onsdag 22. juli 2015

Gibraltar, July 3.



Nulli Expugnabilis Hosti is the offical motto of Gibraltar, meaning: No enemy shall expel us.

It is not easy to explain what exactly Gibraltar is, according to Daniel it is weird to walk to England from Spain, but if we go to Wikipedia they explain it like this:

Gibraltar /dʒɨˈbrɔːltər/ is a British Overseas Territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. It has an area of 6.0 km2 (2.3 sq mi) and shares its northern border with the Province of Cádiz in Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region. At its foot is a densely populated city area, home to almost 30,000 Gibraltarians and other nationalities.


When I booked our hotel I thought I had booked a hotel in Gibraltar. That was wrong as we were still in Spain, but sometimes mistakes can be for the better. The hotel, which offered  2 bedroom apartments with a kitchen, was just perfect for us. Clean, nice area, swimmingpool and free wifi, with a short walking distance to the beach. http://www.vistarealalcaidesa.com



We drove to La Linea, the Spanish city with a border to Gibraltar. After seeing the line up with the cars waiting to cross, we were happy to park just beside the crossing, and walk through. Quick and easy,with a valid passport.


When you enter Gibraltar this way you actually walk over the runway for the airport.

Clive came to meet us, and took us to their beautiful apartment where Kevin, Jules and James where waiting with cold drinks. Need I say we had a great time? The kids got loaded with candy and gifts, and then we headed for a taxi to explore the rock.


The view from the balcony, I think it speaks for itself...



Our first stop with the taxi was at the cave, and at the entrance we met this cute monkey.


The cave was my absolute favorite, with the changing lights and chairs for concerts...I will have to come back one day.





                            At our next stop we came really close to the monkeys, so cute.

 They just walk around and according to the guide they are all vegetarians to avoid diseases

How the driver manage to maneuver the car on the narrow path/road up and down the rock, I am so impressed of her. Another option would have be to take the cable car, but I am very happy we had the taxi as the driver was also good with sharing the history of this interesting place.




Daniel`s absolute favorite where the tunnels from the war. Apparently you can walk...a very long time in here...watch the canons, get audio guide and read about the history.



The view is of course amazing (you can see it clearer from the picture at the beginning of this page)


We are at the top


We met up with the others for a good meal


                               And finished our stay with a nice swim for the kids in the jacuzzi..


We had an amazing day, and I have to say we really got an excellent impression of Gib (as I now have learned to spell it, pretending to be cool:)
The atmosphere was excellent, everyone explain it as a safe place with lots of fun (which I intend to explore more of next time)

Thank you again, Kevin and Clive, Jules and James for a day we will always remember.

We headed back to Spain, and crossed the border in no time, so I think I will never bother to go there with a car.