A few kilometers from the southernmost point of continental Europe you’ll find Gibraltar, a tiny British outpost, surrounded…
Times visited: 1 (1 day in 2019)
I have a strange obsession with exclaves/enclaves, autonomous areas and other territories that aren’t technically countries but differ greatly from their motherland. So when I travelled around Southern Europe last summer, I knew I had to visit the tiny British outpost of Gibraltar.
Gibraltar is located a few kilometers from the southernmost point of continental Europe and is surrounded by Spain and the Mediterranean Sea with Morocco less than thirty kilometers away on the other side of the sea. Gibraltar is one of 14 British Overseas Territories, but it’s not part of the United Kingdom, although it falls within its legal jurisdiction. It has its own government, but since it’s under British control, it cannot be considered a separate country. To top it off, Gibraltar is claimed by its neighbouring country, Spain. To me, visiting Gibraltar meant entering a territory in its own right, one that deserves to join my count.
For my visit to Gibraltar, I based myself in the nearby Spanish city of Algeciras, where hostels are A LOT cheaper. I only spent a day in Gibraltar, but it’s a small place so a day is enough to get a good understanding of the place. I spent the first few hours exploring the city, where I felt right at home as a half Brit. Afterwards, I headed up to Gibraltar’s main attraction, the Rock. The giant limestone rock, which can be seen from the shores of Morocco, is home to Europe’s only population of wild monkeys, the adorable Barbary macaque, which obviously were my favourite thing about Gibraltar!
