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Somewhere in the area of Camp Bay or Nuffield Pool was a tunnel that we used to walk through all the way to Catalan Bay and though I know it’s no longer open to pedestrians it’s often bugged me that I never remembered where it was. Perhaps that quest can go on my bucket list for when I return to the Rock. Having said that it didn’t stop me loving soaking up the familiarity of things that I did recognise and as I neared Nuffield Pool I instantly spotted a very familiar waterfall on the opposite side of the road. When I look at the photo above of that waterfall (taken by me in May 2016) and then see the same waterfall in the photo below (taken by Carol in 1976) I get an immense sense of gratitude that there are still things about Gibraltar that have never changed.
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(With my daughter Tracey, Nuffield Pool 1976).
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Previously in my memoirs I wrote about Nuffield Pool and Europa Point and it was in that post (see 2:22) that the photo above first appeared alongside the story behind it. Rather than me repeat myself by writing about Nuffield Pool again please do look back (at 2:22) if you missed those anecdotes and would like to read them although it would be remiss of me to not acknowledge that one of the stories in that post was a life-changing catalyst.
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(Walking past Nuffield Pool)
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With time now very much against me I was keen to press on towards Europa Point but even as I walked passed Nuffield Pool I couldn’t take my eyes off it; searing memories of a fateful swimming gala filled my mind reminding me of how vulnerable I felt at that time, in that very pool, just fifty yards away from me.
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As I entered the tunnel which would finally take me to Europa it was with trepidation which didn’t improve as I ended up in the dark and the damp. Walking through the tunnel I wrestled with frightening thoughts of how my life could well have ended up very differently had it not been for the massive support of Carol and my girls; finally, as the tough recollections began fading away I gave thanks for the life I had been truly blessed with and very soon after literally saw the light at the end of the tunnel.
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You DO know that this is not a waterfall but the waste from the MOD distiller at the North Gorge in Europa Road. My dad used to work there after the war, when we were down at the beach he used to wave at us from up there. It was so scarey for us. This is now a tourist attraction in Gibraltar as all who pass by have their photos taken there
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Ha ha – Oh my days Maruchi no I didn’t know that. Very gross on the one hand but then as you say now a tourist attraction on the other.
Wow your dad must not have been afraid of heights, I think I’d be sick if I worked up there. Interesting though that it must have been ‘waterfalling’ for at least 70 years! 🙂
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