After tying up in Marina Alcaidesa in La Linea de la Conception, we hoofed it around town to get the lay of the land. The local chandlery Accastillage Diffusion ( which we had nick- named “Expensive and Confusing” back when we were at the factory in France), was closed when we stopped by during the posted opening hours. La Linea was appearing more like Mexico than Madrid, and even had a local saying similar to manana in “tardes”!
The first few days were spent deep cleaning the boat and making lists for a potential departure in 5 days time. I had organized a tour around of some of the famous sights of Gibraltar, and we set off on Friday morning.
The border to Gibralter was a 10 minute walk away, and we had learned that the best crossing time was after 10 am. This was to avoid queuing with the 10,000 workers that cross the border from Spain every morning! It was a brisk walk across the runway, passing through the ancient wall and into the square. It was a nice spot to have brunch and watch the activity.
After viewing ramparts at different parts of the wall, we arrived at Europa Point. Here we could just make out Morocco 14 miles away. There was also the rotor of a downed Sikorski helicopter, a large cannon, and a Mosque of early 2000 vintage, in the area.
The next stop was at St Michaels Cave, which was a real surprise with its cathedral ceilings, light show, and amphitheater. It even had a local band of Monkeys which were very well behaved as long as you didn’t have food with you.
Apparently the monkeys were once pets of the soldiers living there, and were released (or escaped) when the soldiers were shipped back to England. At one point their numbers dropped to 50 and enterprising military personnel organized another 50 to be brought over from Africa. It’s been rumored that when monkeys cease to live on Gibraltar, it will mean the end of British rule. Today there are 5 different groups of monkeys totaling around 300, all of whom have a taste for ice cream snatched from the hands of tourists!
Next stop was a walk through some of the WWII tunnels. We donned hard hats and headed into the mountain. The guide had mentioned there were some 55km of tunnels through the rock, as well as a large natural water source…not connected in any way with the salt water waterfall which was the return from the desalination plant.
It was a good way to see a smattering of the sights available. The driver Brian was a fountain of knowledge, provided interesting facts and history between stops…now off for a pint of beer and some crisps!
Looks like a great day. Thanks for sharing!