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<\/a>Gibraltar in the Distance<\/p><\/div>\n
When we arrived at the bus station yesterday, we purchased two more bus trips, one for today’s day trip to Gibraltar, and one for our next destination on Monday. Today’s bus leaves at 0815 so it was not a sleep in day as we had to walk the 1.2 miles to the bus station. It is a nice early morning walk and even though it is uphill, we glide along without the full packs. I noticed that we do not have assigned seats on this bus so I get in line behind some ladies. The bus arrives and we get situated with two seats together. As we travel along, we start getting some views of our destination, the Rock of Gibraltar. Gibraltar is one of the smallest countries in the world and we couldn’t pass that up. Besides, they might actually understand us when we talk as the speak English.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Border Crossing<\/p><\/div>\n
We get off the bus in the Spanish Border town of La Linea and within three blocks can see the rock and the border crossing. We show our magical blue passports and Welcome to Gibraltar.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Walking the Runway<\/p><\/div>\n
After passing through immigration, we have to walk across the active runway at the Gibraltar airport. There are traffic lights that tell you when to walk and do not stop or mosey along the crossing. Very interesting. After the runway crossing, signs are sketch but we manage to walk in the right general direction and then turn left on to the Main Street in town.<\/p>\n
<\/a>On the Cable Car<\/p><\/div>\n
This eventually leads us to the cable car station for the ride up to the top. We pay in Great Britain Pounds courtesy of Visa with no foreign transaction fees. We have about a fifteen minute wait to board the cable car and get the ride to the top. We sit at a table in the cafe on top and eat our breakfast with views of the sea below.<\/p>\n
<\/a>CNC on the Rock<\/p><\/div>\n
We step outside onto the viewing platform and absorb the scene. The limestone rock is 1400 feet above the sea and over a mile long. Unfortunately, it seems we are limited to about .2 of that mile at most. From the rock you can see two seas and two continents although for us the view is a bit hazy to Africa. The history of the name is that in 711, the Muslim chieftain, Tarik bin Ziyad crossed over from Africa and landed here, which began the Muslim conquest of Spain. He named the rock after himself Djebel Tarik ( rock of Tarik) which became Gibraltar. We walk around and check out all the views we can, even getting to watch a departure from the airport below.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Great View<\/p><\/div>\n
Then we start to fool around or should I say monkey around. The Barbary Macaques are tailless monkeys that live on the rock. They have free reign of the place and are fun to watch. After the monkey entertainment we see if there is a way to walk down. The only way is to pay to go through the so called nature preserve. Already feeling a bit ripped off on the price of the cable car, we refuse to be fleeced for the “privilege to walk down” and return by the cable car.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Reminds us of Home<\/p><\/div>\n
Arriving at the bottom, I spot some botanical gardens so we decide to get our exercise by exploring in here. The first section has a cactus garden, reminding us of home. There are nice water features also and several different flowers are in bloom. The large num num catches my eye as I like the name. There are also fun facts along the way such as the body of Admiral Nelson, who led the victorious decisive Battle of Trafalgar but died of his wounds, had his body stored in a brandy barrel, for delivery here. We enjoy the garden stroll and then walk back toward town. We pass the old cemetery but most of the headstones are unreadable.<\/p>\n
<\/a>At the Angry Friar<\/p><\/div>\n
We pass a pub advertising fish and chips, which Carol has been talking about since this morning. So, of course we stop and have lunch here at the Angry Friar. Not sure what he is angry about, but the food looks good. It is weird having everybody speak English to us after three weeks in Spain.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Very Tasty<\/p><\/div>\n
The food arrives complete with mushy peas (Carol don’t like peas, but I do) and we get real pints of beer. It is really tasty. After our leisurely lunch, we walk the Main Street and a few side streets. As it is Sunday, many shops are closed and as the bus tours leave the town gets pretty mellow and quiet.<\/p>\n