The Barbary Apes on The Rock of Gibraltar
If you want to go somewhere different for a long weekend, in Europe, what could be more different than Gibraltar? This unusual peninsular with it's mountainous rock jutting out into the Mediterranean towards Africa is quite stunning but also has an interesting and quite violent history, and a rather obscure mixture of British, Spanish and Moroccan culture and cuisine and of course those monkeys.
For travel tips, advice and hotel recommendations (and photographs) please read on.
Gibraltar
Getting There
My recent flight to Gibraltar was quite exciting, circling the rock, then making an attempt to land then pulling up at the last minute due to heavy cross-winds, doing another lap of the rock and finally landing rather heavily on the tarmac. Usually you won't have any such excitement, but the view on approach is quite memorable.
Map of Gibraltar
Some Useful Guidebooks
Best Of Gibraltar (Globetrotter Best of Series)
Amazon Price: $8.95 (as of 07/06/2009) 
Spain (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE)
Amazon Price: $19.80 (as of 07/06/2009)
The Ornithology of the Straits of Gibraltar
Amazon Price: $17.99 (as of 07/06/2009)
Getting Around
Gibraltar is small enough for a keen walker to never need a taxi, but there were plenty available at the airport, and on arrival I took one to the hotel to help me get my bearings. There are other taxi ranks around the town too. There are also minibuses that can be hired for tours of the island from hotels or from the town and a cable-car from the base of the rock, at Europa Road, at the end of the main road through the town, near the botanical gardens. This is the recommended way of getting to the top of the rock.
Cameras
Digital SLR Cameras
Digital Compact Cameras
Alternatively, here is some good kit, ideal for a trip to Gibraltar:
Nikon D40 6.1MP Digital SLR Camera Kit with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens
Amazon Price: Too low to display (as of 07/06/2009)
Nikon D700 12.1MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)
Amazon Price: Too low to display (as of 07/06/2009)
Nikon D60 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera Black Gold Special Edition with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR Nikkor Zoom Lens
Amazon Price: $546.95 (as of 07/06/2009)
Nikon Coolpix L20 10MP Digital Camera with 3.6 Optical Zoom and 3 inch LCD (Deep Red)
Amazon Price: Too low to display (as of 07/06/2009)
Canon Powershot SD20 5MP Ultra Compact Digital Camera (Garnet)
Amazon Price: $399.99 (as of 07/06/2009)
Accommodation
We stayed at the imaginatively named Rock Hotel on Europa Road (it cost about £130 a night for a double en-suit room with balcony). A clean white Art Deco hotel on the side of the rock, overlooking the botanical gardens and cable-car terminal to the front with fantastic views of the Mediterranean and North Africa from the terrace and our small balcony. On arrival at 11am the room wasn't ready, but the friendly receptionist thrust a glass of port into my hand showed me to a comfortable chair in the pleasant little bar. The bedroom had two small free carafes of complimentary sherry and whisky with which to enjoy the sunset. The restaurant was very pleasant and quite old fashioned with a good selection of British or European dishes, although rather expensive for what you get. I would certainly recommend this hotel and restaurant if staying in Gibraltar. It's location is ideal for exploring and it has fantastic views.Rock Hotel:
Things to do
The town which sits between the rock and the airport (and Spain beyond) is like stepping back in time (although not very far) to England a few decades ago, with a strange mix of a slight Spanish and Moroccan influence. The food similarly was from a different era, pretty variable and most of what I tried was not very good, with the exception of The Rock Hotel restaurant which was surprisingly good, although fairly expensive (about £50 a head for a two course dinner with wine). There are a few English style pubs on the main road through the town which serve good English beer and food such as fish and chips, but the biggest selection of cafes and bars is in Casemates, the main historical square where there are plenty of tables outside.
The Gibraltar Museum is well worth a visit, with a 15 minute film about the history of Gibraltar and a lot of interesting artifacts it gives a good introduction to the place before exploring some of the sights.
The Botanical Gardens opposite the Rock Hotel are pleasant and worth a brief visit. There is also a "Wildlife Park" which is just a small zoo with a lot of empty cages and a few mangy animals, although it was apparently being renovated, so maybe most of the animals were somewhere else.
The Rock is where most of the tourist attractions are. A mini-bus from the cable-car terminal took us to each of the main attractions for about £10 each (shared with two other tourists) making it a bit cheaper than the cable car and we didn't need to walk between the points of interest (i.e. we were lazy and I'm trying to think of excuses) Wonderful views of Africa, the siege tunnels where the English fought off the Spanish and a large cave with huge stalagmites and stalactites etc. and of course, those monkeys everywhere (Barbary macaques or "Apes" as they are often called) Great fun to watch, but a young one jumped on my head and got a bit overexcited (all over my camera. So beware)
Dolphin watching is also possible from boats chartered from the mariana near Casemates. We managed to get a large boat for just £20 each shared with just one other person, but in high season I would imagine the boat would have 20 or 30 people on it for the same price each. This is very enjoyable. The dolphins seem to love it as much as the humans and play in front of the boat. The trip took about 90 minutes.
Dolphin:
Essential Reading
The Fortifications of Gibraltar 1068-1945 (Fortress)
Amazon Price: $13.22 (as of 07/06/2009)
Atlantic Spain and Portugal: La Coruna to Gibraltar
Amazon Price: $117.95 (as of 07/06/2009)
The Rock of the Gibraltarians: A History of Gibraltar
Amazon Price: (as of 07/06/2009)
Best Of Gibraltar (Globetrotter Best of Series)
Amazon Price: $8.95 (as of 07/06/2009)
Conclusion
I would certainly recommend visiting Gibraltar if you are in that part of Europe and have a day or two spare and even as a destination for a long weekend it was worth doing. Any longer than that and I think you would run out of things to do. From a culinary point of view it is not very good, but it is however quite unique.Monkey Business:
Please Follow Me
AndyPo:
Tagfoot
Stumbleupon
Lensroll
Squidom
Squoogle
Isle of Squid
Squidoo Review
Delicious
Digg (AndrewPo)
Zazzle Gallery
- AndyPo
- aka Andy Porter
- 1,142 followers
- 1,980 following
-
- I just updated my Squidoo page: Monkey Pictures / http://tinyurl.com/mk7ca7
-
- I just updated my Squidoo page: Canon Powershot G10 Digital Compact Camera / http://tinyurl.com/cvaagg
-
- I just updated my Squidoo page: Photo Gallery: African Safari Photographs / http://tinyurl.com/bl6qzg
-
- I just updated my Squidoo page: The Amazon Jungle Experience (Brazil) / http://tinyurl.com/49n8ar
-
- I just updated my Squidoo page: Alfa Romeo Spider (The Star of The Graduate Film) / http://tinyurl.com/5h5bov
Please Leave Some Feedback
JaguarJulie wrote...
Ah, we were THAT close to seeing the apes of Gibraltar. It was a last minute decision on my hubby's part for us to not visit during our Costa del Sol vacation. Well, now I can see what I missed here! ;)
Posted May 08, 2009
QueSea wrote...
Wow! What a view. Great photo of the ships in harbor. Thanks for sharing
Posted May 06, 2009
Recommended Travel Website: Trivago
Trivago is an excellent travel web-site and internet community. Please have a look at their web-site:Trivago... your travel guide
Some More Recommended Travel Websites
-
Travel Photography
-
This article is about travel-photography all over the world including Brazil, China, Peru, USA, Canada, UK, Morocco, Mexico, Egypt, India, Thailand. I have published several travel photography articles, which I have listed below with some of the pho...
-
Wildlife & Travel Photo Gallery
-
After many years of traveling the world and taking photos, mostly of wildlife and nature and I have published some of them in a Zazzle Gallery. Here is a selection of some of these photographs and links to the associated Zazzle productions; cards and...
-
Wildlife Photography
-
Wildlife Photography from all over the world: I have been traveling the world taking photographs of animals and nature for many years, so here are some of my photographs and some of my experiences, travel tips, recommendations and advice. I have wri...
-
Lensography: Retire Young and Travel The World...
-
I am a semi-professional travel photographer (i.e. I once sold a few photos) and semi-retired consultant physicist (i.e. unemployed boffin) but with a keen interest in finance (i.e. how to get rich quick) I live in Richmond-upon-Thames in West Londo...
Camera Equipment
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by
About Me...
Lensmaster AndyPo, aka Andrew Porter, has been a member since July 7 2008, has rated 1,534 lenses, favorited 1,422, and has created 103 lenses from scratch. This member's top-ranked page is "Le Mans 24 Hour Race". See all my lenses
My Bio
Hi, I am Andy. I live in the U.K. but have worked and travelled all over the world. I am a semi-professional wildlife and travel photographer (i.e. I sold a couple of photos once), semi-retired consultant physicist (i.e. unemployed bofin) with a keen interest in finance (i.e. get rich quick..ly):
My Home Page, Even more About Me! and My Blog
Lens Of The Day (Twice): "Rain Forests of Borneo" - 20th AND 30th November 2008 
Check out these great lenses...
-
- Make Money From Home
There are many ways to make money from home and there is a lot of money out there on the internet to be had, but there are also a lot of people chasing the money. This article is about my research: The methods I have tried and the results I have achi... view lens -
- Wildlife Photography
Wildlife Photography from all over the world: I have been traveling the world taking photographs of animals and nature for many years, so here are some of my photographs and some of my experiences, travel tips, recommendations and advice. I have wri... view lens -
- Namibia. Big Cat Safari
Namibia is off the beaten track for the average beach/safari tourist. The desert, sand dunes and wildlife make it one of the best places in Africa to visit. This article is about where to go and the things to see in this wonderful safari destination... view lens -
- Lensography: Retire Young and Travel The World...
I am a semi-professional travel photographer (i.e. I once sold a few photos) and semi-retired consultant physicist (i.e. unemployed boffin) but with a keen interest in finance (i.e. how to get rich quick) I live in Richmond-upon-Thames in West Londo... view lens -
- Travel Photography
This article is about travel-photography all over the world including Brazil, China, Peru, USA, Canada, UK, Morocco, Mexico, Egypt, India, Thailand. I have published several travel photography articles, which I have listed below with some of the pho... view lens
