Figure 23.1: El Escritor Inglés, Summer 2011
Copyright 2011 Paul Spradbery
This time of year, everyone does the Marmalade Run. As day trips in Andalucía go, it is one of the most popular. Holidaymakers to Gibraltar and the surrounding Cádiz province keep the organizers increasingly busy year on year.
In a world where supermarkets dictate much of what we eat – and its associated ‘food miles’ – urbanites seem to enjoy the rebellion of tasting oranges fresh from a farm containing up to 20,000 trees. Admirable, but I must point out that such a ploy is a little misguided. Their ingenuidad regarding the oranges certainly amuses the locals. Many Andalucíans are bemused that tourists are prepared to bite into them. The fruit are so bitter, they joke that the pith extract could be used as an explosive. The marmalade produced, however, is arguably the finest in the world.
Tourists’ innocent behaviour does not end there. Hundreds of young people, mainly backpacking students, arrive with the notion that working under a relentless Mediterranean sun on an organic citrus farm will be memorable. They are right – it will – but not always for the reasons they originally imagine. Outdoor labour, here, is strenuous. Still, for anyone made of sufficiently hard stuff, organizations such as the UK’s World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) are a useful place to begin (see link below).
I have included several pictures of other local scenes (Figures 23.2, 23.3, 23.4, 23.5, 23.6 and 23.7), within striking distance of San Roque. I apologize for the substandard quality of some of the photographs, such is the resolution capability of an iPod.
Figure 23.2: The Rock, taken from a speedboat on the BayCopyright 2011 Paul Spradbery
Figure 23.3: Gibraltar Harbour, from up on highCopyright 2011 Paul Spradbery
Figure 23.4: A first-rate painting of Gibraltar Harbour, with striking colour contrasts, courtesy of English artist Terence Humphries http://www.terencehumphries.co.uk/large-paintings/gibraltar-harbour
Copyright 2011 Terence Humphries
Reproduced by kind permission
Figure 23.5: Matador and bull (in monochrome) at EsteponaCopyright 2011 Paul Spradbery
Figure 23.6: Under the Rock. The Great Siege Tunnels were constructed by British Marines in order to defend the territory from France and Spain in the 18th century.Copyright 2011 Paul Spradbery
Figure 23.7: Scuba-diving in the BayCopyright 2011 Paul Spradbery
http://www.terencehumphries.co.uk/
Copyright 2011 Paul Spradbery
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