Maybe that was a bit of a hyperbole, but it is cool.
We took a road trip from Rota, Spain, to Gibraltar. After finding a car park on the Spanish side, with barely a blink at our passports we casually walked across the border. The first hint that we were in another country? Tacky taxi vans with faded photos of the Queen’s Jubilee. The second sign? An abundance of public toilets, something Spain just doesn’t seem to understand.
It seems weird to base an entire country around a rock, but it is a pretty grand rock.
After walking through the centre we decided to take a little mini bus part way up to the top of Gibraltar. Instead of taking the cable car, which I had deemed too expensive, we clambered to the top of the caves, paying the 10 pound entry fee. I didn’t find the caves to be particularly exciting, perhaps if you were more knowledgable about history you would find them more interesting. I was holding out for the monkeys, perhaps the only motivation for me climbing up the hill. There was a beautiful view over Gibraltar and the tip of Spain.
Because Gibraltar is so small and space is so precious, the airport’s runway goes across a main road, completely closing it off when a plane is due to take off or land.
I made the mistake of assuming there would be water to buy near the caves, but there wasn’t. So we slowly dragged ourselves further up the rock, preserving the little water we had left in the extreme heat. By the time we made it to the cable car’s cafe, I’m certain all three of us were on the brink of heat exhaustion – not our finest hour.
The view were incredible and I got my cute monkey fix.
As the evening melted into sunset, we made our way to a beach where I tried to take a belated siesta (also known as a homeless nap on the beach).
I think a day trip was long enough to enjoy Gibraltar and I don’t feel a pressing need to return. Have you ever visited?
I visited Gibraltar on a day trip back in 1999, and I found that one day was plenty, but I was also glad we got an early start, as there is a bit to see and do.
Great shot of the monkey! I’ve never been to Gibraltar, and don’t feel a particular pull to visit, but if i was in the general area I’d probably give it a go! Will just remember to BRING WATER though!
My partner and I travelled Gibraltar from Spain in December and absolutely loved it. We spent the day there and walked the length and height of the peninsular in that time. The walk to the top was well worth it-but you need to be fairly active to walk as much as we did! It’s pretty awesome to be able to look across to Africa! We stayed in La Linea, Spain which is immediately on the otherside of the border/airprot as this was much cheaper than Gibraltar. Definitely one day was enough and we packed a lot into that day. It was also the first place we ate Indian since leaving India in September and luckily it was a true to Indian cuisine! I know fe people will ever go Gibraltar in their lifetime but I’d recommend it to anyone visiting the south of Spain.