Gibraltar
The Rock
In January of 2018 Donna and I went to the small nation (British Overseas Territory) of Gibraltar. Located On the Southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula and bordering Spain Gibraltar is a melting pot of cultures but also preserves English ways. Its across the Straight of Gibraltar from Morocco and the continent of Africa so its a unique vantage point to see two continents and three countries at once (Spain, Morocco and Gibraltar). Due to its location its been a military stronghold for years and you can see that as you wind through the narrow streets in the compact area. The most distinguishable landmark is the famous Rock of Gibraltar you can see from a long distance.
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Getting to Gibraltar and Transportation
Donna and I took a cruise excursion from Malaga, Spain to get to Gibraltar but there are other ways to make it there. You could take a cruise that ports in Gibraltar itself, you could fly into Spain and drive to Gibraltar or fly into the small airport in Gibraltar. The area of Gibraltar is so small you actually have to drive over the runway of the airport to enter the country (the only way in or out). They close the runway when a plane lands or takes off. There are very limited flights into Gibraltar that mainly go to and from England and a short flight to Tangier, Morocco. While in Gibraltar I heavily recommend taking a small van tour to see Gibraltar versus trying to tour yourself. The van tour takes about an hour to tour most of the country. The downtown area is easily walk-able.
The City Area of Gibrlatar and Downtown
As soon as you cross the border and drive over the airport runway you are driving through old fortress walls and passing my quite a few buildings that make up Gibraltar. The streets in the older areas a small and winding. You can see the British culture as you drive through the city complete with red phone booths and Fish and Chips restaurants. With many of the buildings you can also see the mi of cultures and styles that have come to call Gibraltar home. Donna and I took some time to walk through downtown Gibraltar and visit the many shops along the main street. There are ample opportunities to eat along this area as well. There are a few churches in the area you can stop by and tour that are within walking distance. There are also a few military monuments nearby including one to the United States.
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The Rock of Gibraltar and St. Michael's Cave
After touring the city area of Gibraltar we drove up towards the top of the Rock of Gibraltar. The drive up gave us nice views of the three nations in the area and the Mediterranean. You can see relics of the British military and the many tunnels through the rock in the area. They have many signs describing the history of the military installations. Once you get near the entrance to St. Michael’s cave you can see the famous monkey’s of Gibraltar. They are everywhere on the rock and you can watch them clean eat other and we even saw a baby monkey taking a ride on its mother. Be careful with food and souvenir bags because the monkeys will take them from you. We luckily didn’t have any issues with that. There are five troops of these Barbary Macaques located in the Gibraltar Nature Reserve and are fun to watch for a little while. There is a pretty nice cave system call St. Michael’s Caves. You can walk through the caves and see the many rock formations such as stalagmites and stalactites. They have brilliant colors illuminating the cave walls as you walk through the self guided tour. They have a nice little gift shop were you can buy souvenirs from Gibraltar at the entrance. Our last stop on the way down was to looks at the old World War II tunnels entrance and a stop to see more of the monkeys in an area Queen Elizabeth II visited with the monkeys.
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Tips for Gibraltar
Gibraltar can be toured in a day or so to hit the main sights of the country. The cruise day excursion allowed us to see many of the attractions and see much of the country. I would have liked a little more time but in all we got to see the bulk of what there is to do in this small area. If you travel here outside of a cruise or day excursion I would recommend taking some time to explore some of the Andalusian region and maybe head over to the crossroads city of Tangier, Morocco for a bit. While you are there grab some traditional British cuisine like Fish and Chips. In Gibraltar they use the Gibraltar Pound that is equal to the British Pound in value. They will also accept the Euro and credit card pretty much everywhere. The Gibraltar Pound is usually worth more that a US Dollar so keep that in mind when purchasing things.