Hola
So it looks as if we’ll be here another week because the weather gods, very kind to us on our way here, are being less kind about our wanting to leave. But when you cruise you have to play by the rules of the weather gods or you lose. Speaking of losing, the Sox need to get themselves together here…not doing so well which is a July pattern they have.
We went to Gibraltar last night and had dinner on our friends Sue and Ed’s boat to talk about the London passage. About 8:30ish Randal and I left their boat and just serendipitously caught the last bus back from Queensway Quay to the bus terminal and the last bus from the bus terminal to the border. (We’d only looked at the schedule going to Queensway Quay and not the return schedule.) At one stop a woman had a long discussion with the driver, I assume about whether it was the correct bus for her. They were speaking in Spanish so I don’t know. After a bit she turned to me and explained that they were talking about chickens. She’d been raised with chickens so had been raised with fresh eggs. She was lamenting that now everything was grown in mass and hot houses so nothing was really fresh or seasonal. She said watermelon and grapes were for the summer. Oranges were for the winter. And don’t get her started on tomatoes! It was quite interesting and quite true. Once upon a time we looked forward to summer and all of the summer fruit and vegetables. They were a treat, well at least the fruit was a treat as who liked vegetables as a kid. Now we get those tennis ball tomatoes all year round. Actually you can buy anything all year round; most of it tasteless or more expensive than it’s worth. In Marmaris we learned to eat seasonally because that’s what was fresh in the produce markets. Pretty much everything green always tasted great because it was in season. Tomatoes and strawberries are a crap shoot no matter where you get them unless you grow your own or are lucky enough to have friends who grow too many.
The best part of La Linea is that it’s a real place, not a recently created tourist destination. Maybe that’s why the marina is quiet at night which is such a treat! It’s not only cool enough to just sleep with the portholes and hatch open, but in the late evening and early morning you need a sweater because the breeze is cool. In the Centro there aren’t big crowds so there are no hawkers trying to push you to buy something. As a matter of fact, between 2 pm and 5 pm you’re hard pressed to find any shops open at all. That’s the worst part. I don’t know if these are summer hours or year round hours. The big grocery store Mercadona is open from 9 am until 9:30 pm for the summer. I think if the folks who run Mercadona ran the countries of Spain, Italy and Greece there might not be a monetary crisis. Shops do reopen (some of them) at 6 pm so maybe it all works out the same. Just something to get used to I guess. I actually like the small town and this wouldn’t be a bad place to winter, especially with such easy access to Gibraltar and all things in English like book shops and libraries. But we’ll be “on the road again’ so to speak fairly soon as we zoom our way to London, as much as you can zoom at 6 knots anyway.
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http://www.andalucia.com/province/cadiz/la-linea/home.htm gives a description aimed at tourists.
The political separation between The Rock and the mainland dates back three centuries to the time when Gibraltar was an important naval port. It has not always been clear sailing between Spain and Britain and they have been battling over ownership of The Rock since 1704. This culminated in the total closure of the border from 1969 to 1982. When the border restrictions were lifted in 1985, many people moved from Gibraltar to La Línea, preferring to live on the Spanish mainland which had a lower cost of living.
Because Britain had won sovereignty rights over Gibraltar, King Felipe V built up fortifications in La Línea and in the process he created the town. To this day on Playa Levante (Levante Beach) you can still see the ruins of one of the last fortifications from the this time.
La Línea suffered much destruction by the British during the Peninsular War of 1808-14, and there was even a threat that the French might take the town. There remains a point of historic interest in the form of the watchtower dating back to the 17 th century which still stands on Levante Beach. You can also see the remains of an extensive bunker system from the World War II, adding to the interesting history of this fascinating town.
In recent years the town has become ever more popular both as a permanent residence and also as a tourist destination. The nearby area of Alcaidesa combines luxurious golf course and residential development. When linked to the many improvements made within La Línea itself, there are many reasons why the area is attracting so many people.
The two following web articles make things sound quite dire in La Linea though I don’t see the gloom and doom described here.
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Plaza de la Iglesia One of my favorite places here because it really feels like the Spain in my imagination. The church and open space and restaurants and statue of the three Spanish women.
Shrine of the Immaculate Conception “The main Parish church was built in the 19th century colonial style. Notable features are the 17th-century reredos and the image of St. Mary made by the Andalusian sculptor Luis Ortega Bru. The church became a shrine at the end of 2005. The Church of the Immaculate Conception has three naves. The exterior of the building echoes the interior layout, with a remarkable simplicity and beauty. Inside the parish church of the Immaculate Conception there are images of Jesús del Gran Poder, and others belonging to four religious guilds.
The Three Graces “The Three Graces is a Monument at the Plaza de la Iglesia that is based on the Greek mythology of the three Charites, which represent charm, beauty, and creativity. This work by Nacho Falgueras is based on that by the local painter José Cruz Herrera. The recently opened monument is a tribute to the "linense" women.” |
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Just off from the plaza is “restaurant row.” We ate lunch there one day ant that especially spurred me to buy a Spanish dictionary. We ordered and had no clue; the waitress spoke no English. Something in my head made me think jamon was something to do with ham and that was correct. We’d decided to split a baguette so opted for the most expensive thinking it would have the most filling. Wrong. |
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You know how restaurants name things like after people or places, “New England clam chowder” or Manhattan clam chowder. That is so unhelpful to people who have to use a dictionary to find out what they are ordering. Milk, broth, and potato would be so much more helpful than “New England.” And tomato based instead of Manhattan. Next time I’ll try the Salmon y Queso de Burgos, salmon and cheese of Burgos. I think Burgos is like New England and Manhattan, something you just have to know. Interestingly Atun is tuna with the letters switched around. In Turkey Tuna meant Danube. |
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Our ham and baguette sandwich There was some kind of spread, but all of those words following jamon meant pretty much nothing as far as I could tell. None of them meant lettuce, tomato, cheese, pickle, chips. Won’t need to order that again especially as I noticed a sandwich below that says jamon york which according to my dictionary means cooked ham. It also lists Jamon Serrano as cured ham. So what did we get? I’m afraid to think as it looked sort of rawish to me. But we had no aftershocks from it so whatever it was, it didn’t kill us and it actually tasted quite good, if a bit plain. |
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Horse and carriage ride. |
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World War 2 bunkers in the park just near the Centro and the Mercadona supermarket.
Pretty yucky now. |
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I don’t know if this is modern graffiti or was part of the original construction. |
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Art deco type building near the Mercadona supermacado. |
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Do it yourself weighing and pricing. The black number tells you the item’s number. Bulk cucumbers and the price has been lowered from 1.29 Euro to 1,00.
You put the cucumbers in a bag on the scale and hit number 67 and a price tag comes out that you stick on the bag. So much better than waiting for a produce person or holding up the check-out line for things to be weighed. |
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He thought it was so funny I was taking his photo. Not sure what this actually is because it doesn’t say jamon on the sign. |
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Municipal Public Library but I’ve never seen it open; I’ll have to ask the helpful lady at the tourist office if this is indeed the library.
Playground out front. |
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Tiny amusement area near the marina café which seems a strange location as I’ve seen very few kids here. Sponge Bob Square Pants seems to been popular around the world too. |
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Memories of China and the bubble on the lake in the park.
This one was different, more a like a gerbil wheel than a ball so air could get inside. I doubt Randal and I will try it. He wouldn’t even do the bubble; only our Chinese friends came with me. |
