A day in Gibraltar

In September, we were excited to have a visit from the kids' Grandparents, my husband's parents. They had never been to Spain before, so we tried to combine simple local outings with fun weekend excursions. One of our favorite trips was spending a day in Gibraltar. This small town, just 1.5 hours from base, is huddled around the base of the famous Rock of Gibraltar (perhaps you recognize it from Prudential commercials?) The colony is actually part of the British empire, so they speak English and serve British food. It is very much like traveling to the Cliffs of Dover, except much more convenient, and much sunnier!

Because Gibraltar does not belong to Spain, you cross an international border when you go from the Spanish town of La Linea (the line) to the British peninsula of Gibraltar. And because England is not part of the EU, this border crossing can be more complicated than going from Spain into Portugal or France.  At the moment, there is political tension between Spain and Gibraltar, so Spain is threatening to impose tariffs on everyone crossing into Spain, and there are long lines of traffic for those who choose to drive across the border. Currently, the easiest option is to simply pull into the large public paid parking lot right before the border, pay a few Euro to park there for the day, and walk across the border into Gibraltar. You do need to bring a passport and go through customs, but there are virtually no lines for foot traffic, and you pass through customs in just a moment, without even stopping to complete paperwork or get a stamp. You will then walk across the actual runway of Gibraltar's airport (the peninsula is so small they had to build the runway extending into the bay, but it was tactically necessary to have an airstrip during World War II). 

Gibraltar has been a strategic location for its entire existence, and it amazing how much of the town's history is influenced by warfare. Originally part of Spain because of geography, Gibraltar was ceded to the British by the Treaty of Utrecht "in perpetuity" in 1713. In exchange, Spain gained the territory of Florida from the British. Of course, Spain assumed that they could take back the city of Gibraltar at any time, and in 1726 they attempted to do so by a land blockade, which was anticipated and repelled by the British. 

The Spanish tried once again to reclaim Gibraltar during the Great Siege from 1779-1783. This time, they blockaded the town from the land and surrounded it with the British Navy. But Gibraltar dug the famous Siege tunnels into the Rock, and placed cannons there to repel the British fleet. The sheer Rock was difficult to attack, and a landing was almost impossible, so after a British sally at night against the Spanish fleet, the Spanish were once again defeated.

During World War II, Gibraltar once again became a contested territory. Franco, the dictator of Spain, was officially neutral, but supported Hitler during World War II. Gibraltar, as a British territory, was one of the few Allied toeholds into "fortress Europe." Hitler was eager to attack Gibraltar from Spain, and paid Franco a large bribe to allow his Nazi troops to move through Spain against Gibraltar. Franco accepted the bribe money, but then refused to allow the troops entrance, protecting Gibraltar from almost certain Nazi domination. During this time, the Allied troops rallied to defend Gibraltar, and built the airstrip across the narrow flat part of Gibraltar's peninsula. Numerous British naval vessels docked in Gibraltar's harbor, waiting for a Nazi attack. The airstrip and harbor are still of international importance today. The city is a major refueling point for ships of all nations heading into the Mediterranean. This photo is taken from the top of the Rock, looking down at the airstrip and the Spanish town of La Linea.

After walking across the airport, visitors then follow the main road into Gibraltar's town center, Casemates Square. It is about a 1 mile walk from the parking to the Square, but totally worth it to avoid traffic lines lasting 1-3 hours. There are currently no fees for pedestrians or cars to cross the border. Along the way, you will pass through the Landport Tunnel, which was originally the ONLY way to enter Gibraltar by land.

Once in Casemates Square, you magically step into a quaint British town. The square is surrounded by pubs serving fish and chips, bangers and mash, pot pies, or delicious curry dishes. Waiters all speak crisp British English, and you can pay in either Euros or Gibraltar Pounds. We were there on a Saturday morning, and a small band of volunteers were dressed as British soldiers and drilling on the Square. I was amazed how instantly relaxing it was to be in an English-speaking environment. I honestly could have sat at a restaurant all afternoon and not minded at all. But of course, more of the city was waiting to be explored, so with our bellies full we strolled through the rest of the town towards the famous cable car at the far end.

Gibraltar is a long, skinny town, with only one long Main Street stretching over a mile along the base of the Rock. It was beautifully restored in the year 2000 to colonial British glory, so the atmosphere is very quaint, but the stores are quite modern, and there is an excellent selection of British clothing, food, and electronic stores for those who want to do some shopping.

There are two ways to reach the top of the Rock: by cable car, or by private tour vans. We expected that the cable car was the cheaper, easier option, and at first ignored the signs for taxis we saw on the street. However, after talking to a tour guide, we quickly realized that the taxis are a much better option. They charge the same rates as you would pay to ride the cable car: 7 Euro to get to the top, and 7 Euro for entrance fees to the sights of St. Michael's Cave and the Great Siege Tunnels, for a total of 14 Euro per person. However, kids are free in the taxi van option, but would have to pay for the cable car. Also, the taxis make for a LOT less walking. The top of the Rock is longer than the town of Gibraltar itself, and there is additional walking to go through the Cave and Tunnels. So it would take hours to walk the top and see everything, but with a taxi you can do that whole trip and see everything at a leisurely pace in just over 1 hour. Finally, having a local tour guide was wonderful. He answered all of our questions, and gave some great insight into what it meant to grow up in Gibraltar. He literally knew the monkeys personally, could call them by name, and tell us which ones were the friendliest and safest to pet. So we felt taking the taxi was by far our best choice. (2015 update: the tours are now 30 Euro per person, kids free. According to the guide, it is still the same cost as the cable ride and combined tickets on the Rock. The town has imposed a new fee of 10 Euros to enter the game preserve, which applies whether you are in the taxis or on foot. And apparently there has been some inflation.) To get a taxi, either ask at the stand by the customs gate--if you want to go up directly before lunch), or walk down Main Street from Casemates square about 1 mile until you get to a small plaza with the taxi signs.

The taxi first took us to the Pillars of Hercules, at the southern tip of the Rock. This is Spain's southernmost point, and you can see Africa across the sea. In ancient history, Gibraltar was considered one of the Pillars of Hercules, with the other one being in Tangier, Morocco. Beyond these pillars, the ancients were not sure that there were any additional lands or civilizations. The pillars are still featured on Spain's coat of arms and national flag. It's a great place for a photo, and I love how my children look so nonchalant and relaxed in such a famous location!

The second location on the tour is St. Michael's cave. This is a natural limestone cave in the Rock. Over time, huge stalactites and stalagmites have formed. During the Great Siege, the cave was used as a bomb-proof hospital. Now, it is used for classical concerts. There are colorful light displays, and secure walkways and ramp areas for tourists. It is gorgeous, but of course, also quite dark in most areas. And we quickly discovered that 2-year-old Alex was afraid of the dark. He cried in a terrified voice most of the time we were inside. :-(  

But once we exited the caves, we saw the first of the Rock's most famous residents: the Barbary apes. These wild monkeys have lived on the Rock for centuries, supposedly brought over on ships from Africa. The locals are very fond and proud of them. The tour guides name them all, and our guide had known several since they were born. He insisted they are not actually apes, but monkeys, since apes have no tails and these creatures actually have short stubby tails. They are quite familiar with tourists, and will eagerly eat any snacks or candy you give them. Of course, they will also climb all over you and harass you, so some people are terrified of them. But our crazy Sophie LOVED them. She just couldn't get enough of the monkeys, and let them climb all over her and hold her hand. She stared at them lovingly and would have been happy staying with them all day. The central home of the apes is the Apes Den, at the crown of the Rock, but they can be found in areas all over the Rock.

The taxi took us to the Apes' Den, near the highest point of the Rock. From here, you can look down the sheer cliff on the east side of the Rock to the Mediterranean Sea below.  The weather is intense at the peak of the Rock: you can literally see the clouds rising on one side and hitting the clear air on the opposite side. The views are stupendous. To dip your toes in the Mediterranean below, however, you would have to get a car or taxi ride to the far side of the peninsula of Gibraltar.  The beach on the Mediterranean side is very narrow, with only a single road running on that side of the pennisula.

The final stop on the taxi tour, and one of the most important attractions at Gibraltar, is the Great Siege tunnels. These were carved by hand into the Rock during the Great Siege of 1779-1783. The tunnels allowed cannons to be brought up into the Rock, which could fire upon the Spanish Armada below. Several of the cannons are still present in the tunnels, and visitors can peak out the 'windows' into the harbor far below. There are also several historical displays and wax figures throughout the tunnels, showing how they were constructed and explaining the politics and military strategy used during the Siege. The tunnels stretch for over a mile inside the Rock. The walk is very interesting and very informative, giving a great sense of what makes Gibraltar so unique and so important.

In summary, our trip to Gibraltar was amazing. The grandparents loved the unique day trip, the kids loved all the fun new opportunities, and we loved experiencing a little piece of British culture. We highly recommend Gibraltar to anyone, and we will probably return several times during our stay in Spain. It is amazing to be only 1.5 hours from such a fun city with such interesting history.