The Rock Of Gibraltar
It’s been months since we entered a new country, having entered Spain last March. Dolphins welcomed us as we approached Gibraltar early in the afternoon after a short sail. Check-in was easy as the marina handled all the formalities.
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory with a population of approximately 34,000 people. It is 3 miles (5 km) long and 0.75 mile (1.2 km) wide - just 6 km² (2.3mi²) and sits on the southern tip of the Iberian peninsula bordered by Spain to the north.
The name Gibraltar is a corruption of Jabal Tariq, the first Muslim general who invaded the peninsula from Morocco and who’s expedition led to the Islamic conquest of most of the Iberian peninsula. Coveted since antiquity for its strategic position at the entrance to the Mediterranean from the North Atlantic, today Gibraltar is home to a heavily fortified British air and naval base that guards the Strait of Gibraltar.
Britain captured the Rock of Gibraltar from the Spanish in 1704 and it’s remained in British hands ever since, despite repeated efforts by the Spanish to get it back. The sovereignty of Gibraltar is today a point of contention as Spain still asserts a claim to the territory. Nevertheless they maintain close ties with Spain both economically and culturally.
The official language of Gibraltar is English which is used by the government and in schools. Most locals speak Spanish as well and a local dialect known as Llanito, a vernacular unique to Gibraltar. It is based on Andalusian Spanish with a strong mixture of British English along with elements from Maltese, Portuguese, and Italian. Llanito also often involves code-switching between English and Spanish in a single sentence. Because of the varied mix of ethnic groups which reside here, other languages are also spoken on the Rock. Berber (a branch of the Afroasiatic language family) and Arabic are spoken by the Moroccan community, as are Hindi and Sindhi by the Indian community. Maltese is also spoken in some neighborhoods.
This is the first english speaking country we have checked into and we found it both comforting and disconcerting. After securing lines we walked into town to check it out; the most popular areas are Main Street, Irish Town and Casemates Square along with a few other quirky side streets that form the center of the commercial district. Alongside some traditional shops are plenty of British name brands and chain department stores.
The next day we took the cable car up to the top of ‘The Rock’, which is basically a 1,398 foot (426 meters) high mountain of limestone. The upper portion of the Rock is a nature reserve, its most famous residents are Barbary Macaques, which have lived there for hundreds of years. They are a tailless species known locally as Barbary apes or rock apes. They are believed to have been introduced to Gibraltar by the Moors in the 8th or 9th centuries, and they are the only free-ranging monkey in Europe.
Did he just thumb his nose at me?
Because of its strategic position on the Strait of Gibraltar, the promontory serves as a fortress. A network of tunnels runs through the rock. The Great Siege Tunnels were built by the British during the Great Siege of Gibraltar, which started in 1779. There were fourteen sieges of Gibraltar from the time the British captured it in 1704 until the Spanish finally gave up in 1783. The last siege lasted four years and it was during this time that the original tunnels were constructed using manual labour and gunpowder. By building the tunnels the Brits could get cannons into spots that would otherwise be impossible to cover from anywhere else on the rock. We walked through the tunnels and learned the history which is depicted on the informational signs and life sized dioramas.
The tunnels were not abandoned after the Great Siege and in fact were greatly expanded upon in WWII. A short walk downhill from the Great Siege Tunnels is the entrance to the World War II Tunnels. These tunnels were built in preparation of war during the 1940’s when Britain was at war with Germany and Italy. Winston Churchill and the British military leaders believed that an attack on Gibraltar was imminent therefore they began to construct a massive network of tunnels, basically a fortress inside a fortress, a city within a city. It was built to withstand a 16-month siege and support 16,000 men, complete with its own telephone exchange, power generating station, water distillation plant, hospital, bakery, vehicle maintenance shop and ammunition magazines.
We also toured St Michael’s cave, known as the cathedral cave. which has been known since ancient times when it was believed to lead to a passage that connected the Rock of Gibraltar to Africa. That’s not true, but it did give a plausible explanation at the time as to how the monkeys got from Africa to Gibraltar. The cave system is quite extensive and impressive. It is lit up in amazing changing colors highlighting the various textures of the curtain of stalagmites that hang down from the ceiling. It now also contains a theater space, which has the capacity to seat 600 people for concerts and ballets. We sat for a while and watched the incredible light show.
We slowly walked back down into town hungry and tired. As I reflected on our day I realized that The Rock is literally littered with caves and tunnels - it’s like a swiss cheese mountain! We stopped for fish and chips (naturally) and once completely satiated we happened upon an indie rock concert and stayed to listen to some music by up and coming artists.
It just so happened that the next day was Gibraltar National Day, an annual holiday that commemorates the referendum of 1967, in which the citizens of Gibraltar overwhelmingly voted to remain under British sovereignty. The main event of the day is the Freedom of the City Ceremony where the Mayor recites the names of the recipients of the Gibraltar Medallion of Honor and then reads the Gibraltar National Day Declaration. Similar to July 4th-Independence Day in the US, the day includes live music, street food and children’s activities followed by a fireworks display.
We wondered around the city gawking at all the happenings, had a drink at the marina before returning to Meraki to watch the best fireworks display I’ve ever seen! Another wonderfully exhausting and interesting day.
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