Pen's Place - Gibraltar

A place for the things that interest me

GIBRALTAR

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Everyone knows the stock stuff about Gibraltar: the apes, the border disputes, the dodgy tax dealings, the British Navy...but actually, most of that has changed over the past few years.

The apes are still there, and you can meet them if you go on one of the Rock Tours offered by the local taxis (1 1/2 to 2 hours, about £12 per person including all entry fees, and well worth it). There's an awful lot to see on the Rock as well as the Apes' Den: Europa Point (the southernmost point of Europe) with the shrine to Our Lady of Europe and the new Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim mosque; the enormous fortifications that make up the City Walls; the Trafalgar Cemetery where those who died of their injuries after the battle were buried; the Great Siege Tunnels, extraordinary feats of 18th century military engineering built to protect Gibraltar from the invading Spanish and French; the list goes on and on. Gibraltar town has some charming examples of 18th century building as well as more imposing edifices like the Convent, the official home of the Military Governor; the splendid collection of Sephardic synagogues; and the two cathedrals, one Anglican, one Roman Catholic. The Gibraltar Museum in Bomb House Lane is highly recommended.

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Crossing the border into Spain and back is generally pretty uncomplicated nowadays; we do get long queues but mainly on Spanish Public Holidays when half the Costa del Sol packs into Gibraltar for the shopping! Don't forget to take your passport.

Gibraltar's main businesses nowadays are financial services and internet gambling; both are tightly regulated and the OECD is generally pretty complimentary about the state of Gibraltarian business and financial control. Gibraltar is still a tax haven, but for the vast majority of its citizens tax rates aren't much different to those obtaining in Spain; though salaries are much higher, which explains the daily tide of workers sloshing into Gib every morning. Of course some things are very cheap: alcohol, especially spirits, cigarettes and petrol. Do remember that Gibraltar is NOT part of the European Union Customs Union; all goods over and above the standard duty-free allowances are subject to import duties when you take them home.

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Shopping in Gibraltar can feel faintly bizarre; it's obviously "abroad", but at first glance the shops are all British: Marks & Spencer, BHS, Morrisons supermarket... However Gib has some interesting quirky stores of its own: Princess Silks in Main Street has a vast selection of dressmaking fabrics, and at relatively good prices; Pashmina, also in Main Street, does a lovely range of Indian artefacts; Healthwise in Engineer Lane has a very good selection of unusual organic foods and supplements; and the jewellery stores along Main Street offer a selection which seems to me much more stylish than what's available in the average UK shopping mall, at very competitive prices. Cosmetics and perfumes are very keenly priced too. I also like the small independent boutiques, particularly Rosabella, Isolabella and Hearts Boutique.

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For gifts, try the Arts and Crafts Centre in the Upper walk at Casemates, and also there's a new bijou gallery of gift type shops on the lower level; the gift shop at the Caleta Hotel is really very classy. And of course there's Gibraltar's only indigenous industry, the Gibraltar Glass Factory, again in Casemates.

Gibraltar is full of English-style pubs serving vast plates of chips to be washed down with pints of beer; however you'll find some excellent restaurants just off the beaten track. Particularly recommended are Thyme in Cornwall's Lane, the Waterfront, Casa Pepe and the (very new) Boatyard at Queensway Quay, Bianca's and Da Paolo at Marina Bay, and the hotel restaurants in the Rock, Elliott's and the Caleta.

Various Gibraltar websites:

The Official Government Website

Gibraltar Information and Images
The Interactive Map of Gibraltar