Gibraltar

We were due to arrive in Gibraltar at lunch time – just as well as we had to wake Callum up at 9am this morning!  We'd missed breakfast in the Medina Restaurant so we ended up going to The Orangery instead and it was really busy up there.  No free tables inside so we took the opportunity to eat outside in the Pennants Bar area. It was lovely and warm but not very sunny. Seas were still very calm though.

Callum ended up going to Toy Box for an hour or so in the morning whilst we watched Aurora pull into port in Gibraltar. Fred Olsen's Black Watch was already there and was dwarfed by Aurora. The sun decided to come out as we pulled in to port so it was looking to be a good day.

 

Our original plan was to catch a cable car up the rock to see the apes, but as we disembarked we decided to take one of the taxi tours instead - £22 each including entrance fees and Callum would go free.  We would also see more than we’d initially planned as well.  It proved to be a wise decision … what we didn’t know was the amount of walking we would have done had we gone on the cable car (and the roads were really steep).

We saw lots of apes (including a couple that were just days old) and also The Pillars of Hercules, the stunning St Michaels Cave and also the Great Siege Tunnel. Oh, we also had some stunning views from the top of the rock, especially looking down onto Aurora. You could just about see the hills of Morocco through the haze.  We would have liked to have spent a little more time exploring the Great Seige Tunnels, but there’s always next time!

 

We were dropped back in town at the end of the tour and Callum was STARVING!! He saw Burger King and wanted to go there, but we found a little American Diner called Latinos and the food was fab. Callum had a huge burger and chips (and scoffed the lot!), I had a chicken sandwich and Jon the Pizza. All really tasty and freshly cooked.

We continued walking down Main Street, passed Marks and Spencers, BHS, Dorothy Perkins and the usual array of British High Street shops. I think Jon was more impressed that I resisted temptation and didn't even go into the Swarovski Shop! We eventually came to Casements Square and started to head back to the ship. The building work that we saw last year was still continuing but at least the pavements were clear this time around.

"Walking is tiring" so once back onboard we found a table at Pennants Bar to have a drink. Jenny recommended a Berry-licious Smoothie for Callum which went down a treat. Callum managed a couple of sandwiches from Kids Tea and then wanted to watch the first Great British Sailaway Party as we departed Gibraltar. Lots of music and flag waving … and even Noddy joined in the party too.

Usual evening routine and back to the Syndicate Quiz again. It's actually been really nice to chat to some fellow passengers and listen to what they've got up to during the day (both had been shopping in Marks and Spencers!). We finished in second place again ... good enough to ensure we don't win the bottle of vino on offer to the winners.

Crossing the Med

Our last sea day for a week - we would be visiting different ports of call over the next six days, so our days are going to start getting busy!! We were making steady progress across the Mediterranean heading just south of the Balearics en route to Northern Sardinia. The sun was shining and the sea was as flat as a pancake!

Callum had yet another lie-in so once again we headed up to The Orangery for breakfast. Afterwards Callum headed off to Toy Box for Teddy Bear Day. When we arrived, they were making teddy bear ears in preparation for the Teddy Bears Picnic this afternoon.  We arrived down in Toy Box and the picnic was in full swing. Callum (unsurprisingly!) was leading the way when it came to food. Sandwiches, carrots, cucumber and sausages all eaten followed by  cake with pink icing!

Tonight's formal night finished in the usual way with the quiz. We finished in joint first place ... but missed out on the tie-breaker question - how long is the Orinoco River in kilometres!