Day #5 & #6 - Day at sea and Gibraltar April 19 & 20

Location

Gibralter is a British crown colony located near the tip of Spain, on the Iberian Penninsula. It is close to the Gibralter strait, that is the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. Gibraltar is only 1 and 7/8 square miles in area and the main attraction is the “rock” and it being a duty free port to trap tourists.

History

The name Gibralter, based in Spanish is derived from Arabic and means “Mountain of Tariq” …Jebel Tariq. This got corrupted into the word Gibraltar. Tariq ibn-Ziyad was a military leader who conquered Spain for the Moors. From around 128,000 to 24,000 B.C., Gibraltar was inhabited by Neanderthals and is thought to be the last place where this group lived. The Carthaginians and Romans worshiped Hercules in shrines on the top of the rock that they called Mons Calpe (hollow mountain) that they regarded as one of the twin pillars of Hercules. There is a mountain in Africa that represents the other pillar.

Pillars of Hercules  (Click Link)

After the collapse of the Roman empire, Gibraltar became part of the Kingdom of Hispania and was ruled by the Muslim Moors in 711 AD.  The Christian Kingdom of Castile annexed it in 1309 but lost it to the Moors in 1333. Spain regained it again in 1462 and it remained under Spanish rule until 1704 when it was captured by Charles the VI of Austria, the Hapsburg contender to the Spanish throne. At the end of that war, Spain ceded the territory to Britain under the treaty of Ultrecht in 1713 that ended the “War of Spanish Succession.”

Gibraltar has been a source of conflict and tension between the United Kingdom and Spain for many centuries. Spain tried to regain control of Gibraltar that was now a British crown colony through military, economic and diplomatic pressures but it remained British. Gibraltar faced 14 sieges in 500 years. There was a Battle of Trafalgar in which the British fleet was superior to the Spanish and French fleets. The French and Spanish under Napolean, invaded Portugal to gain control of the Iberian Penninsula. This lead to the Peninsular War from 1807 to 1814. As in many wars with Napolean, he was not to be trusted and turned on the Spanish who were allies until that time. The war ended when Napolean was defeated in 1814.

The British colony grew and became an important stopping place for ships going to India and the Suez canal via the Mediterranean. A large British naval base was established there by the end of the 19^th century and was the backbone of the economy. The British control of Gibraltar in WWII made it come under attack by the Axis forces but it was a stronghold. After WWII again Spain tried to regain Gibraltar and even closed its borders to the colony in 1969 and 1985 and communication links were severed. The citizens of Gibraltar rejected Spanish claims and wanted to be independent. While still a British crown colony, for the most part, Gibraltar is independent.

The economy is now mostly based on tourism, gambling, financial services, and shipping. It is a hub for internet gambling. It is one of the wealthiest areas in the Economic Union.

Gibraltar is home to about 300 Barbary Macaque monkeys. These monkeys are protected and are thought to have gotten to Gibraltar from Africa. The monkeys in Africa are nearly extinct while those in Gibraltar are thriving. The saying is if the monkeys disappear from Gibraltar, it will revert to Spanish rule. Therefore, there is an incentive to preserve the monkey colony.

Tourist Attractions

St. Michael’s Cave is a network of limestone caves located within the Upper Rock Nature Reserve. There are more than 150 caves found inside of the mountain, but this is the most frequently visited. Within these caves, artifacts of the Neanderthals have been found. In the 19^th century, the caves were used as a venue for events such as picnics, concerts, weddings, etc. 

The caves were used by the Moors militarily and aided their conquest of Hispania in 711 AD. There is a defensive wall of Moorish origin that protected the entrance to the caves until recently. During WWII the caves were outfitted for a military hospital but it was never used for this purpose.  In 1942, an alternate opening in the cave was constructed to aid in airflow and to serve as an emergency exit in case of an air strike. 

While blasting to create the opening, another deeper system of caves was discovered and this is termed the “New St. Michael’s Cave.” This is the cave tour that is generally closed to the public but Viking has permission to have their passengers visit this on an optional excursion.

The St. Michael’s Cave can be reached by foot, cable car or taxi. Tickets include entrance to two other tourist sites, the Moorish Castle and the Great Siege Tunnels. The cost is 10 British pounds that is about $14 USD.

You can buy a cable car ticket for 9.50 pounds (one way) or 12 pounds (return trip). This will allow you only to explore the top of the rock but you cannot visit the caves or tunnels. This costs extra. 

Here is a video link to a Gibraltar tour.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACKJ51Jmpvw

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OUR EXPERIENCE

After leaving Barcelona in the late afternoon of April 18th, we had a full sea day on April 19th before our arrival in Gibraltar for a short stay. The ocean was fairly rough and both Bonnie and I had some mild sea sickness. The shows are unfortunately in the bow of the ship where the motion is intensified, but by and large we made it through the evening at sea.

The enrichment lectures are quite good and included a series on whales and one on the history of Lord Admiral Nelson who decimated the combined fleets of Spain and France who were preparing to invade England. Unfortunately, Nelson was killed in that battle but is remembered as one of England's heroes.

We arrived in the morning of April 20th with rain. The complimentary tour was scheduled for 10 am but it did not include transport to the top of Gibraltar. Since that was something I wanted to accomplish, Earline and I set off on foot at 9 am to find the cable car despite the inclement weather. Earl and Bonnie elected to take the ship tour.

We found the cable car and took the first ride to the top. This first trip starts at 9:30 am. Once at the top, with intermittent rain, we explored the top and walked down to Saint Michael's Cave but elected not to go in as time was short and we have seen many caves. The ship was scheduled to leave at 1:30 pm and guests were required to be back at 1 pm.

Gibraltar from Ship

Where does one drive a 720 hp vehicle with a top speed of 230 mph on a 1.7 square mile country?

Pagani (Click)

Fancy Pagani Automobile

Earline wary of monkey

View from the top

Monkey jumped into cable car

Royal Gibraltar Regiment

We walked back through town (Main Street), saw the cemetery from the Battle of Trafalgar, and then walked along the old fortification wall before returning to the ship.

Two passengers apparently did not make it back to the ship as there were multiple announcements looking for two women. The ship left and I assume they found their way to Lisbon, the next stop.