Day 39: Gibraltar
You’ve heard of the Rock of Gibraltar? Well, that’s where we went today. Gibraltar is one of those places I wasn’t sure if it was a country or a city or what. After all, it only covers 2.6 square miles. As it turns out, it’s a British Territory that has long been in dispute between the U.K. and Spain (it’s entirely landlocked by Spain.) It has a military and maritime strategic value as it sits at the southernmost point of Europe where the Atlantic Ocean meats the Mediterranean Sea. Morocco, in Africa, is less than 8 nautical miles from Gibraltar, making it close enough to see on a clear day.
We took the Upper Rock Walking Tour with the ship today. The tour began with a cable car ride up to the top of “The Rock.” Immediately, we saw the famous Barbary Macaque monkeys that live there. We were warned not to take any food up with us as they can be aggressive little thieves when they smell food. They are also very comfortable with people and mischievous. Five troops live there and are fed by the government because it is believed that as long as the monkeys are in Gibraltar, the British will be in Gibraltar. So far, that has proven true. They are the only “wild” monkeys in Europe.
We then went over to the Sky Walk. Plexiglas floors high above the cliffs give a great view of the Gibraltar Rock, Spain, the town below, and the ocean. Morocco was a bit hidden by the haze, but it was there too. I was even able to zoom in and get a photo of the U.S. nuclear submarine that was port.
We walked down to St. Michael’s Cave. There, stalactites and stalagmites are lit up in a large cavernous space. It is said the cave reaches all the way under the ocean to Africa. Who knows if that's true or not. During WWII, the large amphitheater area was prepped to be an emergency military hospital, but it was never used as such. Today, it's used for plays and concerts due to the excellent natural acoustics.
Lastly, we went to the Great Siege Tunnels that were created and used during the 4 year siege the British endured by the Spanish and the French from 1779 to 1783. Like I mentioned before, Gibraltar is landlocked by Spain, and Spain really wanted it. As you can see in the first picture below, Spain is just across that runway, so pretty darn close. Anyway, after 4 years, the Spanish gave up and the Brits prevailed. Many years later during WWII, the Allies would carve out miles of tunnels as a strategic military point and a field hospital. In total, there are some 30 miles of tunnels inside the Rock. We couldn't help but have a little fun with the historic figures in the tunnel that help bring the history to life.
We had planned on splitting off from the group at that point and walking back across the rock to the Mediterranean Steps and hiking that back down into town. Unfortunately, we were now on the exact opposite end of the rock from the steps and were told it would take us 2 hours just to reach them, before having to walk down and then all the way back across town to the ship. Anyway, it just wasn’t meant to be. The day was super windy and a little on the chilly side, so we took the tour bus back into town. Much of Gibraltar is up against the hill making for some very steep streets. So while the narrow roads will switch back and forth, there are often stairs that take the short cut down if you are walking.
The bus dropped us off at Casemates Square, a pretty touristy area with shops and restaurants. Since Gibraltar is basically like a slice of England, there were all of the British adornments: fish and chips, red phone booths, and pubs. It was time for lunch, so fish and chips it was! If you ever do make it to Gibraltar, beware, it’s not cheap. Our fish and chips lunch cost about the same as our delicious dinner in Mykonos.
After we were done eating (and drinking), we walked around for a while, mostly up and down Main Street which is down in the flat part of town near the water. There really isn’t that much more to do. The wind was still beating us down, so we popped into a pub for a pint and some Wi-Fi time to make some calls back home.
The walk back to the ship was only about 20 minutes, and we got there with 30 minutes to spare. (I always feel like I have to mention that for my Mom, who is in constant fear that we're going to miss the ship one of these days.) For the sail-away, we went up top for some photos. As you can see, the Strait of Gibraltar is an extremely busy shipping lane. We also got a better look at Morocco, which is where we'll be tomorrow.
I’m glad we stopped in Gibraltar, but I’m also glad it was cruise stop. One day there is really all I needed. I can’t believe we only have two more stops before the trip is over! I thought by now I’d be ready to get off this ship, but I’m still having fun and could keep on going.
Next stop: Morocco
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