Well worth a day trip! (Gibraltar (UK) in general)

Member Name: gillyman

Product:	Gibraltar (UK) in general
Date:	12/08/02 (214 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Warm weather, Lots to see in a small space, Easily accessible from the South of Spain

Disadvantages: Not really enough to do for a whole weeks holiday

There is a corner of a foreign country that is forever England (with apologies!)

Gibraltar, situated at the Southern tip of Spain is a tiny but charming colony that I was lucky enough to visit this summer. I would certainly recommend it to those who are already in the area although in my opinion it is worth a visit in its own right.

My visit came about as the result of a friend meeting a girl from an old Gibraltarian family (now living in Birmingham - almost as exotic!) Rather than trusting to English climes, they decided to get married in the heat of Gibraltar's stunning botanical gardens.

Upon receiving the invitation I figured that it would be an excellent opportunity to see a new place and decided that it was easily combined with a trip to Southern Spain.

Although it is possible to fly directly to Gibraltar, I decided to take the option of catching a few days in Marbella on either side of the wedding and therefore flew into Malaga airport - there are plenty of cheap flights.

Gibraltar is easily accessible to those with a hire car from any of the resorts in the south; Marbella, Torremolinos, Malaga and also from Algeciras which sits on the other side of the bay. The road down from Marbella was a bit of a nightmare but only as they were completing roadworks to widen it - on our way back it was very easy driving. The distance from Marbella is only 70 km - under an hours drive if you're lucky with the traffic so it's well worth the effort.

Upon approaching Gibraltar, the Rock is clearly obvious and its strategic value is immediately obvious, dominating the sky line as it does.

The border crossing entailed a wait of about 15 minutes - a cursory wave of our passports and we were through and into Gibraltar itself.

The settlement on Gibraltar is mainly old houses set around steep windy roads which are just about negotiable by car. A large number of the population have adopted mopeds as
a sensible way of getting around. Parking is in fairly short supply and I suspect that we were lucky in finding a space right outside our hotel.

Although I would recommend a day trip, we stayed overnight as the wedding finished in the small hours and we were in no fit state to negotiate our way back to Marbella. We stayed at the Elliot hotel which was beautiful and modern. We found the staff to be very friendly and obliging.

Gibraltar is a tax free zone which means that the main street is one big duty free! Shops tend to split between off licences, electrical equipment, perfumeries and jewellers. I bought Scotch, cigarettes and after shave at knock down prices.

There is plenty to see in Gibraltar. We opted for a guided tour, done in a taxi cab and ordered through the hotel. We paid 40 pounds for the pleasure, which included entrance to the various attractions. Another option for the more energetic would be to take the cable car to the top of the rock and then trek around - if you do this make sure to take a hat and plenty of water!

From the Pillars of Hercules, you can look out over the Straits and see Africa on the other side. Here you really get to appreciate the strategic importance of the Rock.

We continued on to Saint Michael's grotto - a beautiful Stalactite cave, wonderfully lit to give the place a haunting effect. It is now also used as the venue for concerts and recitals and we were assured that it has excellent acoustics!

The Great Siege tunnels, built by the Royal Engineers are an astounding feat of engineering. Tunnels were mined and blasted into the rock in order to allow protection for cannons as they were brought to bear on the besieging fleet. They were later also used in WWII.

The monkeys (Macaques) for which Gibraltar is famous are charming. We were lucky enough to visit when there were several babies wandering around. They are very tame and despite warnings to the contrary, people
were having their photos taken together with these creatures.

It is also possible to spend time on the beach, encounter dolphins or to take a leisurely stroll through the botanical gardens.

The lingua franca is English, the currency is the pound and I'd certainly recommend popping in if you are already in the area.

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