Gibraltar

...a coach excursion to Gibraltar. Gibraltar is a promontory that juts out of the coastline of Spain. It belongs to Great Britain and it's citizens all hold British passports. We had a great visit but if you are considering the same sort of day trip, be warned, it was a lengthy journey. We were picked up at 5.45am and did not arrive back in Albufeira until 10.30pm, having had 5 hours in Gibraltar. We could have flown home and back a couple of times, ...
...from Portugal, but did at Gibraltar . Coach parties nowadays tend to drop you off at passport control at Gibraltar, as the drive through can take forever. There were huge queues of traffic the day we visited.

GIBRALTAR
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Our coach dropped us off and the guide walked with us through passport control. You do have to show your passports and our shopping was checked when we returned. ... more

Our recent holiday to The Algarve , Portugal saw us taking a coach excursion to Gibraltar. Gibraltar is a promontory that juts out of the coastline of Spain. It belongs to Great Britain and it's citizens all hold British passports. We had a great visit but if you are considering the same sort of day trip, be warned, it was a lengthy journey. We were picked up at 5.45am and did not arrive back in Albufeira until 10.30pm, having had 5 hours in Gibraltar. We could have flown home and back a couple of times, in the time it took. Still we had a great day but obviously it is tiring and not for everyone. The coach booking cost 32 Euros each but many of our companions had secured two for one deals and only paid around 30 Euros per couple.

Taking such a 'day experience' requires you to take your passport. We did not have our passports checked when entering Spain from Portugal, but did at Gibraltar . Coach parties nowadays tend to drop you off at passport control at Gibraltar, as the drive through can take forever. There were huge queues of traffic the day we visited.

GIBRALTAR
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Our coach dropped us off and the guide walked with us through passport control. You do have to show your passports and our shopping was checked when we returned. That is because Gibraltar enjoys tax free shopping and most goods, especially wines , spirits , cigarettes and tobacco are much cheaper than say in Portugal. However they are strict on the amounts you can take through customs . We were only allowed 5 x 50g of tobacco or 200 cigarettes each. However the tobacco for example only cost about £5.50 Gibraltar pounds, for 5x50g packs. This worked out to around £8.50 British pounds. Our local guide, for the optional Rock tour, told us that residents of Gibraltar smoke and drink to excess as these are cheap to buy, and then they ride around all day and night, as petrol is cheap but there is nowhere for them to go. As a visitor though there is certainly plenty to see and visit..

CURRENCY PROBLEMS
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What you need to be careful about when dining and or shopping in Gibraltar is the exchange rate. Gibraltar has it's own Gibraltar pound . It is important not to take any of these in your change as they are only valid on Gibraltar, and cannot be exchanged in Banks in say England. The locals will take Euros or English money. However when you pay in Euros they will convert your bill by using an amount of anything from 1.50 to 1.85 euros to their pound. It is best if you ask each shop's exchange rate before you buy in order to guarantee that your purchases are a good buy. They do vary a lot.

THE ACTUAL ROCK TOUR
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Our coach driver had already asked all of us whether we wanted to take the optional rock tour. About half of us said yes and he collected the 20 Euros per person from each of us. I am not sure if this is a good thing or not. Friends we had got to know, who were on a different coach, from the same company, only paid 18 Euros each. Also when you first get through customs there is a firm offering the optional rock tours. I did not look at the price just in case I would feel ripped off. However maybe it was easier and more efficient paying through our tour guide, as he had phoned ahead and the driver was ready. Our tour lasted about 45 minutes, was enjoyable and our local guide was very knowledgeable, despite originally coming from England many years earlier.

We crossed the road and took the short but slow journey to meet our local guide. The weather was glorious and the sky a perfectly, cloudless, bright blue. For the rock tour a mini-van was used. The traffic congestion was unbelievable for such a small place. I was fascinated to pass over what is the airport runway. When a flight is coming in, or taking off, barriers similar to English level crossing ones come down.

We started our journey travelling ever upwards to as high as possible on the Rock of Gibraltar. Our ticket included a separate ticket for some magnificent caves in the rock. These were truly spectacular with many huge stalactites and stalagmites. Sadly the floor had been concreted, which was easy to walk on but somewhat spoiled the whole effect. There was a whole area where rows of seats go high into the cave. Here at special festivals and events brass bands and the like play. It must make for a very special, if not strange, evening. There were plenty of other such places to visit on the way up but they all had entry fees.

As we travelled around each turn of the road, and wound higher up the rock, we passed some great views and other tourist sites etc. There are many remnants of the, now missing, British armies days in Gibraltar. The whole place is full of history. Although the views are special there were a few white knuckle moments. Towards the top there is a huge, magnificent Mosque built by a Saudi Prince. From here we looked down on a hazy view of Tangiers, Africa ,in the distance, over to the East we could see Eastern mainland Spain and many ships down in The Straits of Gibraltar. These Straits had many huge vessels at anchor and it looked really busy. However our tour guide told us that many of them just waited there for details of their next sailing. We saw the wreckage of a vessel that had recently left port before it should have and had sunk. The captain was in jail and no-one knew why he had sailed early as he had permission to leave. This large vessel was awaiting a decision on how to remove it as it was drifting and potentially threatening. Just it's bow was visible out of the water.

From this view point we drove a little down the Rock to visit the 'monkeys' or Barbary Apes. We had seen some when we visited the caves however there is a main point where most of them 'hang out' These monkeys still live a semi wild existence. The guide told us a wild existence but with the amount of visitors each day that is not really true. You are not supposed to feed them or touch them but some guides do. Unfortunately this encourages visitors to do the same and has resulted in a number of accidents. We were told if you are bitten it is a quick journey down to the hospital for a painful injection. The monkeys were cute and as always. with animals. so innocent in some of their exploits. They would jump on the mini-vans as they were leaving, try to scramble inside, swing on the mirrors, occasionally have a little fight and seemingly pose, sometimes. An old guy here was telling us they all have names and we saw the newest addition, a 5 week old youngster. Babies are not named until they are 6 months old in case they do not survive. There was a café near here but it was pricey. You must not have food, drink or trinkets on show when you visit the monkeys as they have been known to quickly steal items and scarper with them, so that the items are never seen again.

All of the visitors seemed to love this spot. Here with the monkeys there were wonderful views and nearby there is a cable car. However it will not be for the fainthearted. It is a straight, steep ride up and it is HIGH. I believe this may be the only way to visit the peak which was above us.

All too soon we were transported back near to Main Street which is where most of the shopping is on Gibraltar. Here there are bars, restaurants, cafes and many shops. There are many of the shops we have in England, for example BHS, Marks and Spencers and the late C and A's, but although they are tax free I did not visit these, as it would have been almost like being at home. However if you are interested there are bargains to be had. However you must remember what I have already said about the exchange rate and check the actual price first.

As we walked along Main Street it was similar to many shopping areas in tourist strips at home and abroad. The flags all had bunting and union flags were displayed all over as the previous day the 10th September had been a special day for Gibraltarians. It celebrates the date that Britain began ruling Gibraltar. They had been celebrating into late the night before. Apparently all restaurants for that day are booked up months in advance. We had a little lunch but it was nothing special and ended up a little pricey with the exchange rate. Still it was ok, but I am sure there were better places to eat, a little of the tourist trail.

In no time it was time to wind our way back to passport control. It was a very humid day and the bright blue sky darkened. We were confidently told earlier it hardly ever rains on Gibraltar. Although it is only a short distance we got a frontier bus from Main Street. They are cheap, frequent and save you getting lost or caught up in the traffic. As it started spitting with rain we crossed the border, and suddenly both Spain and Gibraltar received a torrential downpour. What is it that song says, 'Everywhere you go you take the weather'

Hubby and I thoroughly enjoyed our visit despite the early start. Often such a timescale means that when we arrive we don't really enjoy ourselves. No such problem with Gibraltar. Both of us would return as there is so much to see and visit of historical value and interest. However I could not imagine staying there for more than a couple of days.

JUST A FEW FACTS
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John Lennon and Yoko Ono married here.
So did Sean Connery.

The Rock features in the James Bond film 'The Living Daylights' and the filming lasted quite a while.

The pillars of Hercules are supposed to be here, where Hercules put one foot on Gibraltar and the other over The Straits of Gibraltar onto Africa.

Gibraltar has been held by many countries and had many leaders.

There seems to be some doubt about the exact date that Britain took over rule of Gibraltar but 1704 seems the most popular date.

Sovereignty of Gibraltar has been fought over by the Spanish and the British more than once. At times the border has been closed and in effect Gibraltar has been under siege.

In November 2002 Gibraltarians took to the polls in a referendum to vote whether or not to remain British.

In August 2004 locals celebrated 300 years of British rule.

There is a famous saying, often worded differently, but that basically says 'If the apes no longer exist on Gibraltar, then control of the Rock will go from Britain to Spain'

CONCLUSION
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I have not spent a long time on the history and differing aspects of the Rock as I am really reviewing what I found and felt on our day trip. If you have never visited I would recommend a visit, if it comes your way. There is a wealth of history associated with Gibraltar and my visit has whetted my appetite to discover more. If you visit when the weather is clear, which it was for most of our visit, the scenery is marvellous and Gibraltar feels a very different sort of location despite it's English influences.

Oh and of course for the girlies, the shopping is wonderful if that's your thing.

Thanks for reading
© Eiley 2007 

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