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Page 21
PLACES VISITED
Date: 21st Feb Place: Gibralter
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Woke up on Tuesday to find the ship at anchor and Gibralter looming above us in the mist. It was a dull cold day and warm clothes essential for comfort. We were almost first ashore in the first tender to leave the ship and we set off on foot to explore. We found the town shopping centre and walked its length without being particularly impressed. Nothing but shops selling cheap rubbish as tourist souvenirs. We eventually tired of looking for something of interest and hired a taxi to take us to the parts of Gibralter too far away to reach on foot. The driver set off for Europa point, past many buildings
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PLACES VISITED
Date: Place: Gibralter
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belonging to the British Army, and from the point back up above the town on the Rock itself. We stopped at several vantage points to look out over the town and could see Orcades clearly with the docks around, and the airstrips built out into the sea. At one place where we stopped the Rock Apes were bouncing about - on and off visitors backs and up and down the walls beside the road. They are funny little things but I wasn't sure what to make of them when two leapt on my own back and decided I needed a thorough examination for fleas. From there we descended to the
Page 23
PLACES VISITED
Date: Place: Gibralter
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town again, passing an old Moorish Castle on the way. Our driver only charged a pound, which seemed reasonable for the length of the trip and all the things he pointed out to us. So once more we were wondering through the streets. All the ships doing a roaring trade by this time with all their gaudy wares suspended round the entrance to each one. The flowers for sale were beautiful, but everything else seemed rather overdone for the benefit of tourists. At least we reached the jetty again, and were not really sorry to be leaving Gibralter in the mist, for our comfortable ship. She sailed very
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PLACES VISITED
Date: Place: Gibralter
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promptly and two men were left behind. This small mistake of the time we were leaving cost them £30 each, the cost of the fare to Naples, Orcades next stop.
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PLACES VISITED
Date: 23rd Feb Place: Naples
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More mist and the town this time Naples! Once more we docked in the early morning and at first Naples was a fairy like collection of castles and houses above the mist. This gradually cleared and a brilliant sun was shining by the time we had finished breakfast and had our various cards stamped and money changed. We had booked for a coach trip to Pompeii and were hurried into a luxury coach as we left the ship. Our guide was a rather garrulous middle aged Neapolitan who kept us all in order while we were under his care. Any romantic notions of a fairy tale town were soon dispelled