July 29, 2019
Gibraltar: A Wonderful Visit to My 17th Territory Including Monkeys, Tunnels, & Cable Car
April 9, 2019
GIBRALTAR – Costa Pacifica crossed the Strait of Gibraltar this morning, then I had an absolutely delightful shore excursion in this United Kingdom territory – my 17th territory visited on my Quest for 243. Add the 127 countries and three de-facto nations I’ve been to and my new count is 147 (60% of the way there).
Got up at 8:16 a.m. aboard Costa Pacifica as we approached the strait. Went up top at 8:46 to see where we’re at. We were about 35 miles from the Port of Gibraltar. Then walked down to the New York New York dining room for breakfast.
It was a beautiful sunny morning as we entered the Strait of Gibraltar. Morocco is eight miles to the south and Spain is 20 miles to the north. We were scheduled to arrive at the territory of Gibraltar in three hours (at noon). I’m excited to see a new place.
Gibraltar will be the final stop on my voyage from La Romana, Dominican Republic, through the Caribbean and across the Atlantic Ocean, ending in two days in Barcelona, Spain.
This is my third strait crossing, but the first time eastbound entering the Mediterranean Sea. The previous two crossings were westbound on trans-Atlantic sailings heading out of the Med into the Atlantic Ocean.
This was my first time crossing the strait during daylight. Last time when I came through here it was in November 2018 when Mom and I were sailing from Italy to Brazil aboard MSC Fantasia, and it was a pitch-black night. Prior to that, I crossed the strait back in 2012 aboard Norwegian Epic. Think that was also at night. Don’t remember being able to see anything.
At 9:56 a.m., Costa Pacifica came into the most narrow part of the Strait of Gibraltar. Morocco was four miles away and Spain 5.5 miles to the north. The Rock of Gibraltar was now in view 15 miles ahead of us.
We had crossed the Atlantic without sighting a single ship. But now there were 10 vessels in view.
Pacifica made a left turn at 10:19 a.m. toward the Port of Gibraltar, 10 miles away, leaving the most narrow section of the strait.
Taking a look to the north, you could see southern Spain. It should be a nice day. The temperature was 58° and the high is forecast to be 63° with wonderful sunshine.
We entered Gibraltar territorial waters at 10:43 a.m. with 4.7 miles remaining to the cruise pier. A boat approached behind us; it’s the harbor pilot.
Just past 11 a.m., Costa Pacifica was in Gibraltar Bay, 1.6 miles from the Port of Gibraltar. The cable car that goes to the Top of Rock is visible. The port is located in northwest tip of the peninsula.
An easyJet Airbus A319 took off from Gibraltar Airport (GIB) bound for Bristol, England.
Pacifica pulled up to the pier at 11:19 a.m. We weren’t far from GIB airport. I could see two easyJet aircraft and one British Airways plane at the terminal.
We arrived at 11:29 a.m., half an hour ahead of schedule. My shore excursion meets at 12:45 p.m. It’s an absolutely gorgeous morning here.
Planespotting at GIB
After we docked, I watched two easyJet planes take off for London Luton (LTN) and London Gatwick (LGW) within 10 minutes of each other. The British Airways Airbus A320 is scheduled to leave for London Heathrow (LHR) in eight minutes.
Vehicles & Pedestrians Cross Runway Between Departure
Gibraltar Airport (GIB) is unique in that the territory’s main north/south road crosses the runway. I was watching buses, cars, trucks, and even pedestrians crossing the runway until a few minutes ago, when it was closed for the aircraft departure.
Before the jet rolled down the runway, a street sweeper went out to check for any debris left by vehicles and people. GIB is one of only a few commercial airports in the world with a major road crossing the runway. There are lanes marked for vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians.
GIB had only five scheduled flights today with British Airways and easyJet to Bristol and London. On other days, there’s also a nonstop to Manchester, England. The runway takes up the entire peninsula east to west, just south of the border with Spain.
Next there’s an easyJet departing to Bristol. Two more flights to London will be departing shortly. Four of today’s five flights departed within an hour and a half (11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.).
After enjoying some outstanding planespotting, I stopped by my cabin at 11:58 a.m. to plug in my devices to charge batteries while I grabbed lunch at the buffet.
“Gibraltar & Its Rock” Shore Excursion
Stepped off Costa Pacifica at 12:40 p.m. to meet my shore excursion, “Gibraltar & Its Rock,” which departed at 1:01 in a minibus.
Did you know? Gibraltar is the only permanently inhabited United Kingdom territory where traffic flows on the right.
Gibraltar is one of the smallest territories or nations on Earth with just 2.5 square miles (6.5 square km) of land. That’s about 10 times the size of the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Spain ceded the territory to the UK in 1713.
It is also one of the least populous with just 29,461 residents.
We proceeded 20 minutes south via central Gibraltar, then through several narrow tunnels to Europa Point, the southernmost point. The Europa Point Lighthouse is located there as well as a large mosque recently constructed thanks to a donation from Saudi Arabia. The 66-foot-tall lighthouse opened in August 1841. It was fully automated in 1994.
There are some memorials at Europa Point, including one from Poland.
Reboarded the minibus to continue five minutes up the hills into the center of the peninsula. We entered the Gibraltar Nature Reserve at 1:37. Who knew the Rock is home to hundreds of monkeys?! Certainly not me. We had our first monkey spotting at 1:43.
My minibus continued downhill. There’s a monkey in the middle of the road and two sitting on the wall! Now two on the right. They also climbed on the bus!
Our guide told us we’re going to make a stop here for 10 minutes to look at the monkeys. Four were on top of the two minibuses ahead of ours, then one leaped atop our bus.
Wow there’s a whole bunch of monkeys all over the place. Crazy to watch them climb on the roofs of the minibuses. Not a part of the excursion I was expecting! I had no idea they had monkeys in Gibraltar. Specifically they are barbary macaques. They are the only tailless monkey species.
“Although it is likely that Barbary Macaques were introduced to Gibraltar, these animals were found in Europe during prehistoric times,” according to an information sign. “It is likely that they were brought to the Rock by the Moors, who [might] have brought these animals as pets with them from the Barbary.”
A tourist illegally fed a monkey. Our guide had warned that is strictly forbidden. Another tourist posed for photos with a monkey. In addition to the entertainment the monkeys provided, there’s a fantastic view over Gibraltar. There’s the cable car going up the Top of the Rock. We’ll be on that cable car at the end of this excursion.
A monkey climbed along the wall. Russian passengers on my tour sat down to pose with the creatures. The mountains of Morocco were visible in the distance across the Strait of Gibraltar.
After the hilarious visit with the monkeys, we arrived at 2:10 p.m. at the Great Siege Tunnels. Before entering, I took a look at the wonderful view north to the airport and beyond.
Just past the runway is the border crossing with Spain. As traffic comes in from Spain, it has to cross the runway to get to the main part of the territory.
Next I quickly explored the Great Siege Tunnels, entering at 2:25. They are a series of tunnels inside the northern end of the Rock of Gibraltar. They were dug out from solid limestone by the British during the Great Siege of Gibraltar in the late 1700s.
The Great Siege was an attempt by France and Spain to capture Gibraltar from the United Kingdom during the American Revolutionary War. It lasted from July 1779 to February 1783. Guns were placed in a series of batteries on the north face of The Rock.
The impetus for construction of the tunnels came from the British garrison’s need to cover a blind angle on the northeast side of The Rock. Tunnel work began in May 1782. Building was carried out by hand, mostly using sledgehammers and crowbars, and aided by gunpowder blasts.
There are amazing views looking north toward GIB airport, the cemetery, and Spain from the cut-outs of the Great Siege Tunnels.
My quick visit ended at 2:40. I had dashed through the tunnels in 15 minutes, but it seems I would have needed at least a full hour to properly explore all of them.
My minibus left the Great Siege Tunnels parking area (elevation 590 feet) a bit after 2:50. We’re on our way to the final stop on our tour, the Gibraltar Cable Car.
Passing the World War II tunnels, we exited the Gibraltar Nature Reserve at 2:57 and continued downhill on a steep, narrow road. The minibus wound through Upper Town along several narrow one-way streets.
We passed the Convent, where the governor general has resided since 1704.
Then the minibus dropped us off at the cable car’s base station at 3:09, the final stop of my excursion.
After waiting 45 minutes, I was finally queued up for the next car. Looks like there’s only one car up and one down, so service is not frequent. There were a whole bunch of people from the ship and other tourists waiting in this long line to get to the Top of the Rock. Fortunately free WiFi is provided in the terminal, so you can keep occupied on your phone while waiting (download speed 8.11 Mbps; upload speed 3.12).
The ride up offered fantastic views over the city. It was a pretty quick trip.
We arrived at 4:02 at the upper station, elevation 1,276 feet. The highest point on the Rock is 1,398 feet (426 meters).
Had about 45 minutes to explore the top before joining the (much shorter) line for the next cable car down. I had a nice trip to the top. A little windy, but pleasant.
After about 10 minutes in line, I boarded the cable car for the descent. We passed over the Gibraltar Nature Reserve, then over nice houses with swimming pools on their terraces. The car operators spoke over the radio in Spanish. They must be among the workers who commute from Spain into Gibraltar.
The ride down took just four minutes. At 5:14 p.m., I was in a minibus en route back to Costa Pacifica.
My minibus passed through Ragged Staff Gates and then at the Port of Gibraltar security checkpoint, where we had to show our Costa cards.
Arrived at 5:23 at the Gibraltar Cruise Terminal to board Costa Pacifica for the last time. I’ll be disembarking in two days in Barcelona.
Returned to my stateroom at 5:33. What a marvelous visit to Gibraltar! I really enjoyed it here. One of my favorite ports of call on this 17-night Caribbean and trans-Atlantic voyage.
Sailing Away from Gibraltar En Route to My Final Destination: Barcelona
Went up top for sail-away. At 6 p.m., it was Costa Pacifica’s scheduled departure time. Waiting to get underway to Barcelona.
We pushed back from the Gibraltar Cruise Terminal at 6:29 (29 minutes behind schedule).
Costa Pacifica made a U-turn out of the port to head south from Gibraltar Bay into the Mediterranean Sea, then turned east toward Barcelona, 544 straight-line miles away.
There were lots of ships moored in the bay and out in the Mediterranean. The mountains of Morocco were visible about 15 miles in the distance.
What a beautiful sail-out! At 6:57, we came up on the Europa Point Lighthouse. Oddly there’s that big mosque that was constructed right behind the lighthouse several years ago. The minaret is actually taller than the old lighthouse.
Down to my cabin at 7:55 to eat a snack and watch “NCIS.” The noise from the theater above me was ridiculously loud. Copied today’s more than 550 photos and videos from my phone, camera, and GoPro to my laptop.
Headed outside again at 8:46 to watch sunset. From Gibraltar, the Mediterranean Sea stretches nearly 2,300 miles to the coast of Israel. Through the Bosporus Strait at Istanbul, Turkey, the coast of Georgia is 2,500 miles away via the Black Sea.
Then I went down to the New York New York dining room. The dinner menu tonight featured Sicilian cuisine. My three-course meal was good and the service was quick.
Bed prep at 10 p.m. Read the cruise letter, watched “NCIS,” and sorted today’s enormous batch of pictures. Bed at 12:12 a.m.
We have one final day at sea tomorrow, then my voyage concludes Thursday morning in Barcelona. From there I will fly to Dakar, Senegal, to start the West African portion of this 11-week trip.
