"The Rock"

Gibraltar, May 18


The Rock

Like Carcassonne, Gibraltar was a place Todd had always wanted to see so we swung down to the Spanish coast for a visit. We had booked a room at “The Rock” hotel, much posher than our usual hostelry with a wonderful salt water swimming pool and a fine restaurant, where we ate excellent Moroccan food. The view from our balcony included the harbor and the Spanish city of Algeciras across the bay.


Our hotel

The colony has less than 30,000 inhabitants, but new construction was visible everywhere and, to judge from the main street, tourism is booming. The only hang-up was the border, which took about half an hour to cross although there was no visible animosity between the Spanish and British officials as had existed in earlier periods. Visually, the colony is totally British with signs in English, war memorials (including the Trafalgar Cemetery, where two casualties of the battle are buried), and the requisite quaint touches—e.g., the governor’s residence is called The Convent as it had been a Franciscan convent before Britain won Gibraltar in 1728. However, one hears considerable Spanish on the street.


Main shopping street


The Convent

While Georgia sensibly spent the afternoon by the pool, Todd decided to climb to the colony’s peak. (Okay, at 426 meters it wasn’t Bald Mountain, but how many Barbary apes does Baldy have?) En route, Todd was intrigued by iron rings, about 10 inches in diameter, attached to the rock face; a sign later explained that they had been used by gun crews before the 20th Century to hall their cannons up the cliff. The only disappointment in his excursion was the limited view from the top, for Africa was hidden behind a sea mist. Fortunately, the mist lifted the following morning to bring the Moroccan mountains into view from the balcony of our hotel room.


View from the top of Gibraltar


Barbary apes


View of African coast from our hotel balcony