Gibraltar. Spanglish (Ingleñol).
One of remaining British colonies. Disputed belligerently by Spain after they lost in 1713. An interesting British outpost where, unusually, citizens can effortlessly switch from English to Spanish. There are many Moroccan immigrants everywhere as well, making it an English, Spanish, Arabic and French speaking country.
The Rock (as it is fondly referred to) has an intriguing mix of Victorian and Mediterranean architecture. It is funny to see typical British pubs situated in houses with bright red Mediterranean wooden window shutters. And everything looks like it is stuck in the summer of 1965. Everything seems so old fashioned, and some of the structures in the heart of the city are monstrous and so ugly that there are no decent words to describe them. Fortunately there are many construction areas, but what is being erect will only make Gibraltar look a little more modern, but hardly any prettier.
The Queen’s Hotel, where I stayed, was a classic example of the second half of the 1960’s mentality, and it seemed that it was the last time it was painted, furnished, and ... cleaned. My room smelled so badly, that I almost had a convulsion. I forced open the terrace doors (they might have been last open a few years ago) and slept under an additional blanket as it stayed open wide all night.
Two terrible facts about Gibraltar: the food is awful - no decent seafood restaurant anywhere; and flies - real swarms of these disgusting insects. A new Marina trying to establish itself as a posh restaurants district (and it is doing quite well), but apart from one or two eateries there, it is extremely hard to find good fresh seafood, and even at the extremely overpriced The Waterfront restaurant, the main dishes were meat-based. The only decent one was Casa Pepe, run by a Spaniard, which offered fresh catch, but shellfish was not on the menu somehow - apart from prawns.
Gibraltar must be the only place in the British empire where a completely random person can walk and drive directly on the airport runway. Well, the airport is the runway, and it is frighteningly short!
The legendary Barbary Apes, who have no tail, are known for snatching plastick bags, so visitors to the top of the Rock are already warned in the cable car to hide the bags under their shirts. The restaurant at the top of the country offers spectacular views of Gibraltar, Spain and all the way to Africa. Unfortunately it is just a dodgy and smelly buffet that does not serve freshly made dishes and is a combination of a tourist-trap shop as well. Such a perfect place for a quality restaurant and it is so misused!
