AirVenture 2000 — A Week Among the Aircraft and the Atmosphere
04 Gibraltar 2002-03 New Year
I returned to Gibraltar in December 2003 to spend the New Year on the Rock. Although I had visited many times before, Gibraltar never seemed quite the same on any two trips. The familiar mixture of British and Mediterranean influences remained, but the harbour, town and surrounding coastline were continually changing.
Winter brought a different atmosphere from that of my earlier summer visits. Heavy clouds sometimes gathered over the Bay, softening the outlines of the Spanish hills beyond Algeciras, while shafts of sunlight broke through and illuminated the ships waiting offshore. From my balcony at the Rock Hotel, I had a fine view across the town and harbour, where bulk carriers, freighters and smaller vessels reflected Gibraltar’s continuing importance at the entrance to the Mediterranean.
The town was busy with residents and visitors preparing for the festivities. Main Street, Casemates Square and the surrounding lanes provided the familiar bustle of shops, cafés and pubs, while the quieter paths of the Upper Rock offered extensive views over the Strait and both the Mediterranean and Atlantic approaches.
Spending the closing days of 2003 in Gibraltar provided an enjoyable opportunity to revisit familiar places and observe how the territory had developed since my previous trips. Against the dramatic background of the Rock, the arrival of 2004 added another memorable chapter to my long association with this unique British territory.
Seen from my balcony at the Rock Hotel in December 2002, heavy winter clouds hang over Gibraltar Harbour and the Bay as merchant ships wait offshore. Beyond them, the mountains behind Algeciras rise through the haze on the Spanish side of the bay.
The Sea Wave Bar and Restaurant at Catalan Bay in December 2002, with its outdoor tables set beneath the towering eastern face of the Rock. The modest frontage and pavement seating capture the relaxed Mediterranean atmosphere of Gibraltar’s old fishing village.
The Caleta Hotel rises dramatically above the shoreline at Catalan Bay in December 2002. Built against the steep eastern face of the Rock, its terraces and stepped white buildings overlooked the Mediterranean and the small beach below. Part of the Sea Wave Bar’s outdoor terrace can be seen in the foreground.
Looking north along Main Street from outside the Angry Friar in December 2002, with King’s Chapel and the Governor’s Residence—the Convent—on the left. Christmas garlands and illuminated wreaths span the street as a Gibraltar taxi passes through the festively decorated town centre.
The balcony of the Governor’s Residence—the Convent—decorated for Christmas in December 2002. An illuminated tree stands beneath the flags of Gibraltar and the United Kingdom, while part of the adjoining King’s Chapel rises behind.
Twilight settles over the Bay of Gibraltar in January 2003 seen from my balcony at the Rock Hotel. The last glow of sunset silhouettes the hills behind Algeciras, while the lights of ships at anchor and the harbour installations shimmer across the calm water.
Evening falls across Gibraltar Harbour in January 2003, viewed from my balcony at the Rock Hotel. Merchant ships lie at anchor beneath the fading sunset, while an unidentified naval vessel is berthed within the dockyard. The lights of the harbour and the Spanish shore beyond begin to shimmer across the calm water.
A shaft of winter sunlight illuminates the sheer limestone face beneath the RAF radar station at Rock Gun in January 2003. The summit installations stand out against gathering storm clouds, while Gibraltar and the Spanish mainland fade into the haze beyond.
The Gibraltar Cable Car climbs towards a support tower above the rugged, shrub-covered slopes of the Upper Rock in January 2003. Suspended high over the limestone terrain, the cableway provides a dramatic route from the town to the summit ridge.
A dolphin breaks the surface of the Bay of Gibraltar during a boat trip in January 2003. Across the water lie the port of Algeciras and the hills of the Spanish mainland, while a large specialised offshore vessel waits near the harbour.
A small pod of common dolphins breaks the surface while crossing the Bay of Gibraltar in 2003, with the Spanish shore forming a hazy backdrop beneath the winter clouds.
A large tanker at anchor in the Bay of Gibraltar in 2003, attended by a smaller bunker vessel secured alongside. The hills and waterfront of Algeciras rise in the background across the bay.
Yachts lie at their moorings in Queensway Quay Marina in 2003, with Gibraltar’s waterfront apartments and the sheer western face of the Rock rising dramatically behind them.
The Rock of Gibraltar viewed across the Bay in 2003, its steep western face rising above the densely built town and harbour. The shoreline stretches southwards towards Europa Point beneath a softly overcast sky.
The Rock of Gibraltar seen across the Bay in 2003, with the town clustered along its western shore and merchant ships lying at anchor in the roadstead. From this distance, the Rock’s distinctive profile dominates the entrance to the Mediterranean.
Four common dolphins move through the choppy waters of the Bay of Gibraltar in 2003—two breaking the surface and two more visible just below—against the distant merchant shipping and industrial waterfront of Algeciras.
A dolphin breaks the surface as others glide just below the water beside the Dolphin Safari catamaran in the Bay of Gibraltar, 2003.
Two short-beaked common dolphins swim just beneath the surface of the Bay of Gibraltar in 2003, their distinctive cream-and-grey hourglass markings clearly visible as one rises to breathe.
Four short-beaked common dolphins bow-ride alongside the boat in the Bay of Gibraltar in 2003, three visible beneath the clear water while another breaks the surface ahead.
A common dolphin briefly breaks the surface in the Bay of Gibraltar in 2003, while anchored merchant ships lie off the town beneath the long western profile of the Rock.
A dolphin surfaces beside the Dolphin Safari catamaran in the Bay of Gibraltar in 2003, with the Gibraltar coastline and ships at anchor in the background.
Dolphins surface in the choppy waters of the Bay of Gibraltar during a trip aboard the Dolphin Safari catamaran in 2003. Industrial tanks line the distant shore beneath heavy clouds.
A cargo vessel bearing ARMADA on its side lies alongside in Gibraltar’s harbour in 2003, with other ships in the bay beyond.
Two cargo ships lie off Gibraltar’s harbour in 2003, one seen at an angle in the foreground and a long, dark-hulled vessel beyond. The harbour wall crosses the foreground, with the Spanish coast on the far side of the bay.
A Gibraltar Cable Car cabin hangs above the town in 2003. Beyond the rooftops and harbour, ships lie in the bay beneath a low bank of cloud, with the Spanish coast on the far shore.
