Gibraltar

April 10, 2025

When I woke up this morning, we were approaching the port of Gibraltar , nicknamed the Rock. Gibraltar is a British territory, with a population of approximately 38,000. The British sovereignty has been disputed by Spain on many occasions. Many people in Gibraltar speaking Spanish we noticed. Approximately 15,000 Spanish workers cross the border daily to come to work in Gibraltar.

This morning we booked a small tour to take us up the rock. The rock raises up 426 meter above sea level. Our small bus took us up the narrow roads , making stops at the most southerly point at the light house and Michels Cave. On the way down we spotted numerous monkeys on the side of the road. The monkeys love to get their little hands inside your backpack and take stuff. Luckily we were inside the bus. Apparently fellow tourists were chased by the creatures for food. After we were down the mountain we drove towards the border with Spain, did a U turn and drove through the new tunnel underneath the runway back to the city center. Before the runway tunnel was completed, the road was crossing the runway and traffic had to be stopped when an airplane arrived or was taking off. we had the bus drop us off in the town center instead of taking us back to the ship. The downtown was a lively plaza with adjoining shopping streets with cafes and stores . There seem to be a lot of Liquor stores , likely because of the tax-free status here in Gibraltar. Having spent a couple of hours downtown, taking in lunch and coffee, we started to walk back to the boat, which took us probably 25 minutes.

Gibraltar, really surprised us with all the historical places to visit and all the modern shopping streets.

Cheers

Cor and Carol