Blogs from Gibraltar, Europe

We leave Seville and pick up the AP4. For many miles its a featureless dull road, not many towns or villages to pass through. We had seen the sign for Cadiz, the city I remember from history lessons for many famous battles. It could have been a great place to stop, but judging by the lack of campsites it wasn’t, so we pressed on. We were heading for the Rock of Gibraltar, situated at the pinch point between Europe and North Africa, where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic. It has been fought over for many centuries. It has been a British protectorate longer than America has been independent. It is 3 miles long and ¾ mile wide, the third smallest country after the Vatican and Monaco. With 32,000 inhabitants that had voted to remain British citizens ... read more

It stands at attention guarding the entrance to the Mediterranean - the towering 3-mile-long limestone ridge rises to a height of about 1,398’, with cliffs on the northern and eastern sides. This marvel of nature holds a particularly impressive distinction of being one of the best-known massive outcroppings on the planet. Its renown doesn’t end there, though. This stunning example of the works of nature also holds a particular importance for another reason - a significant portion of the upper area forms a special Nature Reserve. This small reserve, along with the indigenous flora, fauna, and geology of the region, remain enormous tourist favorites even today. It stood out in the minds of mankind in the distant past as well. The mighty Gibraltar Rock held roles of importance going back as far as ancient times when ... read more

I walked back to Europa Point for the sunrise again this morning, as, with the possible exception of the middle of the runway, it seemed to offer the best sunrise views and there were some alternatives I thought I would try. The sunrise was not as good as Monday, but was still nice to enjoy, if not for the photographs. I then braced myself for the walk back up the to the hotel. We had a gentle morning, before then, sadly, ordering a taxi to take us to the airport. We thought 15 minutes should be about right to get to the airport, which it usually would be, but Gibraltar had other plans. First of all, there was a protest outside the Governor's Mansion concerning a marina development, which a lot of people do not approve ... read more

I got up early to indulge my photography back at Europa Point and I was not disappointed - it was a stunning sunrise and great light on the rocks and lighthouse. I traced the same route back to the hotel, which as not as spooky as the tunnel and not as steep as those stairs from yesterday. It was still quite early so I went back to bed for a little while, although not for long as I was rudely awakened by the sound of a monkey. It had climbed on to our balcony, came through the open door into our room, opened the fridge, took out some chocolate, closed the fridge, gone back out onto our balcony and was proceeding to eat the chocolate. It was completely unphased and could not care less when we ... read more

"Territorio d'Oltremare Britannico" sotto la sovranità di Sua Maestà Regina Elisabetta II. E' questo che vuole il 98% degli abitanti di Gibilterra, più britannici degli stessi inglesi, tra pub, fish & chips, autobus a due piani e cabine telefoniche rosse; peccato che poi il 96% di loro abbia votato risolutamente contro la Brexit, perchè far parte del Regno Unito va bene ma è ancora più conveniente avere qui a - letteralmente - due passi la Spagna, con il suo basso costo della vita e grandi opportunità per traffici più o meno consentiti: evviva le frontiere aperte con l' Europa allora! Ma non troppa Europa pero', poichè Gibilterra rimane comunque uno spudorato paradiso fiscale per una moltitudine di società off - shore e poi di pagare l' IVA neanche a pensarci. In poche parole i gibilterrini sono ... read more