garyandpearl

Today we were privileged to visit the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. I did not realize that it was only 6.8 km², and it is home to almost 40,000 people.

This area was established by the Moors in the Middle Ages, then it was ruled by Spain, and finally it became a British territory in 1713 due to its strategic naval importance. Tourism and its port services make up much of its economy. It has one of the lowest rates of unemployment in the world, and 15,000 Spanish people cross the border every day to come and work in Gibraltar.

The rock of Gibraltar is 426 m high and marks one of the narrowest points between Europe and Africa. This narrow entrance to the Mediterranean from the Atlantic has half of the world’s seaborne trade going through it. Gibraltar has made a business of acting as a “gas station”. They order fuel in for seagoing vessels and sell it without taxes, so many ships come here to fuel up before they continue on their journey. One liter of fuel is $1.75 Canadian, according to Frances, our tour guide. He also mentioned that crime and immigration problems are virtually nonexistent.

We joined a few people from our ship on a government-run taxi tour of Gibraltar today. Frances was a wealth of information and took us to various viewpoints.

These caves have been used for various purposes over the years, including preparing to be an emergency hospital during World War II. The ancient Greeks believed that this was an entrance to Hades or the underworld.

This morning we found out that the cable cars going up to the top of the rock are out of service for a few years as they are completely renovating the site and replacing the cable car system. We had a few disappointed passengers.

We continued our tour to the Nature Reserve where the Barbary monkeys live which are the only wild monkeys living on the European continent. We were warned to keep our belongings in front of us as the monkeys take every opportunity to steal items. One got into a lady’s purse today.

Our guide dropped us back down in the old town, and we walked back to the ship in 18 degrees and sunny weather. On our way we stopped for a chimney cake, which is basically bread dough in a cone shape which is baked and filled with various fillings. We chose vanilla ice cream.

This Christian ministry is very close to the ship and provides a place for ship crew to come and relax, use free Wi-Fi, have a bite to eat, and speak to a chaplain if they wish.

We returned to the ship, and then enjoyed a wonderful Mediterranean buffet as we made our way through the Strait of Gibraltar. This is the view of North Africa from our table.

We have two sea days on our way to Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal. Once we are in the Atlantic Ocean, our captain warned us that the waves will get a little higher.

Good night to all. 💤