Armchair Traveller: Exploring Gibraltar - A Fascinating Day Trip from Spain

 This article was originally written by Lynn for the Trinity Voices in April 2021

On a beautiful sunny afternoon in September 2019, we were standing on a beach on the Costa del Sol when Dave looked to the west and said, “I think I can see the Rock of Gibraltar from here!”  It was only a one-hour drive from our rental apartment, so the next day we hopped into our rental car and drove to La Linea. Most travellers from Spain seem to walk across the border and we did just that, an interesting prospect in itself because the road into Gibraltar runs directly across the main runway of the international airport!

Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory, and as such, a very interesting place both historically and culturally.  32, 000 people live in the town of Gibraltar at the base of the Rock.  Gibraltar was captured from Spain by Anglo-Dutch forces in 1704 and was ceded in perpetuity to Great Britain under the Treaty of Utrecht (1713). Gibraltar was an important base for the Royal Navy in the Napoleonic wars as well as in World War II.  It remains an important port today with half of the world’s ships passing through the strait between the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.

When we crossed into the walled old town, it was interesting to see a British territory, complete with double-decker buses, red phone boxes, and lots of pubs.  The pedestrian shopping streets were full of international visitors, but we heard lots of British accents from all regions.  British stores like Marks and Spencer and Debenhams were full of both merchandise and shoppers!  After enjoying a nice walk and a bit of browsing, we hopped on a bus that took us to the top of the Rock!

You may have heard of the Barbary macaques, the monkeys that populate the Rock.  Having lived as the only colony of monkeys in the wild in Europe since before 1704, they roam freely over the landscape, and some are very people-adjusted.  I was actually thrilled when our driver coaxed one of the monkeys right onto my head! I’m happy to report that if he had any critters living on him, they were happy to stay there – something I only thought about after the photo op!

A highlight of the day for Dave was touring the historical caves and tunnels inside the Rock itself.  We entered from high atop the iconic landform and then went deeper and deeper inside, pausing to read the information presented about the various uses of the tunnels and looking out the very small openings where cannons had been protectively poised in the past.  The displays were very well presented, incorporating photographs, text, and in some places, sound recordings that highlighted the lives of the men who were stationed there.

Happily, we also found an excellent restaurant serving traditional English Fish & Chips complete with mushy peas, all washed down with a pint. Great rewards for a day of exploring this interesting place!  After that, it was back across the airstrip and into the car to wage our own battles on the highways of Spain!

Safe Travel

Lynn

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