DAY 114-GIBRALTAR

 Our position today is docked in Gibraltar.  It was a absolutely beautifully sunny day with afternoon temperature of 70F.  Our tour guide said we were very fortunate as the past two days were pouring down rain and windy.  

BACKGROUND INFO:
        Another new destination for us!  Gibraltar is a British overseas territory on the southern end of the Iberian peninsula.  It is very small at just 2.6 square miles and its northern border is Spain.  During WWII this was a very important British Royal Navy base as it controlled the entrance and exit to the Mediterranean Sea which is only 8 miles wide at this point. Morocco in Northern Africa is on the other side.  Today, its economy is based on tourism, online gambling, financial services, and shipping.  The population is just 32,000.  Approximately 200 ships a day pass through the Strait of Gibraltar.  The Rock of Gibraltar is an impressive 1300 foot high limestone ridge rising sharply over the city.  Gibraltar was ceded from Spain to Great Britain in 1713.
        Of course the Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region.  That is the major focus of our excursion for today, “Gibraltar Delights”.  With that title it sounds like we are going to a bakery or candy factory, but NOT.

WHAT WE DID TODAY:
       From the pier we drove north across Gibraltar's unusual runway, which was built with rocks that the British excavated during World War II when tunneling inside the famed Rock of Gibraltar for defensive purposes.  The airport is a military one but also used for its international flights.  Just on the other side of the runway is the border with Spain.  Stopping atop Europa Point, we enjoyed a magnificent view of North Africa, just 12 miles across the Straits of Gibraltar. We can now appreciate why this territory was and continues to be of such strategic importance to the British Navy.  We took a tour of the City Center.  During your guide's narrative, we learned all about the development of Gibraltar's people and its culture.  From here, we headed on to the Botanical Gardens. Gibraltar's mild climate nurtures a variety of exotic flora, and there is an excellent variety to be found here.  It opened in 1816 as the Alameda Gardens, this botanical wonderland contains more that 1900 species, including succulents, palms, flowering shrubs and trees from as far away as California.  Of course, the Rock of Gibraltar dominates the landscape and no trip to Gibraltar would be complete without a visit to its summit. So we took a 6 minute cable car ride to the summit, stopping along the way at the Apes' Den to view the Rock's free-roaming monkeys. Reaching the top, the panoramic views were amazing.  We got to see the many terraces, with views of the city of Gibraltar to the west, the coastline of Africa to the south, the Spanish Mainland to the north and the Blue waters of the Mediterranean to the east.  After returning back down the cable car, we boarded our bus for a short trip to Elliot Hotel for a glass of wine and some nice canapes before returning to our ship.
       It was after 1:00 pm before we arrived back on the ship so ran up to La Veranda to have some freshly carved turkey for lunch.  I am now uploading today's photos.  Rebecca went up to workout and I may walk the upper deck track after finishing this blog post.

       Here is link to today's photos.   https://goo.gl/photos/WwMoCwJ4wiyoZ46e7

       This evening we are having cocktails and dinner with two very delightful people, Marlyn & Dean Wilcoxen from Florida.  We want to see tonight's headliner show featuring a vocalist, Helen Wilding. We did not go to the pianist's show last night as finished dinner at 8:00 and did not want to wait until 9:30 for his show.  Will try to catch his second show in a few days as we heard he was very good.
       We are not sailing until 11:00 pm tonight as it is less than 100 miles to our next port of call which is Cadiz, Spain.