Mediterranean laziness, part two: Gibraltar
I didn’t really know much about Gibraltar before we went there, except that it is on the southern coast of Spain but is a British territory, is famous for a big rock, has a short runway that end in ocean if the plane doesn’t take off in time, and has little monkeys called Macaques.
“Gibraltar” comes from the Arabic language and means “Mountain of Tariq”, which is reference to the Rock of Gibraltar. Oh and the Macaques are the only wild monkeys in Europe!
After two days of sailing from Southampton we arrived in Gibraltar. I loved the architecture of old town nestled at the base and partway up the hills (The Rock). It’s pretty steep if you want to walk up to the top of the rock. Kate, Gavin and I walked about halfway up, but time constraints meant we couldn’t go right to the top; also it was steaming hot and was involving a lot of physical exertion… which is fine.. just not in the blaring Mediterranean summer sun. You can take the cable car up… if you can stand waiting in that blaring Mediterranean sun in a line of tourists for probably over an hour. We went for the walk instead.
There is a nature park but we didn’t go in. I’m kind of regretting not seeing any Macaques. I really wanted to see the Macaques in Gibraltar. Oh well, next time. I’m sure I will go back (maybe when the weather’s slightly cooler though). There was lots of flora including sunflowers.
I love ports so going for a sail and stopping at lots of port cities was a really good idea! Gibraltar’s main port was bright and colourful with all the machinery and shipping containers, set against the brilliant blue water.
I love cemeteries also and Gibraltar’s cemetery near the port was a highlight.
I could almost fit the airport runway and the rock into one photo. Almost. Not with a 50mm lens though (the 28mm lens for my Pentax is out of service). You get the idea though. The runway ends just out of frame on the left – it’s not very long at all! Check out this wikipedia photo.
The Gibraltar port is a truly beautiful view.
I bought Richard Yate’s Eleven Kinds of Loneliness from a bookshop to read on the boat, and we had fish and chips for lunch.
I highly recommend stopping by Gibraltar if you are in the south of Spain.
Next instalment: Cartagena and Rome.
x Kitten of Doom.
Kitten of Doom 