Gibraltar, have you heard of it?


The Rock visible from a far
I knew of Gibraltar, but had little specific knowledge of it before the day when we were going for a visit. Embarrassing admission behind me, now those of you who are like me can read along and by the end be richer for it. I will drop all kinds of facts about this place, just watch.
In the South of Spain, almost kissing Africa, is the tiny peninsula of Gibraltar. And it is tiny. At mere 6.8 square kilometers, it is the 4th smallest self-governing territory in the World. Drop in the middle of it an upturned enormous rock and with what you are left, you get one of the most-densely populated areas as well.

Approaching the border
This puny dot on the map, has more surprises.
As an important British military spot, Gibraltar needed an airport of its own. But where do you put it, when you have almost no land to work with? You do this:
The tingling beauty of this for me was the fact that to enter the country, one has to literally walk through the airstrip. You can drive your car or take the bus, but we chose walking. So much more fun.
Yawning border patrols waved us through, we walked slowly the width of the strip and as we were reaching the end, they were closing the border, because a plane was taking off. Indeed.
Gibraltar is a British territory. Red double decker buses zoom around, familiar telephone booths peak from the corners, as well as letter and litter boxes quietly claim the landscape for the Queen. Spain has tried to reverse this fact back in its favor, but the Gibraltarians have twice put their foot down and refused the offer.
Still, listening to llanito – the local dialect – you know Spain is not far. It is a fantastic mix of Spanish and English that boggles the mind in its swift switches between the two.
We had no money to take the cart up the rock and no time to walk up, so we took the bus to the end of the peninsula, where is the gift from King Fahd of Saudi Arabia – a mosque.
Quite beautifully, I thought, the mosque faces Morocco, peaking just across the strait.
And as the sun was setting, we walked back into Spain.
Yep, through the airport.
Hey there, I was just wondering about you and what you are doing! Gibraltar sounds so quirky, I’d love to visit – are they more British expats or locals who have descended from Brits? What is your plan after Spain?
Ainlay, from what I heard on the streets, I would say that it is mostly British descendents. But, on the other hand, British Airlines does fly 4-5 times a day, so I am sure it is a popular spot for expats too.
After Spain, we are making our way back to Bulgaria, where our stint in Europe will finally come to an end.
I see you are enjoying life in the ‘wild’ ;)
A very nice review of the tiny territory and I love your pictures, especially those from the airports! Did you see the monkeys as well? And what would you suggest to see for a day trip to Gibraltar? Thanks!
Bama, we did not go up the rock, which is where you see the monkeys. So I think if you have the time, just have a good walk up the mountain and see the views and the monkeys. There is a cave as well, for those interested.
Alternatively, if you have the money to spend and/or are not keen on activity – take the lift up and maybe walk down.
The bus was quite reasonably priced (I think until recently they were even free), so if you want to go down to the mosque or just take the ride to see the place, you can do that too.
Have a good time. It is an interesting place.