Today, we are going to Gibraltar- The Rock! Last time I was there is around 18 years ago... scary thought.... I have good memories of that visit, including the monkeys - the semi-wild Barbary Macaques on top of The Rock. However, Jenni already declared: I will not go to see the monkeys.. I don't like monkeys.... oh well....
It is a wonderful and sunny day.....off we go to Jenni's homeland!
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory . The British Nationality Act 1981 granted Gibraltarians full British citizenship.
It located
on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. It has an area of 6.8 square
kilometres and a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of
the region. At its foot is the densely populated city area, home to almost
30,000 Gibraltarians and other nationalities.
An Anglo-Dutch force captured Gibraltar from Spain in 1704
during the War of the Spanish Succession.
The territory was subsequently ceded to Britain "in perpetuity" under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. It was an important base for the Royal Navy ; today its economy is based largely on
tourism, financial services, and shipping.
The sovereignty of Gibraltar is a major point of contention in Anglo-Spanish relations as Spain
asserts a claim to the territory. Gibraltarians
rejected proposals for Spanish sovereignty in a 1967 referendum and again in 2002.Under the Gibraltar constitution of 2006, Gibraltar governs its own affairs, though some powers, such as defence
and foreign relations, remain the responsibility of the UK Government.
During World War II, Gibraltar's civilian population was evacuated (mainly to London, England, but
also to parts of Morocco, Madeira and Jamaica) and the Rock was strengthened as
a fortress. Spanish
dictator Francisco Franco's reluctance to allow the German Army onto Spanish soil frustrated a German
plan to capture the Rock, codenamed Operation Felix. In the 1950s, Franco renewed
Spain's claim to sovereignty over Gibraltar and restricted movement between
Gibraltar and Spain. Spain completely closed the border with Gibraltar and
severed all communication links in 1967. The border with
Spain was partially reopened in 1982, and fully reopened in 1985 prior to
Spain's accession to theEuropean Community.
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| German Supermarket Chain....Lidl |
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| And there it is..... The Rock |
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| And of course we need to queue at the boarder... |
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| Gibraltar skyline |
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| I have no clue who this man is....??? Looks like he is posing for my picture - hi hi |
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| The airport runway... quick before a plane lands... |
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| Gibraltar roads are very narrow and windy... a good choice of transport are the scooters and bycicles... |
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| We decide to go for a drive around The Rock - good choice - it's beautiful.... |
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| Lots of tunnels.... well it is a rock! |
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The Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim Mosque was a gift by King Fahd of Saudi Arabia.
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| We reached the tip of the Rock.. Europa Point.. from here we can see the Moroccan mountains on one side and the Spanish mountains on the other. One can cross by ferry to Morocco.... it's very close. |
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| Left Morocco, Right Spain |
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| And yes, there are some nice little beaches tucked away.... |
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| We choose a nice spot on the beach for our lunch break.... packed sandwiches and biscuits. |
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| After our little drive and lunch we enter the centre of town.... the town square and shopping street... |
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We are quite dissapointed with the state Gibraltar is in. Totally run down. No decent coffee shops. Lots of Duty Free
shops, and Spanish Souvenir Shops - nothing really British. And very very expensive. Much more pricy than in Spain. We have a coffee and cake in the square... and pay triple the price than what we would pay in Spain.
I try and find a place to buy some stamps for my postcards, the shop sells them expensive and the post office only takes English Pounds. Oh well... I give up.
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| The British Guard! |
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| Gibraltar Airport is unusual not only due to its proximity to the city centre resulting in the airport terminal being within walking distance of much of Gibraltar but also because the runway intersects Winston Churchill Avenue, the main north-south street, requiring movable barricades to close when aircraft land or depart. New roads and a tunnel, which will end the need to stop road traffic when aircraft use the runway, are planned to coincide with the building of a new airport terminal building with an originally estimated completion date of 2009, although due to delays the airport will now fully open in early 2012.
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| People on Scooters everywhere, it's quite a sight. |
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| Back in Spain.... La Luen |
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| And another German supermarket chain.... |
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We stop off in Manilva on the way home... a quaint little harbour town.
One of the most charming aspects of Manilva is that, despite its prime location on the coast, there is a refreshing lack of anonymous sky-scraper construction. Therefore, although tourists are just starting to discover the village (with good reason), it remains intrinsically Spanish. The majority of residents live in the commercial centre which covers just two square kilometers
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| oh look a parachuter... |
What a great day! I love Spain!
S & D & L
