My first post, Welcome to my adopted home

Well here it is, my first post and I can't think of a better subject to lead off with than my adopted home, The Rock of Gibraltar

So let’s take a small tour around the rock to give you a brief introduction….

You can legally enter into Gibraltar three ways. In this picture you can see the land border with Spain to the north which you can walk or drive across, although driving can often involve waiting in queues which can get fairly lengthy at peak times (or when the Guardia civil are under orders from Madrid to slow down the flow of traffic under the guise of cracking down on smuggling).

It doesn’t help traffic flow that they have to close the main access road to Gibraltar when an aircraft needs to use the runway. The runway essentially belongs to RAF Gibraltar, however it serves two purposes and converts to a civillian airport with four or five scheduled flights arriving daily from the UK and a twice weekly service to jump across the Straits to Morocco. Flights all arrive at the New terminal which was finished in 2011 which is pictured here from one of the many tunnels within the rock itself

By far the most popular route of entry is from Spain but the final method of entry is by sea with many Mediterranean cruises offering a brief stop off in Gibraltar

The arriving Easyjet flight in the photo gives a good idea of where the cruise liner terminal is in relation to the runway.  There are also plenty of berths dotted around for smaller private vessels and even ones that are not so small can be accommodated.

This little “dinghy” is Yacht A which was recently built for Andrey Melnichenko, a Russian oligarch, for approximately $400 million and was parked up here earlier this year.

A lot of the nicer visiting boats arrive in the marina  which is situated just south west of the runway

This is also home to the Sunborn seen here on the right which is a refurbished dry docked ship which is used as a Five star hotel/Casino.

Let’s assume we’ve entered the country from the border/airport the first thing you will need to do is cross the runway

Don’t be deceived by the size of it, landing here can often be tricky with the winds swirling around the rock. Flights are always prepared to divert to either Malaga or Tangiers after a couple of failed attempts in a crosswind.

Once past the runway you are into Gibraltar and on a summer weekday you will struck by how busy it can get but with up to 12 000 cars, 25 000 visitors and 80 coaches crossing the land border it is not hard to imagine why.

We can split Gibraltar into 5 main areas. 

In the west you will find many modern apartment blocks and the ferry terminal, this is all constructed on land reclaimed from the sea as it is situated outside of the city walls (the city walls to the west were formerly sea walls).

You will see the West side in this picture from above with the reclaimed land to the right of the cruise liner that was docked on this day, the harbour and warehousing  in the foreground is a base the Royal Navy still occupies with the small harbour being shared by the local police and boats belonging to other government departments.

To the east you pass through an area currently undergoing a facelift from it’s industrial past and reach Eastern beach which is the most popular beach of Gibraltar as it can get sun on it all day long eventually this will be the way out of the country when the finally complete a tunnel at the bottom of the runway so traffic no longer has to cross the middle of it.. Beyond this you pass a huge reclamation project which has been running for some years to create a new luxury residential development with associated harbour once the ground has been given some years to settle. 

Here is an image from the Mediterranean steps which is the only route to the top of the rock on the eastern side, trust me when I say it is not for the faint hearted or the unfit as it is a steep climb with some dramatic drops. As you can see, the steep slopes of the rock mean there is currently little room for development. These steep slopes formerly contained water reservoirs and sheeted with metal. These were replaced some years ago and have been seeded with deep rooted grass in order to stabilise the ground. Concentrating on beach side at the very top are the Levante beaches of La Linea in Spain moving down to the comparatively small Eastern beach whhich is just above the large squared shape of the land reclamation project. The charming village like Catalan Bay is then nestled between the future development and the appropriately named Sandy Bay with it’s associated development known as Both Worlds.A lot of the rest of the Eastside is still used by the British army and bypassed by a tunnel which leads to Europa point but for this short guide we will go back to the point we started straying east  and journey to Europa Point via the old city to the west of the rock

Before the advent of the motor vehicle entrance to the Old City would only be through the walls using the Landport tunnel and then on through a tunnel under a second set of fotifications before you emerrged into Casemates Square 

Casemates Square is a convenient focal point for celebrations and ceremonies. On an average day it merely provides space for tourists to sit outside restaurants in the plaza and a general thoroughfare but on days of celebrations or events you will find a stage set up ready for a concert, a small market, vintage cars or even rows of Harley Davidsons brought in from all corners by their owners to be displayed in the square.

Here’s a picture of a random female (I could potentially be married to her but I did say I wouldn’t identify my wife should she appear in any of the pics :) ) in front of a stage set up for a very worthy cause.

The old city of Gibraltar is a myriad of interesting little streets and steps but we will scoot through it so I can give you a feel for most of the different areas of the rock without inducing sleep in an even more ridiculously long post than this is turning into. We’ve been here two years and we are still discovering new places. If you like this post then drop me a request and I can cover any area in more detail in future posts, we love to walk and photograph everywhere so feel free to send us anywhere in this little country that has so much to offer.

But I digress, so we leave Casemates Square and head up Main Street on our way southwards to Europa point and upwards to the Upper rock nature reserve.

Main Street is usually mobbed on a summer weekday, especially when there are a couple of cruise liners in port as tourists make their way through the various shops restaurants and bars. This photo was taken on a Sunday when things are a lot quieter

Eventually you will reach John Mackintosh square which contains City Hall which is the official office of the Mayor of Gibraltar but no time to stop as we head on up Main Street towards the Convent

The Convent was originally occupied by Franciscan friars, hence it’s name, but it is now used as the official residence of the Governor of Gibraltar. The governor is the representative of the British monarchy in Gibraltar and opposite the convent is the official office of the Chief minister, who, despite being formerly appointed by the governor, is elected by democratic elections by the residents of Gibraltar.

Moving on further we reach the gates at South Bastion to leave the city centre as you can see from the phone box Gibraltar retains a very British feel despite maintaining a very mediterranean character.

Just outside the gates is a statue of Nelson, opposite the Trafalgar cemetery which contains many of the victims from the battle he victoriously led of the same name, just off the Atlantic coast of Spain.

Breaking out of the city we walk out past the bottom cable car station (the easy way to the top) and approach one of Gibraltar’s real treasures

The Alameda, Gibraltar’s Botanical gardens which first opened it’s doors 1816. Here you will find many species of plants and a sunken garden you can view from a bridge which passes over it

It’s all been easy so far, but now is the time when you are going to start the first of many climbs up the rock to leave Alameda and head on up Europa Road before descending down  to Europa point which is the Southern most tip of the rock.

As you gain altitude  the views sure do start improving and this seems a good time to introduce you to the first of many natural inhabitants of the rock

You will often see plenty of these giant seagulls catching thermals and gliding around the rock as well as hear them communicating with each other from the rooftops through the night

Watch them when wandering around the nature reserve from May to June though as they get very protective of their recently hatched young, This fella took exception to me climbing a wall somewhere I assume was close to the nest.

But enouogh of the Seagulls, I’m sure I’ll be writing another post just devoted to them in the future. Let’s skip down Europa Road and come back to the climb up after popping down to Europa point

Here is a picture towards Europa point (you can just make out the tower of the mosque on the left hand side as you look over the military training area on the plateau above. This photo gives you a feel for exactly how strategically important Gibraltar was in history. You will notice two coasts over the water, the one on the left is Spain with the distant one on the right marking the northern coast of the African continent. The sea to the left is the Mediterranean and to the right the straits of Gibraltar which eventually lead out into the Atlantic.

Now looking back in the other direction from the other side of the Mosque on Europa point you have now reached the southern most tip of Gibraltar

 from here on a clear day it is possible to see into the city of Ceuta which is the a Spanish Enclave on the African continent adjoining Morocco in the same way Gibraltar is linked to Spain.

We’ve now made the journey from the Frontier in the north to Europa point in the south but no visit to the rock is complete without heading up 452 metres to the summit

If nothing else avoiding the top you will not see our most endearing residents who only usually venture down from the nature reserve in the depths of winter. But be prepared to climb

and climb

But all the hard work is well worthwhile when you enjoy the breathtaking views the nature reserve has to offer

Whether looking south towards Africa

looking out over the city.

or even to the east and the Mediterranean towards the Costa Del Sol.

And eventually you will reach the top of the rock with views over both sides

You will always be sharing the views with a curious local

They may even share a meal with you

I hope you enjoyed this little trip around our rock, don’t forget to visit , there is just not enough time to see it all in one day even if you stay until sunset

Well, that’s the first post out the way, would love to hear what you think and don’t forget to up vote (although I’m still trying to come to terms with why I am requesting that and what exactly it means). Let me know what you would like to see more of and I will put some photos together from my collection and throw up a suitable post…. if I haven’t got a picture of something, I will venture out to get one for you

The Womble