The Rock of Gibraltar

Located at the southernmost tip of Spain, this British territory is home to the famous Rock of Gibraltar that you may remember from the Prudential logo.  It has been a British territory since the early 1700’s but the Spanish still assert their claim to Gibraltar so tensions can be high at the border.  To visit Gibraltar by car you must drive across the border from La Linea, Spain.  Like any border your passport is required and when I was there in the early 90’s it felt like driving from the late 1800’s (Spain) into the late 20^th century.   Once you get through the border one of the first things you come to is a stop light but instead of a cross street, you find an airport runway.  The runway begins and ends way out in the water and crosses the narrow tip of land east to west.   It would be an interesting landing and takeoff and you have to hope the cars obey the stop lights.

As you start to drive up the rock the first stop you come to is the water catchment area.  It is a huge bare portion of the rock that has a steep slope where they catch rain water for consumption.  This area has a great view toward the east that pans from the Spanish coastline in the north and out over the Mediterranean Sea.  The next stop is called St. Michaels Cave.  It is a cavern with stalactites and stalagmites but is not very interesting if you have seen the likes of Carlsbad Caverns.  From there you continue on to the spot where you are most likely to see the Gibraltar Apes.  They are really Barbary Macaques but everyone there called them the Apes.  I have no idea where they came from or how long they have been there but they are a lot of fun to watch and play with.  Legend says that if/when the apes leave Gibraltar so will the British.  They were so use to people that they would not hesitate to climb on your shoulder or head.  In fact, you really had to be careful with bags and cameras because they would steal them, carry them off to some inaccessible place and search them for food.  One tried to climb up my elastic wasted skirt but thankfully I was quick enough to grab the waste before I flashed a bunch of strangers. 

After seeing the apes you continue higher to the Upper Galleries, these are tunnels hewn into the rock that were started as a road to the top but the ventilation holes proved to be good places to stage cannons for protection, so the tunnels were carved downward and used to protect the rock from the Spanish during The Great Siege; 1779 to 1783.  The ventilation/cannon holes provided a spectacular view out over the town and ocean.   At some point in this tour you come to the very southern tip called Europa Point which is the southernmost point in all of Europe.  It is only about 9 miles from here straight across to the north coast of Morocco, North Africa. 

I spent very little time in the actual town of Gibraltar, but it was clearly a British style town.  The architecture looked nothing like the Spanish towns and very much like an old European town.  Gibraltar was an easy day trip from Rota and it really felt like a much more modern place than Spain and we often went there for a good hamburger.  Since the Brits are not known for their fabulous food, I find it comical that Americans went to a British territory to find a good hamburger.  Well, good is not the right word; let’s say it was better than the hamburgers we found in Spain.  Plus they also serve wonderful fish and chips!!  I don’t think Gibraltar is a specific destination for most people but if you find yourself in Southern Spain you must spend a day exploring “The Rock.”