My 10 favourite destinations : Number 6

This week I've been reading a few well-known travel blogs to see what type of things they write about. Many of the bloggers suggest not doing exactly what I have been doing the past few weeks : providing a list about things you can do in a city or destination. However, this is what I like blogging about as it gives me the chance to reflect on all the wonderful times I have been lucky to experience.

On to the important part and we are back in sunny España for my number 6 : Gibraltar.

 

 

I have to admit that this destination was not a personal choice of mine. As I mentioned last week in my post about Granada, I got to spend a year in Spain as part of my university course. Being surrounded by Erasmus students (and many of them British), they raved a lot about Gibraltar. So, not wanting to miss anything my friends and I set off for "The Rock". Who knew that I would fall in love with this place?


During our trip to Gibraltar we stopped off at Tarifa as it's the southest point in Europe and you can see the Mediterranean meeting the Atlantic Ocean. Also we decided to stay overnight in Línea de la Concepción, a little town next to Gibraltar. I don't recall why we stayed here rather than in Gibraltar itself but I don't recommend it as it is an ugly little town. Plus, the hostel we stayed in was not trustworthy as a few of our souvenirs from Gibraltar went missing whilst we were out for dinner.

 The meeting point of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic

The first thing you need to know about Gibraltar is that it is a British territory located in the south of Spain, near Cádiz. As such, you need a passport to get in and out of it and passport control are very strict in this regard.  Secondly, we only spent one day in Gibraltar and were able to see most places. However I would recommend 2-3 days is long enough to spend here. Thirdly, having a car is a benefit as it can be quite costly to get to the top of the rock.

What you can do:

- Visit Apes Den. We took a bus up to here which cost about 8€, this may be considerably more expensive now. From here, you see some wonderful views across to Africa as well as of the Rock itself. Also, you get to see the famous apes happily roaming around.

View of Africa from the Upper Rock

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

- There are many historical sights relating to the Great Siege and World War II. We visited the Great Siege tunnels on the Upper Rock which were interesting enough. If you are interested in history and particularly wars I would recommend it. For me it was more a case of ticking something off the list of things to do. The best part was (from the caves) we got to see a plane taking off on the tiny little airport strip and wondering if it was going to make it or land in the ocean!

- Visit the sandy beaches situated around the Rock. We went in May and as you can see the sun had it's hat on so after walking around all morning, we chilled out on the beach. At that time of year, the beaches were relatively quiet and in some cases, you had the beach to yourself. Personally, I hate busy beaches so this was perfect for me.

- Visit the Europa point, the last point in Europe. Again, this was another ticking off a list item for me and we only spent about 10 minutes here. There is a nice lighthouse (I have an obsession with them - don't ask me why!) and the Shrine of our Lady of Europe which apparently dates back to the fifteenth century.

 

 

- Take a stroll through the shopping area, where you can see the cute little post office and post box. My friends who are French were so excited to get their picture next to this. For me it obviously wasn't a big deal. There are many good shops for buying souvenirs. My piece of advice is check a few of them out and then decide which to buy from as you can sometimes find them cheaper.

 

- Eat a typical English breakfast ( again this is a bigger deal if you're not British!)

 

Having only spent a day in Gibraltar there are many things I would have liked to have done but did not get the chance to do:

 

- Go to the Mediterranean Steps

 

- Experience the nightlife. There are many typical British bars

 

- Take the cable car to the top part of the Rock

 

- See inside the Mosque at Europa Point

 

- Go diving, it is a hotspot for divers due to the many reefs and wrecks nearby

 

You may be wondering why Gibraltar is so high on my list of destinations when I spent so little time here. Here is why:

 

- It genuinely feels like you are in Britain but with nice, sunny weather.

 

- Something to do for everyone: water sports, nice walks, sunbathing, visit historical sites and get in tune with nature.

 

- People are friendly, the streets are clean and it has a nice calm atmosphere

 



 

To conclude, I recommend Gibraltar as a short stay destination and if you are someone who enjoys a mix of activities. I certainly had a whale of a time there and if you go I hope you do too. If you have been or are intending to go, please leave a comment.

 

Nikki