I’m currently in Nantes, France! However, I realized that before I can even begin to post about France, I have to get my photos up from previous trips. Yesterday I posted about Ronda, today I give you…
Another hiking post! As many of you already know, I’m a broke language assistant and determined to make the best of my year abroad in Spain. Lucky for me, I’ve been placed in a city on the Straight of Gibraltar. An avid hiker and forest walker, I love knowing that beautiful views, fresh air and some hearty exercise opportunities are a short walk away. Take this hike, for instance: to start it involved a ten minute bus ride from the center of the city to the outskirts.
Algeciras has played an important role in history for many, many years; it’s location on the Straight of Gibraltar and a mere 14 kilometers from Morocco means that it’s come into contact with just about every culture possible. Think of it as the Panama Canal of Europe and Africa. So, when a friend proposed a hike to el faro (the lighthouse) on the coast, I thought it’d be a great idea. I can only imagine how many people have used this lighthouse as a guide over the years…
The short hike (more of a walk, really) starts in Playa Getares in the San Garcia neighborhood of Algeciras. Taking the boarwalk around the beach (I recommend you stop at the fruit stands and grab an apple or two; the frozen yogurt place isn’t open til summer, darn it!), you cross the parking lot infront of the farthest apartment buildings and pick up the road.
Note to the scaredy-cats of the world: if your stomach churned in fear watching Eddie Murphy run across the freeway in Bowfinger, this walk is not for you. To make it to the lighthouse, you have to walk on the side of the highway for a few miles. And no, there is no shoulder. Don’t wear black, walk towards traffic, make sure you are visible, and don’t be stupid. Of course, walking on the freeway is stupid to start with, but we’re going to overlook that paradox right now…
I shot a couple photos (and had a couple shot of me). I know I’ve posted a million pictures looking out towards Morocco or Gibraltar, but every time I see it it’s more and more amazing! Plus, I finally figured out how to edit photos on my computer (all previous ones are 100% untouched!) and I upped the saturation on these. Though, I have to say, the water was really a blindingly beautiful shade of turquoise. It reminded me of the water off Tulum in the Mayan Riviera…
This is my ultimate dream, to have a boat and sail the coast…I was green with envy watching people sit off the back of this boat drinking beers. It looked magnificent.
That’s me, hanging out on the edge of a cliff looking out at Gibraltar. Thanks Christine for helping me pose 🙂
Old docking yards on the coast; these are pretty common in all nooks and crannies around the coast. They’ve been since replaced with new ports and docking yards in every city; if you know where I can find information on these, please pass it on, I’m very interested!
And here’s the lighthouse, the prize at the end of the hike. The weather was perfect; over the straight you can see Morocco clear as day. To the left, you can see a small city; that’s Ceuta (part of Spain). Moving to the right along the coastline, you can see the civilization pick up again; that’s the old part of Tangier. You can’t see it in the photo, but if you go farther down the coast to the right, you can see the new port of Tangier, where you would sail into if you leave from Algeciras or Tarifa. Looks like you could swim to it, right??
I went with Emma and Christine, two good friends. When we finally arrived to the lighthouse, there was a couple there. I’m pretty sure we ruined their romantic afternoon by showing up. Oh well. We ate sandwiches and apples and sat on the wall and discussed upcoming travel plans and how we need to start wearing sunscreen. Pretty good for March 🙂
(Mom, what are these? They look like pom-poms…please identify them for me!)