Tuesday - November 18, 2008
Final Call at Gibraltar
Because we own a timeshare in southern Spain, Mike and I have made a number of trips to Gibraltar with visiting friends and family. We decided after the 3rd visit that we were never going again, and have not done so until now. We must admit that it has changed since our last visit which was at least 10 years ago.
Because Gibraltar is one of the most densely populated territories in the world, with approximately 11,154 people per square mile, they are constantly reclaiming new land which now comprises approximately one tenth of the island's total area. We were amazed to see all the new highrise apartment buildings, restaurants, and marinas that have been built. Cranes are everywhere as Gibraltar continues to reclaim and build.
The town itself has been cleaned up as well. The main square has been greatly expanded and gentrified and the main streets have been closed to traffic which makes it much easier to stroll around and shop without fearing for your life. The streets have also been cleaned up a lot and it is all much more pleasant than it used to be. Whether or not they have been able to clean up the act of the 250 Barbary Macaque wild monkeys that live on the island is unknown - we didn't go anywhere near them. They used to have a nasty habit of sticking their hands in your pockets looking for food; we found that a little unnerving. According to local lore, Britain will control Gibraltar until the monkeys leave. Personally, I'd give the little buggers to Spain and let them be satisfied with that.
Rather than doing yet another tour of the island, we signed up to go dolphin watching in the morning. And sure enough, we saw lots of dolphins. They were cavorting all around the small boat we were on and came quite close at times. After the boat ride, we walked down to one of the new marinas and sat in the sun enjoying a glass of wine and a good pizza. We had a beautiful sunny day again, so we made the most of it. We then continued on into town and strolled around the streets a bit. We saw a very interesting Anglican church that looked like a Moorish villa from the outside, but very much like any Anglican church in Britain on the inside.
The Moors arrived in Gibraltar in the 700s, and the perfectly preserved Moorish Baths and the massive Tower of the Moorish Castle can still be visited today. Another very interesting tourist sight is the extensive network of siege tunnels that were dug into the rock in the 1700s by British soldiers, who were fighting the Spanish and the French, using sledgehammers and occasional gunpowder blasts! The tunnels were as long as 370 feet and had air vents that also operated as gun mounts. These same tunnels were again used during WWII. 
Being a British territory, our send-off was quite something. A military band was playing as we reboarded the ship and there were hundreds of small boats bobbing on the water, waiting to follow us out to sea. Once again, everyone was out on the decks, waving flags and yelling and whistling. I have to admit that I got tears in my eyes to witness the level of emotion that everyone was feeling and to think that after 40 years of sailing the QE2 would never again see Gibraltar.