Thread by @prchovanec

1. The heavy overcast over Gibraltar has broken up a bit, enough to continue my journey in Microsoft Flight Simulator.

2. Gibraltar was captured by an Anglo-Dutch force in 1704 during the War of Spanish Succession, and ceded to Britain by the 1713 Treaty of Ultrecht.

3. It served as an important British naval base through the Napoleonic Wars, up through World War II.

4. Spain continues to insist that Britain return Gibraltar, but the roughly 32,000 inhabitants have voted to reject this twice, in 1967 and 2002.

5. Departing Gibraltar to the southwest. The "rock" is home to a troop of about 200 Barbary macaques, the only wild apes or monkeys found in Europe.

6. To my right, across the bay from Gibraltar, is the Spanish port of Algeciras.

7. Flying at just 700 feet over the Strait of Gibraltar, to stay beneath the low cloud layer. The southern tip of Spain is to my right, the northern tip of Morocco ahead and to my left.

8. Flying westward over Tarifa, Spain, the southernmost point in continental Europe.

9. Africa - the northernmost tip of Morocco - is behind me to the south.

10. Approaching Cape Trafalgar, on the southern coast of Spain. It was here, in 1805, that Britain's Admiral Horatio Nelson decisively defeated the French and Spanish fleets.

11. A thunderstorm, with very low clouds, is closing in as I travel further up the coast towards Cadiz, forcing me down to just 500 feet.

12. Cadiz is a venerable port city of just over 100,000 people, located on a narrow peninsula jutting out into the sea.

13. When I say venerable, I should say ancient. It was founded by the Phoenicians with remains that date back 3,100 years. The Romans called it Gades.

14. Columbus sailed from Cadiz on several of his voyages, and it became the main destination port for the Spanish treasure fleets bringing gold and silver from the Americas.

15. Across the bay from Cadiz, to the north, is Rota, home to a major Spanish and US naval base.

16. Flying over the naval docks at Rota, the largest US military base in Spain. I wouldn't try this in real life, and certainly not at this low altitude!

17. Back for another flyover of Cadiz. The English privateer Sir Francis Drake raided the port in 1587, "singeing the King of Spain's beard" and delaying the launch of the Spanish Armada by a year.

18. Some close views over the port of Cadiz, Spain.

19. Looking down on the Torreón de las Puertas de Tierra (Tower of the Earth Doors), the major landward defensive bastion of Cadiz. The bridge behind it, to the right, is the Puente De La Constitución de 1812, opened in 2015.

20. Heading south along Cadiz' beachfront, before turning to the east.

21. Flying low over the shipbuilding yard across from Cadiz.

22. The clouds are looking ominous as I head northeast towards Jerez de la Frontera.

23. Flying over the cathedral, the alcazar (fortress and palace) to its right, and main plaza to its left, in Jerez de la Frontera, in southern Spain.

24. Visibility near Jerez is poor, however, with fog closing in, and it's all I can do to identify the airport's runway, below.

25. While finding the airport was a little anxious, the landing itself was smooth as silk.

26. A quick reminder, as I taxi to park at Jerez, that none of this is real. This is just a fun way to explore the world on my PC, at a time when it's nearly impossible to travel.

27. Just a few hours later, the weather over Jerez de la Frontera really cleared up.

28. Taking off again from Jerez de la Frontera, heading north to Seville, in much clearer skies.

29. Flying over southwestern Spain.

30. Squares squares and more squares. Flying over cropland in southwestern Spain.

31. Flying over the town of Los Palacios y Villafranca, south of Seville, Spain.

32. Approaching Seville along the Guadalquivir River.

33. Over the Parque de María Luisa and the Plaza de España, built for a world's fair in Seville in 1929.

34. Seville's Cathedral below, with the Alcazar (royal palace) complex to its right, and the city's bull fighting ring to its left.

35. The squiggly structure below me is Las Setas de la Encarnación, a wooden pavilion built in 2011 and fancifully named for mushrooms.

36. Another view of the Alcazar (royal palace) with the cathedral above it and its royal gardens below it.

37. The Alcazar of Seville and its gardens, in real life - a gem of medieval Mudéjar architecture, blending Gothic, Romanesque, and Moorish elements.

38. Turning over Seville. The Puente del Alamillo (built in 1992) and the city's soccer stadium are ahead.

39. Looking down on Seville's cathedral, with its La Giralda bell tower, originally built in the 12th as the minaret for the Great Mosque, under Islamic rule. The entrance to the Alcazar is behind the cathedral.

40. The square building to the left of the cathedral is the Archivo de Indias, a repository of documents and records of the Spanish Empire in the Americas.

41. The larger square building, immediately below me, is the Real Fábrica de Tabacos de Sevilla (royal tobacco factory), now home to the University of Seville.

42. The clouds seem to be closing in again, so I'm heading to the airport, just east of Seville, to land.

43. Coming in for a landing at Seville, Spain.

44. Very changeable weather today over southern Spain.

45. Some might wonder whether the weather is just changing randomly in the sim. It's not. As you can see, the weather has been patchy over southern Spain for the past 48 hours or so, and it looks like a new front is moving in from the west.

46. In fact, one of the things I've found very impressive is how seamlessly the weather changes, both as you travel from one location to the next, or over time at the same location. There's no abrupt shift, it just transforms, and it can happen so gradually it can surprise you.

47. If you've been following my posts over the past 48 hours or so, you'll notice this. It feels like real weather, and it's at least reasonably true to current weather reports.

48. Someone asked me if I really wait hours for the weather in Microsoft Flight Simulator to clear. I do. Of course, you can also change it, to whatever you want, in a few clicks.