildings are situated. The form. The water features which include running water/fountains in most rooms. The views. The gardens.

View of the main palace from the upper gardens:

Courtyard in the Generalife (relaxing garden retreat above the Main Palace (Palacios Nazaries - and multiple other names over the years. I've chosen Main Palace to keep it simple for purposes of the blog) ):

The North Gallery and it's reflective pool at the Main Palace:

View of the Main Palace from the Generalife and Granada beyond:

View through covered 2nd floor walkway in the Generalife:

Another courtyard in the Generalife (I think I liked this part of the complex the best - all the gardens/water):

Mosaic tiles (found all throughout the Alhambra - most based on mathematics and some with religious significance):

The stucco work was incredible:

Hall of the Ambassadors: Where Columbus came and was granted financing for the America's trip - my lens couldn't catch it all (didn't bring the wide-angle with me).

I take a lot of ceiling pictures and took quite a few here. These are a few samples:

Gardens again. I love the way they are symmetrically laid out - everything placed with a purpose. Beautiful.

There were parts of the Alhambra that were not included with the tour: the Museum, the Bathhouse, the Royal Chapel and other parts of the gardens/Generalife. One could spend an entire day here. If you don't have all day, a tour is great. If you have all day to wander around - by all means do! And wear comfortable shoes - all the outdoor paths are varying degrees of inlaid stone/rock and after a couple hours your feet start to feel it.

Hope you enjoyed - we did.

Kaffe mit Leche und....

Say What!!!???

"Kaffee mit Leche" is what I said at the Cafe Bar in Granada - Spain. So I got the "Leche" right. It is very confusing - german with a sprinkling of Spanish. Best if I just used full on English maybe? Kendra ordered her dinner beautifully in German at dinner as well - and the Spanish waiter grinned and said it was very nice. Haha

That's what we get. It's a mish-mash. But funny and we have a good time laughing at ourselves. Although, when Rachel replied "gracias" to the waiter (after the 3 of us had already), he launched into a question for her in Spanish. To which she apparently replied appropriately.

She has an ear for accents and is in her 2nd Semester of Spanish (teacher from Spain). Obviously she's picked up the right tone - which the rest of us don't have. But I didn't try my West Sacramento Spanish accent on him - maybe next time. :)

It's October break, Herbstfereien, and we went back to the Costa del Sol, near Marbella, again for a few days before Bart had to get back for 3rd quarter reports. So the girls and I have a few days of down time, my dad will arrive on Friday for 2 weeks and we will see Bart again when he surfaces sometime Sunday afternoon/evening.

The weekend was nice with some expected weather. We had hoped to take the ferry over and tour Tangiers but based on weather forecasts, cancelled. That day it poured. We used the indoor pool & gym facilities and hit the Mall. Felt like we were in So. Cal minus the indoor pool/drenching rain. We did drive to Granada for a tour of the Alhambra and took a trip to the Rock - Gibraltar.

So - soon as the pic's are loaded, I'll share - we stood in the room Christopher Columbus was in when Isabella of Spain declared the financing for his America's expedition. On Columbus Day! I only knew it was Columbus day in the States since Mom had a day off - I think only the Fed's get it off at this point.

Our trip home was delayed due to the local Air Traffic Controller's (ATC) strike in France. Which affects anyone flying over French airspace. Tiresome! Our SwissAir flight was just sitting there out the window - ready to go. A crewmember was sitting on the back stairs of the exterior jetway just waiting in the late afternoon sun. We were lucky though - some airlines (esp. discount airline EasyJet) had to cancel flights. Fortunately, we were going to our final destination. I always feel for those who still have connections which might not be met. At least they get to overnight in Zurich as opposed to, well, we won't name names but a Portuguese city comes to mind and it wasn't enjoyable.

Many countries are pushing for a unified European ATC and while it may not solve union issues themselves, it would reduce the complexity of air travel in Europe. Many flights could be streamlined if there were not the individual country ATC restrictions and no-fly zone restrictions. Can you imagine if every State in the US had it's own ATC and air-space restrictions? Some restrictions/no-fly zones have to exist - that makes common sense. But the switch over from system to system and the air flight patterns - could be made more efficient in both time and fuel if they would unite. Although Switzerland is usually stand-offish on "uniting fronts", this is an issue they'd like resolved. Makes sense considering the size of the country and who they're surrounded by.

OK - enough with lectures today. Laundry to do, pictures to sort and, oh yeah, have to unbury the guest bed for Dad!

Our Happiest Place on Earth

Well - the girls might disagree and say that Disneyland is the happiest place on earth. We shall agree to disagree.

In spite of setting aside several weekends this season for hiking/weekend trips, the weather never agreed. We came to our last "free weekend" for a while and had really hoped to get going somewhere. Last Friday night, it appeared the weather might be in our favor and a quick look out the window on Saturday morning confirmed it.

So we made a quick call in the morning and obtained a "family room" for 80chf cheaper than the website had claimed the night before (we find that calling the small hotels directly can often result in cheaper fares vs booking on-line). Packed a few things and off we went.

This sign tells us we're headed in the right direction: And I had to take this pic of the GPS guiding us through the tunnel at the end/beginning of the Brunig Pass - what a corkscrew!

The hills are alive - with buses, tractors and Jaguars? Note - the tractor ahead has pulled over to let this bus go by. Basically, the downhill vehicle has the right of way unless the other vehicle has a more convenient pullout. But if a bus is coming at you on these narrow roads - it's just best to get out of the way.

See - doesn't Rachel look HAPPY! She's doing her "hills are alive" Julie Andrews impersonation. And we are - yes, Lauterbrunnen is a close enough guess. The background is the Grindelwald side of the Berner Oberland mountains we love. Left side is the Wetterhorn and right is the Schreckhorn. (the cool special fog effect in the pic is from the fog on the lens - created when camera lady put camera cover in her back pocket during walk then 'covered' her lens later - sure, did it on purpose........)

Almost looks fake doesn't it. It's a real cow that went real p...... Well, you can ask Kendra about that. :)

Our nice little find on the slopes near the Grindelwald/Maennlichen Bahn was the Hotel Aspen. The real tragedy was not taking the camera down to dinner. We didn't realized when we booked this place that the chef was known for his special menu's - beautifully presented and a menu that was hard to choose from because so much of it sounded good.

Our "family room" had a 'gallery' for the children's sleeping quarters - girls were very happy:

The mighty Eiger at the end of the day:

The next morning, we headed back toward Interlaken (although the car had a hard time not going the Lauterbrunnen direction) to a little town at the entrance of the two Valleys, called Wilderswil. This town exists to 1) keep traffic speed down between Interlaken & Grindelwald/Lauterbrunnen - tongue in cheek sort of and 2) it is the home of the historic Schynige Platte Bahn - a cog train that runs from about 600m to 1967m (not a hard # for me to remember) since the late 1800's.

Except the trains themselves aren't 100 yrs old. But sometimes it feels that way...... Here is the railstation at the top of Schynige Platte: Real quick: Schynige Platte is difficult for English speakers to figure out and after help from 2 Swiss friends, it's pronunciation is now firmly embedded in my brain cells. In English phonetics it's pronounced: sheen-eeg-eh plah-teh. I was determined Bart would have it down by days end. Carrying on now......

Cog trains run on a track (below) rather than a regular rail - no regular wheels on this - the cogs have some 'teeth.' This allows trains to climb a steep surface over a short distance without losing ground or - becoming a runaway train. These trains move veeerrrrrrryyyyyyy slowly but since the scenery is pretty spectacular, one doesn't mind.

What is special about Schynige Platte? From the top of the Platte, one can see Interlaken (transl. 'between the lakes) bordered by Lakes Thun and Lake Brienz on one side and from the other, the Grindewald and Lauterbrunnen Valleys with the Berner Oberland mountain range (Wetterhorn, Eiger, Moench, Jungfrau, Breiterhorn, etc....) We could sit and look at these mountains all day, every day - Magnificent!

This was mine and Rachel's first trip up. Rachel had been ill for a day several years before and Bart & Kendra had come up with Gma Elaine and J. I was excited to see my favorite mountains from a different point of view. I could handle a few more lunches up here - on the ridge - you can see Lauterbrunnen on the left and Lake Thun to the right:

We had a great 'spur of the moment' trip. A great end to the hiking season which for us wasn't filled with much hiking due to weather this summer. But we'll take every nice day we get!!! We'll be back - booked Ski Break in Wengen again!

Triplets again :)

A video of the distracting, little, black creatures next door. Complete with my annoying voice.

Does anyone like the sound of their own voice? I really tried not saying anything. Bart and I both decided it's hard to video and not talk. Guess "camera man" should not be a future job consideration.

I hope you enjoy anyway.

Had a great talk with sister Deb in HI this morning (and Mom last night). Good news from this week's appt. for Baby J. It was evident since the first failed hearing test that there was an issue but until he was old enough, the extensive tests couldn't be done. There is an issue but the main praise is that the low/mid-range hearing is all there - lot's of prayers answered. Dr's said that without extensive, early testing it probably wouldn't have been caught until he was 3 - 4 yrs old. Yeah - so much they can do and so much to be thankful for.

AND, sister Kris is in the "happiest place on earth", Anaheim style, with cousin J - Happy 40th!!! - and the family crowd. AND, that little person she is carrying is a HE. Whoo Hoo! So excited for all of them.

We are off to our 'happy place.' Spur of the moment.

Anyone care to guess where our 'happy place' is? I'll let you know when we get back tomorrow night - complete with pictures.

:)