Back to Gibraltar (Part 2)

Gibraltar National Day - Nicky joined the locals in dressing in
red and white (Gibraltar’s national colours)    

Gibraltar National Day was a glorious day with clear blue skies and lots of sunshine. We dressed BV overall in celebration and, after a morning of chores, cleaning the decks to remove the build-up of Saharan dust from the decks and flushing the fridge cooling system through, we set off to enjoy the fun.

A short walk along the old waterfront ramparts gave a good view down on our marina before heading along Main Street towards Casemates Square.

Casemates Square    

Gibraltar’s national colours of red and white were the theme and even the shop windows were dressed in the same colours. The square was crammed with people after the political rally and we arrived just in time to see the helicopter flypast, fireworks and music. It was all very lively and great fun to see.

Marina Bay

As things quietened down in the square, and the locals all went off for slap-up celebratory meals, we wandered into Marina Bay. There too everyone was in full party mode in the cruise ship hotel, casino, restaurants and on the quays.

The Moorish Tower (L) and the Governor’s house (bottom R) with guardroom opposite   

Wandering a little further afield we had a good view of the Moorish Tower decorated with a huge Gibraltarian flag and back in the city centre we passed the Lt Governor’s house with cannon and guardroom facing it on the opposite side of the square.

Statue of Lord Nelson and the Trafalgar cemetery (top)   

The route brought us back to the marina through the old city walls and past the statue of Lord Nelson and the small Trafalgar cemetery, where many of the casualties from the Battle of Trafalgar are buried.

The day’s celebrations ended with a huge firework display set off from the detached mole on the outside of the harbour. From the corner of our marina we had an excellent vantage point; the perfect way to end the day.

Gibraltar