Gibraltar

On Friday, I went on a day trip with my study abroad program to the Straight of Gibraltar. It is a territory of the UK at the tip of the Iberian Peninsula, between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The drive from Sevilla to Gibraltar was a little over two hours through the mountains and so beautiful. The mountains in Southern Spain are full of boulders and other rocky formations. The contrast between the greens of the grass and the trees and the whites and grays of the rocks is stunning. We arrived in La Linea, the Spanish city on the border, around 11:00 am. We unloaded the bus in La Linea and walked across the border into Gibraltar. The line of cars going into the city was very long and it was much faster to walk across the border.

Once on the other side, all the signs were in British English and there were British flags flying. There was a red phone booth on the side of the road and all the tour buses looked like something you would see in London. It was so fun! Our bus tour guide was from Scotland. Gibraltar is very small, so we were able to drive around the rock and see some amazing sites. Gibraltar is beautiful and also historically rich and it was very interesting to learn about its history. The rock has acted as a natural fortress throughout history. There are tunnels carved through the rock that have been used throughout history to store weapons and hide from enemies. Weapons and ammunition were stored in the tunnels during World War II. It is also very relevant because it controls the entrance into the Mediterranean Sea. Over the centuries, many countries have fought to have Gibraltar and control who comes in and out of the Mediterranean. Currently, the UK has Gibraltar and controls the entrance.

Other fun things about Gibraltar:

I got to see the Mediterranean for the first time!

We visited St. Michael's Cave and got to see stalagmites and stalactites.

The rock of Gibraltar is full of wild monkeys, so I got to see monkeys in the wild for the first time.

I also got to see the coast of Africa because the strip of ocean between Africa and Gibraltar is only 15 km wide.

After our bus tour of Gibraltar and going in St. Michael's Cave, we ate lunch in the main square and then walked around the city. It was a day well spent!

The monkey and me!