20 years ago today – Day 39

April 11 – a second day in Gibraltar

My energy is higher today, but my cough is no better. I am still kicking myself for not having been more considerate of Charles last night. I was randy and lonely, but that’s not excuse. There’s always a mess left behind when those feelings pass.

I change 600 marks to 37,000 pesados at a nearby branch, and then take a walk around La Linea. I come across a street market where I buy new jeans for 3000 pts. That really throws off my budget, but I have lost so much weight since I started this trip that my pants don’t fit well anymore. I don’t know why but other guys seem to build muscle when they work out hard, and I just shrink away to nothing. I was 65 kg (143 lb) when I arrived in Lisbon and now I’m only 60 (132) or less.

Back in my room I take a rest. After all, I am supposed to be recuperating. I take a shower, prepare a meal and catch up on my journal and letter writing.

I go out again shortly after 9. I walk through town and across the British airstrip that separates Spain from the Rock. Along Gibraltar’s waterfront, I pause to look at the lights of Algeciras across the bay. I chuckle when I think of the movie A Touch of Class, where George Segal throws his back out trying to look at Gibraltar while fucking his mistress Glenda Jackson in their hotel room in Algeciras.

If I wasn’t so wasted with this cold I would climb this rock right to the top, and go find those Barbary apes that live somewhere around here, but a gentle evening stroll is all I am up. I just want to get better.

I climb through the town to get to Charlie’s Hole-in-the-Wall but I find it closed. I hover for a while, exploring the local streets. I return after 10 pm but it is still closed. I continue to the far south end of town looking for interesting bars or shops to visit but find nothing on this Thursday night. I do see a sign in a travel agent’s window offering cheaper fares to Mallorca than we had seen in Malaga. I make a note to visit it tomorrow.