Gibraltar

Gibraltar, located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, is a British Overseas Territory.  It was first settled by the Phoenicians, and then, in turn, by the Arb sultans and Spaniards.  An Anglo-Dutch force captured Gibraltar from Spain in 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession on behalf of the Habsburg pretender to the Spanish throne. The territory was subsequently ceded to Britain "in perpetuity" under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. During World War II it was an important base for the Royal Navy as it controlled the entrance and exit to the Mediterranean Sea.  Although it is a bone of contention with Spain which believes it should rightly belong to Spain, the inhabitants of Gibraltar have overwhelming voted to remain British in two previous referendums.  About 30,000 inhabitants live in the main city of Gibraltar.  Under the Gibraltar constitution of 2006, Gibraltar governs its own affairs, though some powers, such as defense and foreign relations, remain the responsibility of the Government of the United Kingdom.

Gibraltar has an area of 2.6 square miles and shares its northern border with the Province of Cádiz in Andalusia, Spain.  I had always thought that it was an island, but it is connected to Spain by a tiny strip of land.  It is at the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, which at its narrowest point separates Africa and Europe by a mere 8 miles.

The main feature of Gibraltar is the Rock of Gibraltar, a 1400 foot limestone tower (also known as the Prudential Life Insurance Company logo).  In ancient times it was known as one of the Pillars of Hercules (the other located across the Strait of Gibraltar in Morocco).

Our first stop in Gibraltar was St. Michael’s Cave, a network of limestone caves located in what is called the Upper Rock.  The stalactite and stalagmite formations are truly amazing, and they are lit up with a colorful light display.  During the Second World War the cave was prepared as an emergency hospital, but was never used.  In blasting an alternative entrance to the cave - now used as a tourist exit - a further series of deeply descending chambers was discovered that is now called Lower St. Michael’s Cave. These chambers end in an underground lake of crystal clear water.  Unfortunately we were unable to descend to these caves.  Today St Michael’s Cave, known for its outstanding acoustics, is used for concerts.

Located near St Michael’s Cave are the military tunnels built during WWII.  1940, Britain was at war with Germany and Italy and the future looked bleak for Gibraltar as the enemy surrounded it. Winston Churchill and the British military leaders believed that an attack on Gibraltar was imminent.  The answer was to construct a massive network of tunnels (32 miles), to build a fortress inside a fortress - a city within a city.  These tunnels were excavated during 1939-1944 by the Royal Engineers and a contingent of Canadian Engineers, along with a force of 5,000 workers.  Inside the tunnels were two headquarters – one used by General Montgomery and the other by General Eisenhower.  We had a 45 minute tour through some of these tunnels.  The work needed to build these tunnels was mind-blowing, and if it had not been for the diamond-tipped drill that the Canadians provided, it is questionable whether the tunnels could have been built.  Fortunately they were never needed as Germany never attacked Gibraltar.

As we were driving along, you could see the Barbary macaques (monkeys) that reside on the upper part of the rock.  It is the only wild monkey population in the European continent.  There are about 240 that call the rock home.

After lunch back on the ship, we drove to the cable car for a ride up to the top of the rock.  It is quite a view of Gibraltar.  There is a family of about 40 monkeys that live at the top.  Once they had to shut down the cable car because two juvenile monkeys were swinging from the cables.  One point of interest is the airport runway.  They had to extend it out into the water to make it long enough for today’s planes (the largest plane that can land is the A320).  When taking off, pilots must make a steep turn to the left to avoid flying over Spanish airspace (another reminder of the contention between Britain and Spain over ownership of the rock).  In the middle of the runway, there is a section that is also a highway.  Thirty minutes before a plane is scheduled to take off or land, the highway is shut down.

Our visit to Gibraltar was one of the highlights of our trip.  We tend to think of the Rock in relation to Prudential Insurance, but it is so much more.  The caves and tunnels were fascinating and the monkeys adorable (if you remembered not to bring food with you – they are very clever thieves).