Gibraltar – Day 5 of our Transatlantic Cruise

Thursday, November 27, 2025

Happy Thanksgiving from Gibraltar! It was interesting to be in a Territory of the UK which touches Spain. We heard lots of languages but paid in Gibraltar Pounds which costs us more than Euros would. What can we say?

Our port day was short today – 7am to 2:30 pm. We got off the ship looking for a taxi. There were vans outside the port terminal. We were walking past when a woman asked us if we wanted to join their group. They needed 8 people for the driver to take them and only had 6. So we joined them. Ended up, we were four couples who never met before this morning. Two were from British Columbia, Canada, and two were from Florida! The other couple is from Clearwater.

Gibraltar Excursion

Our excursion took two hours. The driver is British and has lived in Gibraltar for 40 years. He toured us up the mountain on roads that, in the evening, are two way roads for locals. They only fit one car. Yikes! What IS it about the Brits, Irish, and Scots and their skinny roads?? So glad we weren’t driving.

Our first stop was an overlook where we could see Morocco at the Horn of Africa along with Spain, the Mediteranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. (I think… we we’ll go with it.) Next stop was at St. Michaels Caves. We walked into them, didn’t have to go down far, and saw huge and amazing stalagmites and stalagtights. They dimmed the lights and had a light show. It was fun to see some of the images – like looking for images in the clouds. My favorite was an angel.

Next stop was a glass suspension deck overlook. The views were beautiful. There were Macaques (we call them monkeys) on the top overlook. They came down the stairs and then blocked the way out. One was making all kinds of noises. For a while, the eight of us felt held hostage. One couple finally decided to brave going past the noisy “gatekeeper.” Thankfully, he didn’t reach out to grab anything and we all passed unscathed.

We walked up the road to meet our van. While we waited, we watched more monkeys. They had been fed vegetables and fruit there so there were several hanging out eating, including a mother and baby. So cute! It was fun to watch them while also being aware of keeping my phone close to my body. We intentionally didn’t have any bags or things they could grab. Because they’ve been known to often steal things from tourists, looking for food.

Our final stop was the Seige Tunnels originally used by the British in the 1700’s to defend Gibraltar against the Spanish and French. This was around the time the British were fighting to keep the USA territory. Puzzle pieces of history I never connected before.

The tunnels were also important in World War II. It was interesting to walk part way down (we didn’t go to the bottom) and see the cannons and the exhibits reenacting what likely happened in the tunnels.

Walk Through Town

Our driver offered to take us back to the ship but we all wanted to be dropped off in town. Gregg and I walked the length of the walking street with shops and restaurants. We went into a Catholic Cathedral and then an Anglican Cathedral (Church of England, Gilbraltar diocese.) A corner directional sign pointed towards a Church of Scotland. Climbing that hilly street, we saw something that looked like a church but we couldn’t find an open door. Not sure what we found.

Meandering back to the ship, we were in time to eat a light lunch at the buffet. Since it is Thanksgiving, we’ve decided to go to the formal dining room for turkey and fixin’s.

An Artist and a Librarian Archivist

Today, I’ve made friends with a woman who is a watercolor painter. Dang…I debated about bringing my paints but decided to stick with my light box to work on a possible coloring book version of my books.

Then we met a woman who is a retired librarian from Duke University. She was in charge of three special collections having to do with African history. We enjoyed talking to her.

To my American family and friends, Happy Thanksgiving, again! I’ll post this and then we’ll be joining you in a turkey feast with thanksgiving to God.