Gibraltar Arrival

T.R.S…
On Wednesday, 02 April, we stopped at Gibraltar, and were we surprised! Had always visualised it as just a colossal rock rising out of the sea as pictured by Prudential. At the base of this rock is a great harbour, large enough to accommodate the entire British fleet! And a city! And loading quays! And bastions! And barracks! And a huge RAF airport! And a munitions dump!

Gibraltar overlooks the 13-mile strait that separates Europe from Africa, and is a natural fortress that dominates all shipping that passes through the strait. It is held by Britain and is armed to the teeth. Twenty-two thousand people are permanent residents here, not including soldiers and sailors.

Ashore on Gibraltar

T.R.S…
We drove a semi-circular route around the base, then through a half-mile tunnel cut through solid rock to the opposite side. Artillery placements are hidden behind natural ramparts all over the mountain sides. In rock caverns are vast stores of munitions and food supplies to withstand indefinite siege.

Drums of oil and gasoline are stacked high over acres of ground. High barbwire entanglements surround the storage lots and armed sentries are on the alert at all gates. Separate concrete bomb shelters dot the half-mile wide no-man's-land which separates Gibraltar from the Spanish mainland. A rigid pass system carefully screens all persons going from one zone to the other. Saw several men frisked for concealed weapons by military police stationed at boundary gates.

Both the buildings and inhabitants of Gibraltar are a confusion of types, due probably to the several different nations that have occupied the fortress down through the centuries - Persians, Romans, Moors, Spaniards, and finally the British.

But, aside from the stern realisation that the place is primarily a military stronghold, one is fascinated by the quaintness and antiquity, punctuated by modern construction work that obviously is in constant process to keep in step with the times.

On the land side of Gibraltar a 25-acre slope is one big slap of concrete designed to catch rainwater and dew, which is run off by curbs to storage reservoirs for a water supply. To augment this supply most buildings are equipped with cisterns to catch water falling on their own roofs. The average annual rainfall is about 32 inches, excluding the dew which is heavy every night.

Shopping “Duty Free”

T.R.S…
The main street of the town is quite narrow and has one-way sidewalks, but otherwise looks fairly similar to our business section in Lima. Gibraltar is a free port - meaning that no duties are levied on goods imported or exported to any other country, making it a considerable trade centre.

French perfumes and wines, Italian leather goods and fabrics, Turkish rugs and tobaccos, Indian ivories, African spices, Chinese silks, Irish laces, British woollens, Swiss watches and clocks and American toothpaste, lighters and fountain pens are on display and can be bought at moderate prices.

Soldiers skitter about all over the place on motorcycles and jeeps. They have the right-of-way always, but everybody, including soldiers, makes way for us tourists. There must be a reason.

Some Final Adieus

T.R.S…
Several Caronia passengers here took final leave from the ship to tour Spain and France by hired autos. One of our older gals actually wept when adieus were being said. Shakespeare was right, “Parting is such sweet sorrow.”

As our ship leaves Gibraltar and passes through the strait out into the Atlantic, we can believe easily reports of the fantastically cold weather in England accompanied by snow. The wind here is raw and the sea is rough, and in both the lounge and the dining room the chairs and tables are being tied down to prevent damage from the tossing of the ship.

Hope our three-day stay in Lisbon will be ample time for the storm to blow itself out and for normal spring weather to greet us on our arrival at Southampton.