is a relatively small and compact city, and one day would be enough to explore it. However, in my case, the trip included nearly three full days, so it was advisable to not to be limited to
, but also to travel around its surroundings. There are a lot of interesting places in Andalusia - Granada with its famous Alhambra palace and park ensemble (one of the most striking extant monuments of Moorish period), Sevilla - the capital of the region, the town of Ronda located on the edge of the gorge, and a number of other cities. The South of Spain has its own culture, its own atmosphere, which is very different from both Catalonia and Castile, where I've been before. Nevertheless, I decided to take a trip from Malaga, not to one of the other ancient towns of Andalusia, but to organize a more unusual and interesting journey. I always wanted to see the Straits of
, the narrow neck connecting the Mediterranean (and, hence, a lot of other seas connected with it) with the endless Atlantic; a place where Europe is at arm's end from Africa.
The most traditional option would be to go from Malaga to the city of Gibraltar - the British overseas territory that from the beginning of the XVIII century occupies a vast 400-meter rock in the most prominent and strategically important point of the Strait of Gibraltar. However, there is one nuance: Gibraltar is the British territory, and to visit it I needed a special visa to Gibraltar or UK visa valid for more than 12 months. My UK visa expired in October, moreover, it was for six months. That is, in any case, it wasn't suitable for Gibraltar. And, of course, I didn't want to engage in new visa formalities for a few spontaneous hours in the town. There is a border control at the entrance to Gibraltar - for holders of European passports it's formal, of course; I read on the Internet that even some Russians with confident stony face managed to travel without the local visa (at the entrance to Gibraltar local frontier guards stop about one car out of four for control). Being a law-abiding person, I didn't even consider such option for myself - but I came up with another interesting route: on the opposite side of the same bay, where Gibraltar is located, there is a large Spanish city of Algeciras - industrial center and a major port from which ferries to Morocco leave. Algeciras is even closer than Gibraltar to the narrowest part of the Strait of Gibraltar, and buses from Malaga run there every thirty minutes. I came to the bus station of Malaga, bought a ticket, two hours of a journey (it's just a little more than 61 miles from Algeciras to Malaga) - and we are on the shore of the Strait of Gibraltar.
I must say, it wasn't my first time looking at Africa from Europe. As soon as we arrived in Algeciras, a downpour started and it was impossible to even think about any walks.
The rain is pouring outside - good thing that I saw a good pub where I could sit, dry, and taste ravioli with some local beer.
I estimated in advance how to get to the narrowest point of the Strait of Gibraltar, from where Africa is clearly visible. There are 3 miles (5 kilometers) along the country road from the center of Algeciras. Rain stopped for a bit - we can come out of the pub and continue our walk. Along the way, I found a beautiful place, which offers excellent views of the bay, the coast of Algeciras, and of the British city of Gibraltar located on the high rock on the other side of the bay.
The Rock of Gibraltar after the rain is enveloped by a large white cloud.
The "first line" of little houses formed up along the coast:
On the other side, Africa is already visible! The distant shore - it is Morocco. The vessel in the picture turns right and goes to the Strait of Gibraltar. We should wend our way on that road running along the coast, which can be seen in the photo. The weather is bad - it seems that the rain is about to start again, but we can't sit on one spot when Africa is literally beckoning from behind the cape. We have to take a risk, and it is interesting to diversify the trip with a little bit of extreme.
It is about a 40-minute walk to that place. I choose the shortest route - and let's go, along the shore!
Here's a bit cloudy beach landscape with palm trees.
Guides to Spain write that the sun shines on average more than 310 days a year on the coast of Andalusia. I must admit that I had the rare luck - I was in this place during one of the rare remaining 55 days. Soon the rain started again - and this time completely and entirely.
This time there was no pub nearby. I was caught by the shower in the middle of the country road: there's no place to go, I will get wet through anyway, so we continue the way: never looking back!
Another thirty minutes of the way under the pouring rain - and we are on the shore of the Strait of Gibraltar in its narrowest place. That's the lighthouse - the guard of these places.
However, if during 310 days of sunshine you can find fantastic views of sea expanses and high mountains of Morocco on the opposite bank, then during the remaining 55 days - there is such a picture: the water is everywhere - above, below, from the sides, in front of you, behind you. Somewhere in the veil of the rain, you can see ships sailing in the Strait of Gibraltar, but almost immediately they are closed by that veil.
However, such landscapes poured with rain have their own charm, some zest.
That's what I write now when I'm looking at the photos on the screen. Back then the feeling was quite different - the water was literally everywhere, from head to the tips of socks and in other lurking places of the body. And how wonderfully it squished in sneakers! Only the camera felt dry and relatively comfortable in the bag. I took it out only to take the next picture of this semi-abandoned fishing village.
Another forty minutes under the cold rain and we're back in Algeciras. The rain stopped for a couple of minutes - and again in the distance, the rocks of Africa and the lights of the city of Ceuta appeared. Ceuta is a major port of Morocco located on the other side of the Strait of Gibraltar. Africa beckoned for ten minutes, and then disappeared again under the heavy rain.
Two hours in the cold bus in wet clothes, and finally the long-awaited Malaga hotel. I wring clothes quickly - and then get in the heaven-sent hot bath for an hour. Yes, the first attempt to look at Africa from Europe was very unique - I can not say that it was very unfortunate, but I wouldn't like to repeat this five-hour cold shower in the future. Although it is said that conditioning is useful for the body. Nevertheless, I would like to stand on the shore of the Strait of Gibraltar in a slightly different way. The next day I got back on the bus and went to Algeciras - hoping that this time there will be one of the promised 310 sunny days of the year in Andalusia.
Here's a well-known road again, winding along the coast. On the other side of the bay, there is the mighty Rock of Gibraltar. And again there are dozens of ships on the surface of the water. This time it all came together - blue sky, the sun and not a scintilla of yesterday's bad weather! Hooray! Let's go and look at Africa and the Strait of Gibraltar!
Many old fortifications have remained on the coast. No wonder - the area of the Strait of Gibraltar has long been one of the strategic places in Europe.
We get on the shore of the Strait of Gibraltar at its narrowest point. From here to Africa it is about 12 miles (20 kilometers). The lighthouse looks fantastic on the background of the misty mountains of Morocco!
Ship traffic in the Strait of Gibraltar is very intense. There are also a lot of ferries connecting Europe with Africa - ferries run from Gibraltar, Algeciras, Cadiz across the strait in Tangier and other places in Morocco on the African coast.
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