Back to Gibraltar Part 1 - Inside the Rock

Today on this next cruise I visited Gibraltar again, and I did go and visit the caves mentioned in my last post about this delightful place.

I am dividing this post in two because I have far too many photos for one post. First I will talk about the amazing cave system I saw, and then some of the tunnels that were dug in the very early 1800s by British soldiers to defend Gibraltar from the Spanish and the French. More tunnels have been built since, primarily for the two world wars.

The cave system was spectacular. The entrance was about two thirds up the Rock and when we climbed down into it we were absolutely in awe of the different formations that were lit up by changing colours. You had to be careful though, and hold onto the rails when climbing up and down, because the ground was wet and slippery. I believe the cave system has been used for concerts and recently for a very big traditional Indian wedding. What a stunning venue! And it is cooler in there than outside - a welcome relief from the constant high temperatures. 

Over the centuries Gibraltar has been involved in many battles and has been taken over at different times by the Moors, the Spanish, and so on. But the battle that both guides on my two visits have mentioned is the Battle of Trafalgar. In June 1803, Lord Nelson sailed into Gibraltar to use it as a base to start a battle with the French Admiral Pierre Charles Villeneuve, which was called the Trafalgar Campaign, and to set up a blockade against the Spanish and French. Two years later this led to the Battle of Trafalgar, in which Lord Nelson was killed by a musket shot. His badly damaged ship, HMS Victory, limped into Gibraltar with his body on board. 

Apparently the British wanted Nelson’s body returned to England, so the local authorities placed his body in a barrel of brandy and sent it off home. However, the house he occupied when ashore is now Heritage Listed and is marked with an anchor outside. There also is a statue in his honour and a street named after him, so highly was he regarded in Gibraltar. In fact no-one that was killed in that battle was buried in Gibraltar. The only two bodies buried in Gibraltar were of men who were taken ashore badly wounded in the battle, who later died there.

My first guide, always a joker, spoke of the barrel carrying Nelson’s remains back to England. He said - “Well, you would have had to describe that brandy as a drink with full body . . . “

Jokes aside, it was quite sobering climbing up a sleep hill in the heat to see the large old cannon on the lookout pointing out to sea, as well as all the cannons inside the tunnel system. There each cannon had its own ‘porthole’ and again was pointed out to sea, but from much more protected position. This tunnel system now has been virtually made into a museum. In all the little alcoves in which the cannons were installed there were buttons to press to hear the stories behind the cannons and the tunnels in a range of languages. There also were many photographs and dressed models to show some of the history of this tunnel system, both in earlier times and during WW2.

Between the cave system and the tunnel system we saw, I guess you could say one was a beautiful display of Nature, which would have developed over thousands of years, while the other was a thought-provoking, confronting, historical, man-made monument. Even knowing just a very little of the history of this place, one cannot help but think yet again of men exposed to horrendous explosions, being burnt alive and/or drowned, fear and panic . . . So many lives needlessly lost! And the Rock has witnessed it all! 

Let the following photos give you a glimpse into the two very different systems hidden inside the Rock.The 5th photo shows the polished cross-section of one of the stalactites. It is amazing!