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Gun Emplacements at Castillitos

IMG_6234The route to the guns from Mazarrón has a small but hilly detour which takes you to an excellent view point up by the aerials. Unfortunately, it was a little misty today so the views were a bit hazy, but stunning nonetheless.

Returning from the aerials, we took the road to the right which led us to the Gun Emplacements at Castillitos. Rather than returning via Mazarrón we headed back through Cartegena, a more direct route on roads that were a lot better than we had thought.

IMG_6250These large guns were constructed between 1926 and 1933 as part of a sophisticated defence network which aimed to protect Cartagena and its important military arsenal. 44 elements covered every angle of attack and batteries were constructed in a ring which encircled Cartagena and out along the coast as part of the Plan de Defensa of 1926.

The guns, made in the UK by Vickers, were  the best in the world for anti-shipping defence at this time, and had a 35km firing range.

There are 2 different batteries at Cabo Tiñoso, La bateria del Jorel, which houses three 1923 model Vickers 152.4mm, 45 calibre anti-shipping guns, and the Bateria de Castillitos which has the enormous Vickers 381mm guns still in place, measuring 17 metres in length, which could fire a projectile weighing a ton over a distance of 35 km.

Another day at the windsurfing office

Another good day in the windsurfing office. No time for a run today as the wind was there from early on. After the big waves of yesterday, today we had bump and jump small waves with strong winds. Started on a 5m and dropped to 4m as the wind strengthened. The reason the water is such an interesting colour is that the beach ended up in the sea after a recent storm and it hasn’t recovered yet.

Windsurfing from Playa de Levante

Today has been one of the most enjoyable days I’ve had windsurfing, I’m already looking forward to my wave sailing course with Peter Hart. The wind could have been stronger, but the waves were exhilarating. Thanks to my sailing colleagues Chris and Keith and the support team, Gaynor, Brian and Pat.

Gray Mountain by John Grisham

Gray MountainThe year is 2008 and Samantha Kofer’s career at a huge Wall Street law firm is on the fast track—until the recession hits and she gets downsized, furloughed, escorted out of the building. Samantha, though, is one of the “lucky” associates. She’s offered an opportunity to work at a legal aid clinic for one year without pay, after which there would be a slim chance that she’d get her old job back.

In a matter of days Samantha moves from Manhattan to Brady, Virginia, population 2,200, in the heart of Appalachia, a part of the world she has only read about. Mattie Wyatt, lifelong Brady resident and head of the town’s legal aid clinic, is there to teach her how to “help real people with real problems.” For the first time in her career, Samantha prepares a lawsuit, sees the inside of an actual courtroom, gets scolded by a judge, and receives threats from locals who aren’t so thrilled to have a big-city lawyer in town. And she learns that Brady, like most small towns, harbors some big secrets.

Her new job takes Samantha into the murky and dangerous world of coal mining, where laws are often broken, rules are ignored, regulations are flouted, communities are divided, and the land itself is under attack from Big Coal. Violence is always just around the corner, and within weeks Samantha finds herself engulfed in litigation that turns deadly.