Gibraltar, what a rock!!

Gibraltar loomed in a distant haze and took my breath away. I knew it was a huge rock, but being surrounded by relatively flat land, its sudden appearance was just awesome. We couldn't wait to explore and learn about its incredible history. Surprisingly Gibraltar is actually one of Great Britain's last outposts; it's like a huge pimple on the bottom of Spain but does not belong to Spain. We are told a huge bone of contention between England and Spain. You have to show your passport and even if you are a "day tripper" as we were, they will not let you over the border without one. They also use the English pound for their currency; but luckily to save stupid exchanges will take also take Euros! Everything is ridiculously expensive on Gibraltar, so you have to bring your own picnic if you wish to avoid being severely ripped off.

We took the cable car up to the top station and the views were just AWESOME! It was a clear blue sky day and you could see miles of Spain in the distance and its many beaches along the coastline. As most of you know I am a vivid ape lover, so the Barbary Apes that roam freely on Gibraltar were a fascination to me. Tourists are told NOT to show any food or even wrappers.........these apes are wild and can bite. I found them cute as buttons, especially the mummy cuddling her baby which lapped up all the attention. Most of the apes were sitting on the stone wall as if they were posing for the photos; of course the amazing view behind them was just a bonus!


Gibraltar is filled with history of battles and hardships endured by men fighting for their country. It goes back 100's of years and its last battle frontier was WW2. The rock is covered with old army ruins, some man made but most of the rock's caves were used for stealth and secrecy. At this point in time 144 large caves have been discovered. The largest one is named St Michaels Cave and SO HUGE, they hold concerts in it. My mouth gaped at the sight on entering the first area after strolling down the narrow dark pathway. There are giant stalagmites and stalactites, some over 2 metres in diameter. You have to cross a bridge which they have been unable to obtain the depth, so they call it a "bottomless" crevasse.......kinda scary when you cross the old bridge......but the stunning lighting shows this cave off in its true glory. Look up St Michaels Cave on Google to get some better pictures. It is SO huge my camera could just not do justice to its size or colours and formations.

There were caves and tunnels to visit from many previous wars, museums and sound shows to give you the feeling of what it was like in those days.....there is one cave and adjoining tunnels that housed over 17,000 soldiers and supplies for over a year........

Gibraltar also has one of the "most dangerous runways" in the world. It starts and ends in the sea and is relatively short. PLUS.....you have to DRIVE ACROSS THE RUNWAY to get onto Gibraltar. People also have to walk across it to get onto the rock.....we were told strong cross winds make for many cancelled flights. We had to drive across it too and really felt quite weird doing so.......we saw a flight take off. Apparently they just have a red light like on a crossing.....funny! The following photos give you an idea from the distance and getting closer what the runway is like!



To end what was just an amazing day, we drove around the rock, the 'base' beach drive is about a 20 minute circumference, through endless tunnels, some very narrow but all interesting and the lee side of the rock is dynamic......sheer cliff edges and black holes where you can look up and see some caves.........Wow factor plus plus....


There is so much to see and do on Gibraltar.....we only allowed a day and I walked my butt off from one end to the other to see most of it. It should be a "must" if Spain is on your travel list......the caves, the beaches, the history, the tunnels, the museums, the apes, and all with miles of amazing walking uphill and down to see it all! Don't miss out on this one!