Gibraltar is like Marmite.

Love it or hate it? Well I love Gib but my wife cannot stand the place says its very expensive for food shopping. Still we shall return in hire car in Jan 2010. Are there going to be Jan sales on, please advise.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Peter
 
Thank you for your Good Wishes, Peter.

I will ask my wife, and if she doesn't know, to ask her friends.

I will come back with a reply ASAP.

Merry Xmas 2 u 2.:D
 
Hi,

I am like a few others and had wonderful memories of Gib from 1970 when we fetched up there from N Africa. Not by sailboat, but like many other 'hippies' off the 'Mons Calpe' ferry from Tangier.

At that time Franco had closed the border and the UK had shipped in the Irish Rangers, East London Light Infantry, the Black Watch and the Royal Marines. Incidentally - the crime rate went through the roof all they were stationed there.

The soldiers took turns patrolling along the E. beach where we all camped alongside the runway - all very exciting. But using a real sit down toiolet, or eating a piled up fry up at Smokey Joes, or even sipping G&T's in the square (was it called the plaza or the piazza?) - ahhhhhhh - they were the days.....soooooo sophisticated compared with sleepy little La Linea which then still had sand roads around the bullring.

But THERE WERE dark hulled big fast boats that rumbled out most nights from Gib. You could pick up a weeks wages going as crew smuggling those most deadly items, cigarettes. If you wanted hashish, you simply took a day trip on the MOns Calpe back to Tangier.

Sad to say a return 25 years on saw the fond memories take a big dent. The town and the harbour and the marinas were dirty. The service almost everywhere was not just poor - in many places it did not exist. The pubs semed to be run by ex squaddies and how can I say this kindly? I've never seen so many fat bellies half covered with sleeveless vests in my life.

A real shame. As a child I always saw Gib as a bastion of the UK set in the sun. The gateway to the Med. It would have been great if they had been able to live up to that vision and be THE PLACE boat owners desire to visit.

We tend not to stop there now unless very low on fuel..........

Sorry to sound so negative but you'd need some pretty thick rose coloured lenses to see it any different. Upside is if enough people get behind making it better, then one day it will live up to my childhood dreams.

JOHN
 
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I have been to Gib a few times now and I love the place.
The first time was way back in the early seventies when I went there on Honeymoon. Stayed at the Rock Hotel, still very colonial then, visited the RN dockyard and toured HMS Hampshire. Gibraltar, for some reason reminds me of Falmouth, and I love Falmouth too.

The next time I went was on a delivery trip and we stayed over for a few days, visited Charlies alot, was there on national day, what apity we dont celebrate like the Gibraltarians do. Made me proud to be British. The people I spoke to diddnt trust Tony Blair as they thought he was to sell out to the Spanish.

The last time there,was again on a delivery trip, and I hope to be going again soon.
What a place, Marmite uggh.
 
VO5, nice try. But you are still avoiding the question. If you have lived there for 300yrs (?),
You are talking about the current situation, not the one that existed in the 70s/80s.
If I , as a visitor, found myself (not by choice) talking to known traffickers, who were part of the ruling class, are you surprised at my comments?
A
 
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DownWest said:
VO5, nice try. But you are still avoiding the question. If you have lived there for 300yrs (?),
You are talking about the current situation, not the one that existed in the 70s/80s.
If I , as a visitor, found myself (not by choice) talking to known traffickers, who were part of the ruling class, are you surprised at my comments?
A
Click to expand...

Aren't you tedious and pedantic ?

How could I live for 300 years ? How ? Do you know anyone who has ?:eek:

What ruling classes are these that you say you met ? Who exactly ?:rolleyes:

...Actually...I am inclined to disbelieve you as the ruling classes everywhere in the world wherever you choose to go are not freely accessible to any Tom Dick or Harry "just like that" as Tommy Cooper used to say.

But you imply to the contrary.

Contact is by invitation / recommendation as a result of introduction.

So you must have a complete misconception of what ruling classes really are for starters.

It doesn't make any sense to me.:)
 
Gibraltar - Marmite, Love them both !!

Greetings all

We are back in Gib for the Festive Season, and yes I agree times may have changed, perthaps less Colonial but nevertheless a lovely place to be, especially when it is not raining ! Spent a relaxing morning at the Marina, warm and sunny, Charlie's Bar and Bianca's still very hospitable, but if you were to venture up Irish Town you might not recognise Corks, now very upmarket, will be here until mid January and I hope to visit most of the pubs - purely for investigative purposes only you understand ! One very friendly oasis is the Royal Gib Yact Club, no loud musak.

Have a Christmas and New Year

all the best

David
 
rivonia said:
VO5 you did promise to find out about the January Sales. Did you get any info????????

Peter
Click to expand...

The first lot of information from the ladies who shop is that they take place in January. I am waiting for a detailed list and will let you have it as soon as I have it. possibly...possibly ...with anticipated discounts.:D
 
Gibraltar

This is the first time I have been on this forum, although I have been visiting the Liveaboard forum for some time. I thought I was here to 'Chat about cruising'. I am a little confused... Is this thread about Gibraltar from a cruising point of view, or is it about Gibraltar as a place to live? Having read all of the posts, it seems that some contributions are being criticised for being posted from a visitor's point of view... it seems that every time someone posts a comment about having visited as a cruiser, they are slated for not understanding what a wonderful place Gibralter is for residents. Have I stumbled unwittingly upon a Gibraltar Residents Association forum by mistake? Why are we talking about driving around in a Corniche? I thought that was a car (too large to carry on the back of most kinds of cruising boats) Or is a 'Corniche' also a type of amphibious cruising boat?
 
Welcome to the wild and wacky world of Scuttlebutt. Don't worry, it's often like this at this time of year. Not enough sailing to be had due to weather, and everyone stressed out by Christmas.....so a punch up on Scuttlebutt to unwind is often normal at Christmas.

What ever you do don't mention Bavarias, anchors or climate change until at least February.
 
VO5 said:
The first lot of information from the ladies who shop is that they take place in January. I am waiting for a detailed list and will let you have it as soon as I have it. possibly...possibly ...with anticipated discounts.:D
Click to expand...

Clothes for the young and very young...sales started and up to 50% off...
The heavyweights..M+S, Dorothy Perkins etc., not yet...expected mid January, is the latest.;)
 
Good evening;

I would like to appeal to all members of this forum to please stop replying to any posts posted by VO5 as this man obviously likes reading his own insulting posts.

If you would all just ignore him, he would end up posting replies to his own posts and we could get on to reading more interesting posts about more interesting subjects.

I admit I could just stop clicking on this particular post but I seem to have a perverse need to see the latest stupid contribution from this person. If I continue I think I will consider treatment of some sort - don't know what yet but am sure that VO5 will come along shortly with some insulting stupid recommendation.

Aren't we lucky that we don't have to associate with this person except on a forum?

Cheers with best wishes for the New Year.

Squeaky
 
Squeaky said:
Good evening;

I would like to appeal to all members of this forum to please stop replying to any posts posted by VO5 as this man obviously likes reading his own insulting posts.

If you would all just ignore him, he would end up posting replies to his own posts and we could get on to reading more interesting posts about more interesting subjects.

I admit I could just stop clicking on this particular post but I seem to have a perverse need to see the latest stupid contribution from this person. If I continue I think I will consider treatment of some sort - don't know what yet but am sure that VO5 will come along shortly with some insulting stupid recommendation.

Aren't we lucky that we don't have to associate with this person except on a forum?

Cheers with best wishes for the New Year.

Squeaky
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Come on Squeaky !

Join in the fun !

I have to say that VO5 has been great entertainment for me anyway .

The man has a real gift for responding and putting words together and it would be a real shame to see him go.

I only hope we can think of other things to keep him going.

I wonder if he has big hair ?

( only old people could make this link )
 
Squeaky said:
Good evening;

I would like to appeal to all members of this forum to please stop replying to any posts posted by VO5 as this man obviously likes reading his own insulting posts.

If you would all just ignore him, he would end up posting replies to his own posts and we could get on to reading more interesting posts about more interesting subjects.

I admit I could just stop clicking on this particular post but I seem to have a perverse need to see the latest stupid contribution from this person. If I continue I think I will consider treatment of some sort - don't know what yet but am sure that VO5 will come along shortly with some insulting stupid recommendation.

Aren't we lucky that we don't have to associate with this person except on a forum?

Cheers with best wishes for the New Year.

Squeaky
Click to expand...

Aren't I lucky not to have to associate or even fraternise with you too ?

I am so sorry to hear your sensitivites have been ruffled. :eek:

It is a real shame that you are upset, not only for the reason mentioned in my previous sentence above but also because of this dilemma you seem to have in dealing with your compulsion in coming back to this thread.

Lets see if we can solve two problems.

First problem:~

You think I like reading my own insulting posts. Wrong. I will tell you what I really like. What I like is to wipe any upstart who dares to engage me inappropriately in a public forum in the vain belief that anonymity provides protection for invasive, detrimental, irrelevant, offensive, ill considered or ill intended comment. Then, he gets more than he bargains for from me. Of that you can be certain.

Second problem:~ You are obviously in need of treatment but I am at a loss to help you, I am sorry.

Here today the weather has been astounding. Tropical. Sun blazing again. Wonderful. Unbelievable for December. ...Mind you..in other years when this phenomenon has occured on Xmas day, whole families have spent Xmas on the beach, eating, drinking, laughing, splashing and sunbathing.:p

It has been a delight today to observe all these happy ex pats from the Costa Del Sol here today doing their best to empty every shop in Main Street and typically dressed for the occasion - dressed in mismatched bright colours, yelling to each other excitedly, and well upholstered, carrying tons of blubber manifested in lots of spare tyres, with their jolly expectant red faces and well adorned with tattoos, their spiked hair bleached screaming yellow, etc., Lovely....

If I see some more tomorrow, I will think of you.:D

We won't mention the Turkey we have just consumed, in case you get offended about your adopted home, as well.

Have a Happy New Year.
 
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I now understand

Thank you for clarifying. I now understand... It's a joke! Someone is being deliberately stupid because they think that being a total prat is entertaining. Thank God for that. I thought for a moment it was actually serious!
 
Yes, exactly.

Let me give you the flavour of it.

The other day I went to Morrison's to help my wife with the Xmas shopping...

After having processed all of it through the till, we thought we would sit in the cafeteria and have a cup of tea...

Presently a family of four of these fat and garishly dressed and very noisy ex pats came in to have breakfast. They sat at the next table. The mother wearing clothes of clashing colours, spiky hair. The father wearing a "Lonsdale" T-shirt with the sleeves cut off, arms like hams covered with tattoos, head shaved, the works, you know...

You have never seen such mountainous platefuls :~ Sausages, eggs, chips, fried bread, bacon, baked beans, toast, all piled up...plus milk shakes and Kit Cats to follow... Two very obese grown ups and two very obese children...they proceeded to demolish these mountains of food with relish, although, the table manners were atrocious...probably half the food ended up on the floor..the children with tomato sauce on their faces, hands, on the table, on their clothes, and on the floor...

And presently...the mother asked one of the children if she would like a mouse.

A mouse ? A MOUSE ?

This intrigued me no end........... I could not contain my curiosity.:eek:

She got up and went to search for the mouse....

Presently she returned triumphantly with the trophy...a strawberry mousse.:D
 
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