GIBRALTAR - A SMALL BRITISH TERRITORY ON THE SOUTHERN TIP OF SPAIN

Located on the southernmost tip of Spain is the small British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar (pop.32,000) –an interesting stopover when touring Andalusia, and a must if you want to get a close-up view of the famous Rock and experience a little bit of Britain at the same time.

   When we arrived in Gibraltar, late on a Sunday afternoon in October, all was quiet and we asked the cab driver where everyone was. He said that the locals typically leave on the weekends to visit other places in southern Spain. We stayed for two nights at the Weststone serviced apartments. We rated it a 10 out of 10 on booking.com and enjoyed our room on the fifth floor with a harbor view.

Everything went smoothly until we discovered that we forgot to bring a British electrical adapter. We headed out quickly to find a store where we might purchase one, that would also be open on a Sunday evening. It was not easy, however, we finally found an open shop that seemed to sell everything, including an adapter so Ron could do some work.

About one-half of the land in this small (2.6 square miles) country consists of steep cliffs and a natural park reserve located on the mountain area that is referred to as the Rock of Gibraltar. About 300 Barbary macaques (also known as the Rock apes) roam freely on the reserve—the only place in Europe where you can hang out with monkeys outside of a zoo.
On our first day, we headed out to ride the Gibraltar Cable Car to the top of the Rock (1,350 feet) with plans to walk down. We arrived midmorning when all of the buses decide to drop tourists off and there was more than an hour wait to purchase tickets. Fortunately, there was a separate entrance for ticket holders and we were able to use our cell phone to purchase tickets online (thanks to T-Mobile) and to avoid the wait.

     Once we reached the top, we could see Morocco, Spain, Algeciras, the Strait of Gibraltar, cruise port and much more. We were also greeted by the Barbary macaques. There were signs all over warning you not to feed them and to keep all food hidden. As soon as we arrived we noticed one of the little guys jump on the shoulder of a nearby tourist, open his backpack, and steal food from it. We also noticed a tour guide feeding the monkeys for entertainment which is definitely not a good idea for the health of the animals or the safety of visitors. 

   

  Apparently, there were snakes on the reserve as well—here is a sign that we noticed while hiking down the mountain.

After enjoying the views and exploring the old abandoned sites and caves on the top, we decided to start working our way down. The trails were not well marked and we found the rocks and steep steps to be a bit unstable. We preferred to walk on the paved road. However, it was heavily trafficked by tour vans and taxis. 

Gibraltar was part of Spain until the early 1700s. Great Britain was then ceded formal control of the territory by the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. During World War II, it was an important base for the Royal Navy as it controlled all naval traffic into and out of the Mediterranean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean.

Today the country is self-governing, except for defense and foreign policy, and is home to a British naval and military garrison. There is no large scale agricultural or industrial activity here. The economy is based mainly on tourism, online gambling, financial services, and cargo ship refueling. The Strait of Gibraltar is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.

When we departed for Spain the next day, we went through security and showed our passports (no visa required) then walked another couple of blocks to the La Linea Bus terminal for a ride to our next destination, Cadiz.

We continued to view Gibraltar from afar as we traveled further along the Mediterranean Sea with a pleasant memory of our visit. We also left with a slightly new perspective of the old saying: “solid as the Rock of Gibraltar.”