Gibraltar

First stop is the Rock of Gibraltar.  This is  a British Overseas Territory which lies at the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula and the entrance to the Mediterranean.  It became a part of Great Britain about 300 years ago when the Treaty of Utrecht ceded it in perpetuity to the British in 1713.  In Gorham’s Cave, one of numerous caves on the Rock, evidence has been found of Neanderthal habitation between 128,000 and 24,000 BC.  That makes it one of the last bastions of the Neanderthals. In recorded history the first inhabitants were the Phoenicians and Gibraltar came to be known as the Pillars of Hercules.  Much of the Rock’s upper area is a nature reserve and the home of the famous apes of Gibraltar, the Barbary Macaques.

The name Gibraltar has an interesting origin.  The Moorish leader who first came here was Tarik and the place was named Gibel Tarik. Gib meant hill in Arabic so this was Tarik’s Hill.  Over the centuries the name evolved to Gibraltar.

Today we our tour took us from one end of the Rock to the other and from top to bottom.  Our guide Sergio was born and raised here.  Since we were too early to go immediately to the cable car, our first order of business was a minibus ride completely around.  On the eastern side we went to Catalan Bay which was settled by fishing families from Genoa.  There was a small but very pretty beach with a hotel and a number of lovely homes overlooking the bay.  Next, we rode through a tunnel constructed in 1964 which took us to the southernmost point, Europa Point.  There’s a lighthouse there and from the point you can see the Rift Mountains of Morocco across the strait 13 miles away.  It is a unique spot because from there you can see 3 countries (Spain, Morocco and the United Kingdom – represented by Gibraltar), two continents (Europe and Africa), one sea (the Mediterranean) and the Atlantic Ocean.

Europa Point Lighthouse

Gibraltar is comprised of limestone primarily and when they say “as solid as the Rock of Gibraltar” it’s misleading.  There are actually 35 miles of tunnels dug into Gibraltar, most for defensive purposes.  Some were used for storage of munitions at various times in history and others were used to access large guns and cannons placed for defense.  One of the tunnels we visited, the Siege Tunnel was built in 1779 when Britain was fighting France and Spain.  It is actually incredible that with equipment available at that time they were able to excavate the tunnel and haul in such massive cannon.

After our bus ride, we went to the cable car and took a ride to the top of the Rock.  The views are breathtaking.  The mist was burning off and it gave an almost magical look to some of the vistas.  We saw a few of the apes up there, but were treated to more of a show when we got off the cable car halfway down at the ape house.  There our bus was waiting for us and several of the creatures were on top of the vehicles, hanging on the mirrors or just jumping around.  They are protected and all tattooed for identification purposes.  They are actually able to live on their own, but Winston Churchill decreed that they should be fed, and so they are to this day.

An ape admiring himself

After our ride back to the Watergate and the central square, we decided to stay in town.  We bought a few postcards and had fish and chips at Roy’s Place, which was recommended to us by one of the shopkeepers.  He gave us good advice – the fish and chips were delicious.  Then we walked back to the ship.  The internet connection is good so I’m taking advantage of the opportunity to catch up.

Enjoying a beer while waiting for our fish and chips

Tomorrow we’ll be in Morocco and we’re off to Marrakech.