Blogs from Gibraltar, Europe
April 26th 2012
Wednesday 25th April 2012: We are suddenly finding it harder to adapt our body clocks to the new timings – the mornings are darker and the evenings are so much longer than they have been for months. We only just made it to breakfast this morning and that was (and here comes the confession!) without going to the gym! And then the gap between breakfast and lunch – which is not especially long – was filled with goodness only knows what. Certainly no lectures. No post breakfast guilt trip to the gym. So it must have been catching up with some emails, reading, playing games on the iPad and snoozing. This afternoon’s laziness has a perfect excuse. The sea has built up in to something decidedly lumpy. There must have been some storms out ... read more
April 14th 2012
April 14, 2012- Last night we tried to book ourselves into a tour offered by our hotel to Gibraltar, but it was booked. So I did some Internet research to try to find another tour and I didn't have much luck. SO... I decided I would rent a car to drive us to Gibraltar. This morning we had a leisurely breakfast before Emily's tour of Gibraltar pulled out of the station. We hopped onto the one highway and one hour later, we got off the highway. The Spanish seem to pretend that Gibraltar doesn't even exist, since they lost it to the English in 1704. The highway signs don't even mention Gibraltar, rather the little town on the Border called La Linea de Conception. So we meandered our way thru the town and got ourselves into line ... read more
March 10th 2012
So! I've arrived in Gibraltar! The Trip has finally started! Goodbyes were said, promises were made and I made my way here in posh class on BA, dressed in the cargos, fleece and hiking boots that are to become my uniform and carrying a backpack (full of camera equipment; I'm starting to think I should've gone for a different hobby, like maybe Tai Chi. Less equipment to lug). It was in fact cheaper to upgrade online at check-in than pay for a second bag. And although I didn't actually need the second bag allowance... Well, you know, just in case. After playing peekaboo with happy pre-toddler Freddy seated in front of me, I nodded off to sleep and awoke to the view of surprisingly blue waters, dotted with container ships and sunny skies. I now have ... read more
February 25th 2012
Gibraltar was the main attraction for the trip to the Costa Del Sol. Unfortunately, flying into and staying in Gibraltar was too expensive of an option, so this is why we ended up near Malaga. Although we enjoyed exploring Malaga, we would have loved more time to explore the Rock of Gibraltar. We opted to take a "shopping" tour from Torremuelle to Gibraltar, only because the transportation was faster and cheaper than taking the public bus. It wasn't really a tour, they just provided the transportation, and we were free to roam around Gibraltar for a limited amount of time. Unfortunately, the morning didn't start off as good as the rest of the day went. After doing a meticulously good job of hiding our passports in our room so that the spanish mafia wouldn't get them, ... read more
February 18th 2012
Yesterday my program took us on a 2.5 hour bus ride to Gibraltar. Gibraltar is technically a part of the UK, so now I can officially tell people I've been to the UK! Anyway, I think Gibraltar has been my favorite trip thus far. At the tip of Gibraltar there is a giant rock, and if you drive or climb to the top you get a terrrific view of the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, and Africa! It wasn't super sunny out yesterday, but it was still clear enough to see Morrocco. It was a pretty cool feeling, standing on top of the rock and feeling like you could see half the world. Also on this rock there is a cave with an amphitheater in it, which was pretty cool, and tunnels that they used back ... read more
January 17th 2012
Cadiz a Gibraltar Started off the day nice and early in Cadiz and managed to get a bus directly to a place called la Linea which is right on the border of Spain and Gibraltar, due to ongoing problems between the spanish and the british governments there is no bus service across the border. There was only a very short walk to and across the border and the weather was fantastic so no worries. Despite being told there was nowhere to leave my big bag at the bus station, found some lockers which let you leave your big rucksack for 3 euros a day. result. Walked easily across the border with my passport cover only being glnaced at and walked toward the town centres. The ariport in gibraltar which runs across the access to the pennisular ... read more
Take a trip to Gibraltar! Only 10 pounds! (Passport Stamp not Included.)
Published: September 18th 2011Europe » Gibraltar
September 18th 2011
Hi everyone! So yesterday we took our first day trip outside of Cadiz. We went to Gibraltar! It is about 3 hours away from here by bus and the bus actually drops you off in the small town of La Linea de Concepcion because the buses cannot cross into Gibraltar because it is a territory of the UK. So after the bus dropped us off, we had about a 5 minute walk over to the boarder station to cross into Gibraltar. Gibraltar has an area of only 6 square kilometers, but it has 30,000 inhabitants. Since Gibraltar is completely surrounded by Spain, I guess we figured that everyone there would still speak Spanish…nope! All signs, menus, and people were definitely English. For example, when we went to get lunch we asked for tap water. “Uh, actually ... read more
September 18th 2011
Yesterday, I went to Gibraltar with five of my friends. It was our first trip that wasn't through API so it was an adventure. We rode the bus for three hours from Cadiz to La Linea de Concepcion, which is right on the Gibraltar border. We walked two minutes from the bus station to get to customs, which was an absolute joke. The guy behind the counter didn't even make us open our passports, he just had us show them to him. It is funny how one different Gibraltar is from the town that is two minutes away. Gibraltar is a UK territory, so English is their primary language. I loved their accents! Another thing I love about Gibraltar is their free bus system. We took a bus from customs to the cable cars that would ... read more
July 3rd 2011
There is a bit if British territory off the south of Spain. Gibaltar, or The Rock, is home to about 30,000 residents. One can see double decker buses, policemen in their old-fashioned uniforms and the distinctive red phone booths and postal boxes. An important site of several conflicts, including WW2, the mountain and caves are peppered with bastions. We took a bus about halfway up the mountain to Europa Point. Depending on where you are on the Rock, you can see the coast of north Africa. The top of the Rock is best reached by cable tram. Up at the top, we were greeted by George, a Barbary Ape. A colony of apes live among the trees and are always on the lookout for anything in a shiny wrapper. Sure enough, we saw one of George's ... read more
May 1st 2011
Sunday May 1st, 2011 Gibraltar, Great Britain We arrived at the Rock of Gibraltar this morning, cruising in with a stiff headwind and frothy seas. The passage thru the straits was stormy, but you could still see across this narrow entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. At this point it is only 8 miles from Spain to Africa. The small peninsula that is the actual Rock of Gibraltar was prominently visible on the end of Spain. The top of the Rock itself was obscured by clouds and rain. Once inside the protected harbor it began to clear and by the time we went ashore at 10am, most of the mountain was visible and the rain had subsided. The old part of the city itself is surrounded by walls and fortifications. When you walk inside the old gate ... read more
