Some of you probably looked at the title in complete confusion. France? How could Kosmos be in France when they just crossed the Atlantic? France is in Europe and Kosmos is in the Caribbean! What the heck? Believe it or not, Guadeloupe is an official overseas department of France and an integral part of the French Republic. Guadeloupe is to France what Hawaii is to the USA. And, as an FYI, the correct pronunciation is Gwah-dah-loop, with no A sound at the end.
Guadeloupe is Continue reading
These islands are located just off the coast of the north-western portion of the African continent/mainland, nearest the political divide of Morocco and Western Sahara. The archipelago consists of seven major islands, one minor island, and several small islets. They are of volcanic origin. 2 million people live there now. There are many theories about Continue reading
Continued from yesterday”¦ As we were leaving the Siege Tunnels, the driver suggested that we walk down the hill so we could stop at two more sites, the City Under Siege display and the Moorish Castle. The site we wanted to see most, the WWII tunnels, was also on the way down, but it just happened to be closed for the day. Here is a mamma and baby monkey hanging out near the tunnels.
We passed the last remaining lime kiln in Gibraltar. Lime was heavily used up through the late 1800’s. It had many purposes, which were not detailed other than to mention that water cisterns were painted with it to keep the water bacteria free and it was dumped into the graves of people who died of some contamination to keep the contamination from spreading. Interesting. A secondary reason we put this photo in so you can get an idea of what the foliage is like on the rock.
The Siege exhibit is housed in some of the first buildings the British put up in Gibraltar after taking it over, originally intended for gunpowder storage. The exhibit is small, but remarkably well done. There are signs describing the horrors the people had to suffer, with mannequins depicting the struggles described. Over 7,000 people were Continue reading
It was high tide when we got up, and we were surprised to see that one of the fenders set high specifically for high tide had popped out and our rub rail was bumping up against the dock. Oh, what we would give for a floating dock right now. The things we used to take for granted”¦ It was yet another day of heavy wind and cold, though not as bitterly cold as yesterday. We decided to brave the cold and go sightseeing.
Our original plan was Continue reading
Gibraltar is a small peninsula (6.5 square kilometers) off the Southeast edge of the Spanish mainland that marks where the Mediterranean (east side) and the Gibraltar Strait (south side) meet. The Peninsula also creates the Bay of Gibraltar on the west side. It is only a few miles from North Africa. Until the Suez Canal was built, the Strait of Gibraltar was the only way in and out of the Mediterranean Sea. Gibraltar is best known for the 426 meter rock that dominates the peninsula. With its nice bay and big rock, Gibraltar was and still is an ideal location from which to control shipping in and out of the Mediterranean Sea. Gibraltar is currently an overseas British territory and has 28,000 inhabitants.
Up until the British captured Gibraltar in 1704, Gibraltar’s history is the same as Spain’s. Here are a few quick and interesting facts to add. Two Neanderthal skulls Continue reading