Gibraltar was our first tour, & we were excited to get started.
Just a bit of history about Gibraltar. It is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. It has an area of about 2.6 sq. mi. and a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region. At its foot is the densely populated city area, home to about 30,000 Gibraltarians & other nationalities.
An Anglo-Dutch force captured Gibraltar from Spain in 1704 & the territory was subsequently ceded to Britain "in perpetuity" in 1713. It was an important base for the Royal Navy; today its economy is based largely on tourism, financial services, and shipping.
The sovereignty of Gibraltar is a major point of contention in Anglo-Spanish relations as Spain asserts a claim to the territory. This claim was rejected in 1967 & again in 2002. Under the Gibraltar constitution of 2006, Gibraltar governs its own affairs, though some powers, such as defense & foreign relations, remain the responsibility of the UK Government.
From this map, you can kind of understand why Spain thinks this should be part of their country.
Anyway, because of the contention between the UK & Spain, to get into Gibraltar, you must go through a border check in both places, back-to-back, so you must have your Passport. Also, you have to cross the airstrip, so sometimes there is a wait if jets are taking off. Fortunately, our tour bus got across very quickly. We were dropped off at the Visitors' Center & given directions of how to get into the hub of Gibraltar for shopping or having lunch. Then later, we boarded smaller buses to tour the island. The streets are so narrow, steep and curvy that our regular bus wasn't allowed. Actually there are very few cars but lots of Mopeds.
The Rock of Gibraltar -- sorry about the glare, but this was taken through the bus window.
Just a bit of history about Gibraltar. It is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. It has an area of about 2.6 sq. mi. and a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region. At its foot is the densely populated city area, home to about 30,000 Gibraltarians & other nationalities.
An Anglo-Dutch force captured Gibraltar from Spain in 1704 & the territory was subsequently ceded to Britain "in perpetuity" in 1713. It was an important base for the Royal Navy; today its economy is based largely on tourism, financial services, and shipping.
The sovereignty of Gibraltar is a major point of contention in Anglo-Spanish relations as Spain asserts a claim to the territory. This claim was rejected in 1967 & again in 2002. Under the Gibraltar constitution of 2006, Gibraltar governs its own affairs, though some powers, such as defense & foreign relations, remain the responsibility of the UK Government.
From this map, you can kind of understand why Spain thinks this should be part of their country.
Anyway, because of the contention between the UK & Spain, to get into Gibraltar, you must go through a border check in both places, back-to-back, so you must have your Passport. Also, you have to cross the airstrip, so sometimes there is a wait if jets are taking off. Fortunately, our tour bus got across very quickly. We were dropped off at the Visitors' Center & given directions of how to get into the hub of Gibraltar for shopping or having lunch. Then later, we boarded smaller buses to tour the island. The streets are so narrow, steep and curvy that our regular bus wasn't allowed. Actually there are very few cars but lots of Mopeds.
The Rock of Gibraltar -- sorry about the glare, but this was taken through the bus window.
From the Visitors' Center we were directed to the town square, home to all kinds of shopping & plenty of restaurants.
This was kind of like being on a postage stamp -- tons of people bustling in every direction.
We asked about fish 'n chips & were directed to Roy's. It was excellent, & Roy even came & chatted for quite awhile. We have similar political views, so it was really interesting. Sorry I didn't get a pic of Roy. Let's just say, very British & really liked his own cooking.....lol!
We strolled around a bit before boarding the smaller buses & heading up the hillside to the caves & monkeys. The land you see across The Strait is Africa.
The Gibraltarians are so proud of these caves, but sadly, they haven't done much to preserve them.
They have taken advantage of the acoustics & have lots of concerts in here.
The Macaques are under government protection, & anyone attempting to feed them, faces a very stiff fine.
They are very playful & not afraid of humans at all. We were warned to keep our distance, because these monkeys like to steal stuff -- watches, cameras, scarves -- & the government will not upset the monkeys to try and retrieve your items!
This entire family just sat quietly posing for many, many photos. I preferred to keep my distance, because these little cherubs have very big teeth....lol!
Lots of freighters, barges & some naval ships.
Were we less than impressed with Gibraltar? Yes! It was neat to see, but way too touristy to waste an entire day. Our tour bus from Malaga was loaded with French, & they seemed most intent on buying Duty Free cigarettes. That was something that really surprised us on this trip -- almost everyone smoked. Thank goodness it wasn't allowed on the tour buses or in some of the restaurants, but everywhere outside, young & old alike were puffing away.
After the long day on the bus, it was nice to get back to a much less crowded street close to our hotel for some Sangria & dinner.
Our next tour is Seville. I'll post that later in the week. Thanks so much for stopping by. I do hope you are enjoying what I have to share about our Spain vacation & are not too bored. Hope to see you soon!
~CAS~
I also don't like smokers around. I feel that they should render some respect to people who don't smoke. I love the pictures and that part of the ocean where you can already see Africa is wow! Can't wait for your next post :)
ReplyDeleteBLECH, can't stand smoking! The views are just so pretty! That whole not disturbing the monkeys after they steal is crazy nuts.
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm not bored at all! Thanks for sharing your trip with us.
ReplyDeleteLooks like an amazing trip! No, I wasn't bored with this post at all! I loved reading about it and seeing everything. I've never been there. What about those monkey's and the government protection they get? So different over there huh?
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. I so enjoyed the photos of the trip. I don't like smoking either. I hate going to the casinos for that very reason. Some bingo parlors still let people smoke too. Can't wait to see the other pictures. Hugs.
ReplyDeleteI don't like the smell of smokers, so people should respect who's next to them. Yes, I do imegine why the Rock of Gibraltar could be claimed by Spain...just like the Falkland Island is claimed by Argentina...who knows, humans will forever have wars over land. Love your trip and thanks for sharing such great shots with us, Hugs,
ReplyDeleteFABBY
What beautiful pictures! I lived in Spain all my life and I never visited Gibraltar! Shame on me! :)
ReplyDeleteI love seeing your trip. It is a good way to have a small escape at least while reading and looking at the photos. I am jealous looks like a wonderful time.
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