I had a really fantastic time with Mr & Mrs Osc - I met Rosie last year and it was a delight to meet Mr Osc for the first time yesterday...he is lovely!
The weather was gorgeous all the way down the coast - and then get to Gibraltar and there was literally a big misty cloud right over the rock.
You looked to the left..sun and blue sky.
You looked to the right..sun and blue sky.
You looked above..a cloud.
Amazingly I found the Oscs at the ship terminal (I later found out it was forbidden for me to be down there but I'd got through!)
4000 passengers!!!!! got off that ship (it's a fab looking vessel) and I was so lucky to be standing right at the exit when they walked off as Lordy knows where I'd have found them.
We walked and stopped for a drink and then made our way (slowly cos we were chatting and laughing) to the cable car only to find a queue a mile long.
An executive decision was made to forget that, go more walking and exploring and then have lunch.
More walking, lots of talking and laughing, the time went soooo quick and then it was time for them to be back on ship.
I walked them back to their ship..well, as far as I was allowed.
By this time it had turned really sunny (although weirdly the same cloud just stayed sitting right on top of the rock)
I had 90 minutes before my coach so I went for a mooch, then walked through passport control at La Linea and then realised there was not another soul around.
When I'd arrived 6 hours earlier the place was teeming with tourists arriving and suddenly it was like being plonked in the middle of no man's land.
It was blisteringly hot..there wasn't even a bird tweeting and there I am standing thinking this place really is the ar*e end of nowhere when out of the blue a young man cycles up to me and asks if I'm ok.
I ask where the bus station is and he very kindly offered to cycle beside me to take me there.
So he did - thank you Ryan from Belfast!!!
Yep - my knight in shining armour was a lovely Irishman who lives in Gibraltar and was on his way to work.
I got the coach back to Malaga - chatting all the time to a lovely French family.
I meet Don and Eddie (our friend from Croatia who's over for a few days) in our town and sink more than a few pints in Hairy Mary's.
All in all a superb day.
Just as an aside - I will go back to Gib one day and do the cable car ride..but will check the shipping forecast and make sure it's not a day when a ship is due in port.
And the Oscs have promised to come see me in Malaga.