Bizarre Happenings In Gibraltar And Malaga – It’s Finally OverI

Staying In Malaga

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There is some quite amazing sights to see in Malaga but I really struggled with finding places to eat at. It was pretty bad because I did not eat very well at all my whole time I stayed here. Although, there was a restaurant / bar I went to.

Here I ordered a Spaghetti Bolognaise and I think a sandwich but mostly I just kept ordering 1 bottle of beer after another. It was quite cheap though which I was surprised about – only 2.20 euros a bottle. This was pretty cool but spending the whole day drinking WELL!

So, I got back to my hostel about 9pm. I’d say I was pretty drunk and I was humouring myself about finding a load of lollipops on the way back. These I left on my bedside in the hostel with my towel and keys when I left at 6AM the next day.

I didn’t bother with checking out – I didn’t want to have to pay for the towel when there was not hot water and after being charged 20 euros for getting in late – I didn’t want to pay them anything else.

PLUS I was told NOT to sleep in the same bed as the night before. This annoyed me as when I woke up I was bitten alive, by I think mosquitos but could have been bedbugs. I think I heard Mosquitos but the night before in the other bed NO BITES.

So this annoyed me a bit, and I could not get out of there fast enough the next day. It was a pretty nice walk to be fair. Even though it was raining a bit there was some quite Interesting sights on the way.

I think it is Castillo de Gibralfaro I went past. Perhaps really I should have come and had a look around here Instead of getting drunk but perhaps next time I come to Gibraltar via Malaga I’ll come and take a proper look.

My First Day In Gibraltar

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I got the 8:30AM bus from Malaga to La Linea de la Concepcion. Really I was quite lucky. For a while I couldn’t work out where to buy a bus ticket from but I got one just in the nick of time. I

t was just as well really because it was hammering it down with rain after this and if I didn’t get this bus I would have got soaked.

Fortunately, It stopped by the time I got to La Linea. This is quite a beautiful place actually as there is a massive seafront here. I’ve always wondered actually since I was here last if it is possible to see dolphins here.

It was a bit different from how I remember – not sure if it has had some new places opened since I was here last but I actually like it here. I’d say if you are in Gibraltar its worth taking a walk round. There is a nice walk way by the sea here its actually very nice just to walk past.

The walk to Gibraltar isn’t too far from here. You can get to Gibraltar in about 30 minutes or so. On the way this time I found a place serving breakfast that did pints of beer for 2.5 euros. There was a cute little Chihuahua running around here. Looked like people like feeding him/her.

My brother wanted me to bring it home lol

I can see why lol but anyway, I got to Gibraltar not too long after this. It was good to be back again – I see one familiar face pretty much straight away in Casemates Square.

Crazy Steve is an ex soldier in the British Army. Quite a character – more on him later.

Meeting My Friend From England

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I say he is from England but he has lived in Gibraltar for a a few years now. When I came here last in 2022 he wasn’t here but he got me to meet up with someone he knew here. I didn’t see this other guy Paul this time but my friend from England was here and I went to meet him over the Pig and Whistle pub near Ocean Village.

It seemed to be one of the cheaper bars to drink at I found whilst I was here, and I drunk at this pub quite a bit. I think it is normal prices during the day but after 6pm I think its happy hour prices. Not as cheap as in La Linea I don’t think but still cheaper than other places.

So, I stayed here chatting to a few different people for a while. I met these same regulars again a few times whilst I was here but anyway this 1st night I wanted to watch the Tottenham vs Chelsea game and my friend suggested Bruno’s bar in Ocean Village.

Bruno’s did not have the game on. I stayed there for a few drinks but I didn’t really feel comfortable talking to one of the guys there. He got me a couple of shots of tequila but he was trying to persuade me to invest in his protein bar business.

I don’t know why he thought I would lol but I had enough in the end so I went.

After this, I ended up next (if I can remember correctly) at the Lord Nelson pub on Casemates square. Here I got the football on – I wasn’t really paying too much attention to it but they did put it on which was very good of them.

I left after it finished, it was a load of rubbish really. Tottenham have been pretty diabolical this year mostly, had some good games but anyway that was that. I went back to my hostel – I think I had a chat with another guy who was staying there before I turned in for the night.

Pretty interesting man – ex RAF officer. He was telling me about selling motorbike parts on eBay. He made some good points about this niche – something to keep in mind, but anyhow…

My 2nd Day In Gibraltar (Day 4)

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My Initial plan for today was to go and have breakfast at The Eat and Chat Café inside the Eroski supermarket complex, near the Emile Hostel. It’s kind of like an Indoor market. I came here last 2 times I was in Gibraltar and always found it quite convenient for its location.

What I forgot though was in here it is cash only. I never had any cash on me on this day so I didn’t come back – I should have done but Instead on the way to the cashpoint I stopped at another pub which I remember from visiting before – an Irish bar called The Venture Inn.

I ended up asking here if they could cook breakfast for me. Which fair enough they did but the bad thing was that I had about 4 pints of beer before, during and after my breakfast.

I think I knew from here that I was getting bad with my drinking lol

The rest of the day was pretty much a big long drinking binge. My next stop (if my memory serves me correct) was the Trafalgur pub. Another place I frequented on my visits before. This I would say is probably my favourite Pub in Gibraltar.

It is very spacious – like exactly the kind of pub I would want to be in back home. It is not far from the cable car up to the rock and its near the zoo so I usually pass by if I’m coming here.

A Nice Long Walk Up The Rock of Gibraltar

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This wasn’t my first time doing this. Last time I ended up taking a walk up here after leaving the Trafalgar and i made it down without too much trouble. This time I would say it went pretty well.
Except I got a bit of a telling off for asking for directions from somebody who lived about half way up the rock. That was a bit lucky really because they was very angry.

It sounded like I wasn’t the first tourist to bother him since he moved into the house lol but anyway, the main thing was that I managed to get up and back down the rock the right way. I even see a few of the barbary apes. 3 adults and 1 little one.

It was a shame I couldn’t get a photo. Quite gutted because my little niece after my last 2 trips to Morocco has loved looking at my photos on my phone. Every time I see here. Even now I have to show her. So a bit disappointed I didn’t get a photo but It was a nice walk though – I got back down OK BUT what I thought was really funny is where I ended up was at a posh hotel bar after.

I was surprised they was OK serving me and I didn’t leave till so late that in the end that I think they would have let me sleep right there on the sofa. I was very tempted to try it for a laugh – it is £206 a night a room and there I would have been staying there for free lol

I decided to go in the end but wow it was very late and I was very tired. It would have been very easy to fall asleep here. That would have been a good laugh.

2nd Day Back Up The Rock

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It was a lovely walk up here. I had battery on my phone this time, but unfortunately I didn’t manage to spot any of the Barbary Apes this time. I don’t know if it was because I didn’t go up far enough or what.

From what I remember I was up at the Pillars of Hercules. The Apes Den is around here somewhere but I don’t think they are really about so much when it starts to get dark.

I think there is more chance of seeing them during the day. I’ll never forget my first time up here I paid for a tour. They were everywhere this time, but I think the trouble is during the day you have to pay to enter the nature reserve.

I’m not sure what the deal is at night but as no one is there on the gates, at these times you can pretty much just walk up there without getting any grief.

The trouble is It is £30 just to enter the nature reserve during the day. It’s even more if you want to use the cable car (£49.00) – it has gone up (I think) from before. It actually saves so much walking doing this but this is just me – if I can save money than I will.

Although, in a way – I maybe would have paid to go down as this was not as smooth sailing as the night before when I walked up here. This time, because when I come back down, I took a wrong turn, I ended up miles away from the part of Gibraltar where I was staying .

Where I ended up was miles out the way. I didn’t realise there was so much on the other side of the Rock but I noticed I had to walk past the ship yard to get back nearer to Casemates Square. It took me hours – not like the day before. I ended up right on the other side of the rock.

I was hoping to go down the Lord Nelson or Bruno’s for the Kareoke night when this was happening but by this time it was so late.

Somehow I still managed to get a last drink down the Trafalgar but wow so much for clearing my head I actually thought I was lost. I was talking to my brother on facebook – I think he was quite worried but so was I. I was very glad to get back to Casemates.

I didn’t go back up the day after. My legs were aching like mad but crikey it would have maybe saved me some trouble if I had gone for this walk again. It is funny what happened but in a way it really was not.

Day 6 – I Got Chucked Out of the Trafalgur

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I don’t really remember a lot from the morning. Just that my legs were aching like mad. I think I skipped breakfast and had something over the Angry Friar a bit later. After this I went to the Trafalgar YET AGAIN. I had a few beers in here. Can’t remember how many. They was doing a carvery. I remember thinking I should have seen if I could have got myself a dinner but my appetite was pretty off because of all the beer I was drinking.

So I left here and carried on drinking over the Pig and Whistle. It was pretty relaxed here to begin with but what I remember after this was Crazy Steve turned up.

Apparently even though he is barred he still walks down there to see if he can get a smoke. I really should not have got so carried away.

Because I was drunk myself, I was splashing the cash and buying him drinks. The barmaid I remember saying “Stephen is barred from here – you shouldn’t be buying him drinks. He is barred from most pubs in Gibraltar”.

She let him have a couple but I actually decided I better get on my way after this, and I think I know why I did.

Trying To Avoid Crazy Steve

I will say – as much as I like the bloke STILL he is so off his head and he makes me 20 times worse. I’m pretty nuts myself when I drink so I don’t really need the booster pack. I can’t remember what was going on really but so much for getting away from him.

I looked out the window and there he was just sitting there.

I’m not sure how long he was there for but now as he was here AGAIN I started buying him more drinks. He actually had me in hysterics – I give him 2 cigarettes he was putting them up his nose and in his ears.

At one point I had a mouthful of beer that I just spat out all over him because he was constantly just making me laugh my head off.

Probably not the first time that has happened to him. I don’t know.

But crikey, It was only a matter of time though. Where we was sitting there was a wrestling or boxing belt up on the wall in a glass case. Maybe Hulk Hogan’s lol.

Steve was repeatedly banging the back of his head against it. I really should have told him to stop but I was so drunk I didn’t really care.

So, I asked the bar man to put U2 on the jukebox (from what I understand this is Steve’s favourite band) I thought this might calm him down a bit BUT he didn’t put U2 on he called the POLICE.

Fair enough actually – right call I think AND I was very lucky I think because I was being an idiot when they did arrive. Putting on stupid voices. I even videoed them on my phone. They got me outside the pub and I was a bit worried I might get taken in.

Although, they didn’t and what I thought was hilarious was Steve asked them for a lift home and they just said come on mate and off they went.

 

Trouble At The Airport and Getting Home

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Now, one thing I never mentioned is that I picked up a few bits to sell on eBay whilst I was away. Some very nice (preloved) designer clothes and 2 suitcases full. One of them I was really dreading taking back as it had a broken handle.

This I was right about. It was going to cause me no end of trouble. It was OK for a bit – pretty easy to get out of Gibraltar airport with it. I got the cases to the Easyjet desk, and that was it – they was loaded onto the plane and I didn’t have to worry about them until I got to the conveyor belt back in the UK in Gatwick airport.

My first hiccup was I didn’t have a pound for a trolley. A nice lady here give me one but I was worried no one would – so this was fine and I got from here to the gates at the train station.

“The guard said right there the words I had been dreading to hear “you can’t take the trolley any further sir”.

So now I had to get these 2 trolleys down to the platform to the train. Fortunately I met a nice boy here who helped me with one case down to the platform. I was very lucky there – I then got onto the train and I was able to relax for a while but this was only temporary – then I had to get off at St. Pancras London – what a nightmare.

I Hated Being Back In England

Now, by this point my mental health wasn’t really great. All that time drinking and hanging out with Crazy Steve had pickled me. I got off the train and there was 4 African train staff. They was trying to help me the best they could.

By this point there was no trains back to Baldock or Letchworth until 5:30 in the morning unless I got to Kings Cross. I was told that to get here I needed to head out the station and go somewhere I never ended up getting to.

I think they meant the Underground – thank god I didn’t have to go there with these heavy cases. It was bad enough though just being here. First of all I struggled my way to the lift to get to the upper part of the train station.

Then I done something very stupid I see by the escalator it said this way to get the train to Baldock and Letchworth so I went back down the escalator. I ended up exactly where I had got off the train. The look on their faces but this was kind of like my brush with death for me.

I can’t believe I was doing this but when they said to me when I was coming down on the escalator they said I needed to go back up. I don’t know how this ended up happening but I was on the elevator going up trying to walk down with my cases

I was trying to kick one case down and carry the other one to the bottom of the stairs – even the though the escalator was going up. It felt so dangerous what I was doing.

I was lucky I didn’t fall over one of my cases – I’m sure I nearly killed myself doing this. Thankfully I listened to the guy working.

“Go up the escalator with your cases – don’t come down” lol

 I mean I can’t believe I didn’t realise this before but god this was hardly the end of it.

I Was Exhausted After This But OMG

As soon as I got up the top I sat down against the wall to rest but I was so thirsty – I really needed a drink of water but this was the part I hated. I found a shop to buy a bottle of water and all the unsavoury characters coming up to me at this train station it was horrible.

As much as I was drinking like a complete fool for the whole time away the people here drunk with there cans of beer I was kind of disgusted by them. These people were not only begging for money and cigarettes but also whining when I said no.

I just wanted to sit down and charge my phone. One guy started talking to me he was just constantly repeating himself. Maybe I’m like this drunk but what I really hated was the train staff told them they couldn’t smoke inside the station and they started getting aggressive with them – I’d have loved to just punch one of them for this – it was just so irritating and intimidating.

I think I got my phone to about 10% and I decided to just get an uber. It was a bit less than what I thought – £70 it was but I was just so glad to get away.

One of the train staff carried one of my cases out for me. I said to them “you must have a nightmare working here”. They said “you don’t know the half of it” lol

I was so glad to get back home after this but besides it all Gibraltar was great to go back to. Maybe I can get back home on earlier flight next time – perhaps with a bit less luggage…

 

In Conclusion

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For anyone hoping to visit Gibraltar you can get cheap enough flights there and back if your lucky but just be aware this is usually either early or late. The cheapest I can find there looking now is £57.00 but it is at 8:30AM

Coming back is really the trouble – you can get a flight for around £40. Mine was actually £12 on this trip but the main issue is these flights seem to all be getting back to London late at night.

One Idea – as long as you are travelling light enough is to go back into La Linea and get the bus to Malaga. Flights back from Malaga are usually much cheaper and these Include flights that get back during the day. You can also try Morocco if you don’t mind getting the boat over.

The only thing is you wont see the castle of Grayskull getting on the plane at Gibraltar airport.

That was the icing on the cake for me because I said I would need to turn into He-Man to carry my 2 suitcases and in the distance I saw that – crazy maybe just a Pareidolia but I thought it looked just like it.

Here is my picture next to it – maybe you can see what I mean.

I shall anyway finish my blog here but I hope you have enjoyed reading. If you have you can buy me a beer or a coffee with my link here<<

Adios from me and teddy till next time. Gracious

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