We spent the better part of today hammering out some of the details of our trip. We’re determining how many days we need to each leg and starting to fill in the schedule.
We have discovered that getting in and out of Gibraltar is going to be much more difficult than we had previously imagined.
Apparently the fact that Gibraltar is subject to a disputed irredentist claim by Spain means that practical methods of ingress and egress are not high on the priority list for Spain.
We have determined that we will need to take a 3-4 hour bus ride to La Linea from Seville as there are no trains that travel the route.
From La Linea you can just walk across the border to Gibralter. We ‘re trying to find out if we can manage this as a day trip. From what I can tell there’s not enough to do in Gibraltar to fill two days. If we can get there early enough we can tour The Rock and then go back to Seville that evening.
We have not been able to find too much information on the web, but if we’re lucky, there will be any number of companies marketing trips to Gibraltar from Seville and it will just work itself out once we actually get to Seville. Otherwise we’ll need to stay the night in La Linea and then find our way on out the next day to go back to Seville or just move on to Granada from La Linea via a convoluted combination of bus and train trips.
Even though the Spanish government and the transportation system seems determined to hinder our ability to add Gibraltar to our itinerary, Cynthia is adamant about going to see the monkeys (apes) and Europa Point.
And what if, once in Gibraltar, you are tempted to take the ferry to Morocco? 🙂
(I believe it’s only a 30 minute trip/12 miles away – you can see it from Gibraltar easily.)
A dozen+ years ago, the bus system was convoluted, but the rides themselves were pretty short and were easy to set up spontaneously, a real marvel considering the state of transportation elsewhere in Spain at that time. I went from Granada to Algeciras via bus (2 hrs), then took a very short bus trip to La Linea. Spent the night in La Linea, then the next afternoon took a bus to the next destination. (A city too stupid to mention here.) I didn’t get to see the apes (sacrilege!), but there was a lot to look at/absorb the first day and the second morning. The old cemetery of British soldiers was particularly interesting.
Michael Palin opens (and ends?) his Sahara trek with a day in Gibraltar – great DVD and book, or read some of his notes at http://www.palinstravels.co.uk/book-1906.
I think you’ll feel far less rushed if you don’t try to make a day trip out of this, but of course you don’t want to sacrifice anything else, either. Anyway, just wait until you see Gibraltar’s airport! 😉
It might be tiny (2.2 sq miles) but ‘The Rock’ has cheapish beer in addition to apes! If you spend a night enjoy the beer and thank Gib’s (pronounced jibb) tax-free status.
If shopping – Always ask for discount, don’t let the British aura confuse you, Gibraltar is closer to Morocco than the UK and it’s just as big a market as the flea markets in North Africa. For the best deals you should avoid purchasing alcohol and cigarettes in Main Street and head for the small Indian shops located closely by. Always ask for a receipt as they will not be forthcoming in most cases and might be needed at the border.
There’s the Moorish Castle, St Michael’s Cave and the Great Siege Tunnels, Rosia Bay (HMS Victory was towed here with Lord Nelson’s body on board after Trafalger), dolphins in addition to apes…
Oh, the border only reopened in ’85, and there are sometimes long delays for anyone wanting to cross over.