Gibraltar – Around the Town

[Editor’s note: this article is the first half of a longer piece about Gibraltar. Part 2, “The Gibraltar Nature Reserve Park”, will be published next month.]

Land-ho! The Rock of Gibraltar appeared off our starboard bow under a cloudy morning sky. We’d been travelling overnight as crew aboard La Magona del Mare, with many dolphins for company. Our captain, Marike, was heading for Gibraltar (a British Overseas Territory; currency is Pounds rather than Euros) to pick up duty-free boat parts in preparation for continuing onward to the Caribbean.

Bjarne on the bow with the Rock of Gibraltar in the distance; Inset: one of the many dolphins visiting during this passage.

The sail from Almerimar, on the southern coast of Spain and a good place to provision, was downwind. Although that brought the usual annoyances of collapsing sails and rolling, it was an improvement over the headwinds we’d had getting away from Italy. January isn’t the most common time for travelling westward in the Mediterranean Sea, but the reward for enduring the cooler, windier weather was uncrowded marinas and anchorages. At about 25 miles from Gibraltar, we began observing (and dodging) large, slow moving cargo ships, seemingly killing time; numerous other large vessels were anchored just east of the Rock. Apparently, a lot of waiting is done before transiting the Strait, no doubt due to a complex mix of weather considerations, trade issues, Customs, and politics.

While Gibraltar was our ultimate destination, we first stopped at the Spanish city connecting Gibraltar to the rest of the continent; at La Línea de la Concepción moorage and provisioning were less expensive. We docked by late afternoon, after 2 nights at sea, at Alcaidesa Marina, with a fabulous view of the famous rock from the cockpit (see lead photo). Gibraltar is an easy walk from the marina, although the border crossing is unusual in that it runs across the middle of an airport runway. As long as no planes are taking off, hordes of tourists and workers traipse across daily. After a few days of cleaning, provisioning, and sightseeing, we motored across the bay to accept delivery of the Hydrovane self-steering, and the Watt and Sea towed generator.

Airport runway separating Gibraltar from Spain, seen from one of the tunnels; Inset: people crossing the runway toward Gibraltar

We found Gibraltar to be fascinating: both visually interesting and steeped in history. Geologically, the surface of Gibraltar is an ancient seabed that formed when dinosaurs were at large; the land gradually rose over the last 200 million years as Africa collided with Europe. Humanity’s presence here extends back to the Neanderthals: fossils were discovered 8 years before those in Germany’s Neander Valley, but their significance wasn’t recognized initially. Perhaps we should be referring to these distant cousins as Gibralthals rather than Neanderthals. Human artifacts from the relatively recent past 600 years or so were more visible to us, and many of them reflect the strategic significance of Gibraltar from a military perspective. Being the tallest hill around, with a commanding view of the bottleneck entrance to the Mediterranean, has made it a desirable location for centuries.

Although there was much to do in preparation for our planned crossing of the Atlantic, we were able to fit in some sightseeing of this very British colonial town.

The Town

While wandering around Gibraltar, one can’t miss spying great fortifications from hundreds of years ago amid more modern buildings. Numerous walls and gates were named in honour of royalty, and signs proclaimed which important person had visited certain buildings. In the commercial tourist area there was a great emphasis on the British connection. Many restaurants announced their Full English Breakfast, and fish and chips were inevitably paired with mushy peas. Never having tried the latter we were curious, but soon learned they are exactly as described. The fish and chips, however, were excellent.

Top Left: seen atop one of the government buildings; Top Right: one of many signs heralding visits by royalty; Bottom Left: bombproof battery; Bottom Right: Prince Edward’s Gate cut through Charles V wall in 1790. Over the years additional gates were added to the defensive walls as pedestrian and vehicular traffic increased.

Much of the town is built on slopes – it is very hilly and the winding roads narrow. We observed that Gibraltarians are skilled at parking in very tight spaces and that they often folded the car mirrors in. We suspect that many residents are in good shape as well, given the preponderance of stairs. One interesting stairway, actually a street with steps, was painted with the British Ensign. It commemorated the outcome of a 1967 referendum in which 99.6% of voters chose to remain under British Sovereignty (with self-governance) rather than change to Spanish Sovereignty (but retain British citizenship).

Left: Union Jack steps; Right: one of many stairways providing access to homes

Botanical Gardens

In our meanderings, we happened upon a lovely botanical garden. Among other beautiful and interesting plants, there was a massive Dragon Tree. The size was astonishing, especially when compared to the skinny houseplant we once had. We learned that the sap dries into red crystals called dragon’s blood, hence the name of the tree. As we were reading about how much the berries are enjoyed by gulls, one obliged by providing an excellent demonstration. Inside the Gardens there was a Wildlife Refuge which held animals that had been confiscated by customs – the animals had been intended for exotic pets or other illegal trade. We imagined there was an interesting collection of critters but, regretfully, the refuge was closed that day.

Very large Dragon tree; Inset: Seagull perched amongst what are apparently very tasty berries.

Other Sights Around the Town

Apropos of the military history, there are several gun batteries scattered around Gibraltar, (as well as many cannons). We toured around O’Hara’s Battery at Europa point, the southernmost tip of Gibraltar. Several signs provided information about the battery, and the history of the area.

O’Hara’s Battery

See next month to learn about castles, Barbary macaques, war tunnels, and impressive natural phenomena.

Europa Point, the southernmost part of Gibraltar.