Panting up the steep path leading to the top of The Rock, I looked up to see a Barbary ape dining on a discarded sandwich and blocking my way. Standing its ground, it belligerently thrust out its jaw and bared its teeth.
Unwilling to provoke it, I shuffled back a few yards, aware that the colony of around 200 resident apes had on occasion decided to nibble on tourists as well as their sandwiches. Placated by my backdown, the waist-high creature continued munching for another 15 minutes. Then it summoned me forward with a curt hand signal before swaggering off the path.
Its action, I reasoned, was consistent with the argument that The Rock’s apes like to remind visitors that although Gibraltar was ceded to Britain from Spain after a naval battle in 1704 (it has been claimed by Spain ever since), it really belongs to them. The apes — actually tailless monkeys hailing from North Africa — have inhabited The Rock for centuries.
When I reached the restaurant perched on the arching spine of The Rock, I headed to the adjoining outdoor lookout offering spectacular views of Gibraltar and its environs.
The town and port huddled 1,400 feet below along a narrow strip of land along the edge of a bay. Beyond, I could clearly see the busy Spanish port of Algeciras, Europe’s portal to Morocco. To the east unfurled the Mediterranean, Spain’s Costa del Sol and the heaving Sierra Madre mountains. Behind me, 18 miles away across the glinting Strait of Gibraltar dividing two continents, the coast of Africa crouched behind a soft scarf of sea mist.
Now I understood why British Prime Minister Winston Churchill claimed that “whoever controls Gibraltar controls the Mediterranean.” Standing above it all, feeling the breeze bred in the deserts of Africa ruffling my hair and the monumental power of The Rock rearing around me, that old expression, “Safe as The Rock,” seemed absolutely apt. I felt I was standing on a piece of eternity.
Considered impregnable since 1704, The Rock is now honeycombed with tunnels, stores, electricity plants, reservoirs, gun towers, 30 miles of roads and spectacular limestone caves. Although firmly attached to Spain by a narrow appendage of land, the British cling tenaciously to ownership of this last colonial stronghold in Europe.
Earlier in the day I’d boarded a bus in Algeciras for the 45-minute ride to the terminus at La Linea, the flourishing Spanish border town in the shadow of Gibraltar. From there, I’d walked to the frontier along the sea wall, with the gaunt profile of The Rock looming behind a flotilla of fishing boats rocking and jingling in sheltered Gibraltar Bay.
At the border, a cluster of tourist coaches awaited a steady stream of day-trippers returning from shopping in Gibraltar. Each one carried an armful of booze, cigarettes and other goods garnered from Gibraltar’s duty-free stores. Because of Gibraltar’s status as a duty-free port, this ritual continues throughout the year. In summer, many thousands of tourists holidaying along Spain’s crowded Costa del Sol climb into coaches to make day-long shopping excursions. Last year, close to four million tourists passed through La Linea into Gibraltar.
Not surprisingly, the Spanish and British border police seemed bored by the stream of shoppers. When I crossed, they did not even want to glance at my passport. Then, once on British territory, I had to walk across the main airport runway (hoping the local air traffic controllers had their flights under control) in order to reach the outskirts of the town.
Rather than stroll downtown in the blistering heat, I hopped a minibus that toured residential developments and marinas built on reclaimed land before heading along the town’s old fortified walls to John Mackintosh Square, the “piazza” in the heart of town.
After Spain, dropping into Gibraltar for the day is like being whisked back to a British seaside town. Main Street, the key shopping thoroughfare, is crammed with bars, pubs, cafes and variety stores. That distinctive British smell of fish-and-chips swamps the memory of olive oil and sizzling tapas smells that predominate across-the-border in Spain. I saw red post boxes just like on London’s Oxford Street. Street signs were in English, and polite uniformed “bobbies” plodded the footpaths. Stores proudly carried signs such as “Real British Fish and Chips,” “Beer From Back Home” and “The Best of British.” And there were real queues — that most British of passions — which are a dismal failure across the border.
Even groups of British tourists wandering Gibraltar were not quite sure where they were. Strolling downtown under a hot, cobalt blue sky with British familiarity flourishing all around them, some still wore cardigans and twin sets and carried a reliable British brolly tucked firmly under their arms. Obviously, old habits die hard.
Main Street, which feeds a skein of narrow streets running uphill and down to the harbor, is both cosmopolitan and acutely commercial. In a small kiosk near the piazza, I purchased a guide to Gibraltar from a sari-clad Indian woman holding a three-way conversation in Hindi, English and Spanish.
Just a few doors away, as I glanced into the window of a camera store, a smiling salesman emerged with a torrent of salesspeak, took my arm and steered me inside with sweet deal promises. He said his family came to Gibraltar with the apes but now felt as British as the royal family. Then, in a rather plummy British accent, he said: “I take credit card, travelers checks, cash and even trade-ins. You want to barter for good price this is OK with me because I am British and your friend.” In trying to extract myself we almost became adversaries.
Oddly, while Britishness is eulogized, The Rock is inhabited by a population that looks overwhelmingly non-British. Everyone is bilingual, with British pounds in one pocket and Spanish pesetas in the other. As for political allegiances, the 1967 referendum on the maintenance of British links found that of the 13,000 souls who voted, only 44 wanted a change. (As to what happened to those brave folk, a wit quipped they’d “been pushed off the top of The Rock.”)
Today, locals insist the population of about 36,000 has not changed its mind about the benefits of Britishness. Said Patricio (or Patrick), a driver married to Josepha (or Josephine) from across the border: “I prefer to be British even though I’ve never been to Britain. Too cold. But I spend a lot of free time in Spain because on The Rock you get giddy driving round in circles.” Another Gibraltareno confided: “It’s a bit like Alcatraz without bars.”
But this intimacy is comforting for day-trippers with limited time, as all tourist highlights such as the popular ascent to the top of The Rock are easily accessible.
Although superfit visitors can walk to the top, I took the cable car from the southern end of Main Street to the highest of the two stations. After gorging on the splendid views from the lookout, I walked back down along the serpentine road past the entrance to much visited St. Michael’s Cave, a large limestone grotto celebrated for its superb stalactites and stalagmites.
When I arrived at St. Michael’s, a large cruise ship contingent was filing out, leaving me the grotto to myself. Inside, its illuminated stalactites — some sharp as spikes, others contorted and wide as tropical fronds — create a spectacular, eerie world of soft mineralized color interspersed with pools of darkness. During World War II, the cave was fitted out as a hospital but was never used. However, because of its superb acoustics, it has been used on a number of occasions as a concert venue.
Blinking into the daylight again, I continued down the road to the Apes Den, a “playground” area on the side of the road dedicated to these animals. Perhaps the heat was too intense this afternoon, for I saw only two apes, both sitting quietly by the roadside taking a Spanish-style siesta.
I felt like joining them. Instead, I took advantage of a passing cab and instructed the driver to take me to Europa Point at the southern end of The Rock where I toured the small shrine to Our Lady of Europa before walking slowly back to Main Street.
By the time I rested my aching feet in a street cafe near the piazza it was late afternoon. I ordered a “Real British Beer” and an imported British pork pie and wondered, once again, whether Gibraltar’s ubiquitous over-the-top Britishness would ever wane and enable a union with Spain.
When my friendly waiter Alberto (“just call me Al”) brought me a second beer in a classic British pint mug, I asked his views about the destiny of this quaint colony. “There is a saying,” began Al, “that The Rock will remain British as long as it is inhabited by the apes.” He grinned. “That’s why we look after them so well.”
IF YOU GO
GETTING THERE
By air: Gibraltar is served from London by two airlines — British Airways and Monarch; flight time is 2 1/2 hours. There are also occasional flights from Manchester, England, and Casablanca.
By sea: As a major cruise ship destination, The Rock is aiming to attract around 200 cruise ships in 1999. A regular ferry service operates from Gibraltar to Tangier in Morocco.
By land: The only crossing is via La Linea, Spain. Currently, the Spanish government has again expressed its long-held wish to regain control of Gibraltar in the near future.
Most travelers to Gibraltar are day-trippers crossing from Spain. From the Costa del Sol (cities such as Marbella and Malaga and also the nearby big port city of Algeciras), tourist agencies operate regular day trips to Gibraltar. Independent travelers touring by car can park at La Linea on the frontier with the colony and walk across the border.
Alternatively, take the local bus (30 minutes each way) from Algeciras to La Linea and then walk into Gibraltar. The fare is about $1.30. The trip takes 45 minutes.
After passing through Gibraltar customs, either walk across the airport or pick up a minibus to “the piazza” for about 60 cents.
THE POLITICS
The issue of The Rock’s sovereignty was reignited by the arrest of Spanish fishermen in disputed Spanish/Gibraltar waters late last year. Since representatives of both places are signatories to the European Union, the border crossing cannot be closed, although Spain recently imposed a slowdown that delayed border crossings by several hours.
However, during Franco’s reign in Spain, the border was closed, reopening to tourists and Spanish workers after 16 years in 1985.
LODGING
I stayed in Algeciras and took the local bus into Gibraltar each day. Much cheaper. My pension in Algeciras was Hostal Nuestra Senora de la Palma (Plaza de la Palma 12; 011-34-956-63-24-81). Just off Calle Jose Santacana, 30 yards from the market in the plaza called Mercado Ingeniero Torroja, this modest pension is clean and friendly. Lots of great market noise in the early mornings saves on alarm clock batteries, and it’s a five-minute walk to the bus station for Gibraltar and the railway station. A double with toilet/shower is about $12 for a single and about $18 to $21 for a double.
In Gibraltar, the Cannon Hotel (9 Cannon Lane, just off Main Street in the heart of the town; 011-350-51711) was recommended by travelers I met. It costs approximately $57 for doubles with bath and breakfast. Credit cards accepted.
Emile Youth Hostel (Line Wall Road, at the airport end of town; 011-350-51106) is a budget traveler center that costs about $16 per person for bunk style accommodations with light breakfast.
CURRENCY
You can use pesetas or pounds virtually everywhere. If you carry travelers checks or dollars you can easily cash them along Main Street.
THE TOP OF THE ROCK
The cable car, which stops at Apes Den, departs from the station at the end of Main Street and runs from early morning until 5:45 p.m.. Round-trip tickets cost about $8, which includes the cost of entry into St. Michael’s Cave. Great views of Gibraltar Bay and The Rock from the cable car.
ACCESSIBILITY
Wheelchair access has been enhanced along Main Street, and toilet facilities are available at each end of the town.
INFORMATION
The most accessible tourist information office is the Info Centre situated in Main Street by the piazza (350-74950). Open business hours, Saturdays until 2 p.m. Gibraltar Web site: www.gibraltar.gi.
