Gibraltar - The Fascinating Rock in the Mediterranean

I'll agree with that, Mari ;-) We had a coach to load with purchases if we had found some, although the expats on the trip just about did our shopping for us with two thirds of Morrisons going into the luggage hold of the coach. Try explaining a 10kg sack of spuds to the Customs staff...I kid you not. The Spanish have perfectly good spuds, but for some reason, one of our fellow travellers decided that a 10kg sack of generic spuds was a good thing to export from Gib. *grin*. I'd rather have taken advantage of the spirits, myself, but decided against trying to lug anything more back to the UK given that my suitcase was already rather full.

As Mira says, it's good to have whistle-stop tours of places like this, and we follow a similar rule when we're in the States, but on this occasion, there's nowhere there I'd like to go back to. There's no doubting Gibraltar's appeal to many people and some parts of Southern Spain are lovely, just not that part of it. I like proper Spanish Spain and proper Moroccan food, not faux-British tea and overpriced crumpets (see Jo's article on How the British Make Tea!).

This is a great article. Gibraltar sounds like a magical place. I'd love to visit.

Thanks, Mira. It is a good place to hop off for a trip to Tangier and if one has a car and is driving in Spain it is an easy stop to pick up Vat free purchases.

I enjoyed your article. I think the combo Gibraltar, Spain, Morocco is appealing for a first visit, even though, according to Paula, neither headpost is the real thing. Still, for a first visit it sounds ok; it seems like a quick way for tourists to discover things that invite further travels.

Prices are UK prices though, Mari, not US. So where you would pay $80 for two pairs of Lauren chinos in the US outlet, in the UK one, it's £70 a pair (and twice that in the label's own stores, I just checked). I'd rather save up for the flights and have a holiday at the same time *grin*. Diets get put on hold for the US holidays too, as we do a lot of walking so need a fair amount of food to keep the energy going. Some of the trips we go on start with a 7.30 or 8am pickup and don't drop us back until 10pm. Lindt chocolate is lovely but I'd rather have a bag of Cadbury's misshapes any day.

We were hoping to be able to buy a lot more clothes than we managed to on that Spanish holiday, especially with the Algeciras-Gib day trip included for free thanks to mother-in-law's partner's connections. But, alas, it was not to be. Loved Spain, love Spanish and Moroccan food, love the weather, rave about the transport links compared to this area. Not so keen on Gib, personally. Perhaps it's a bit too much like home?

Shopping in the US is fun and cheap so good luck with that but I can't join you in your food preferences over there as they pile the plates too high! Incidentally, if you ring up the head office of some of the big names you mention you might find that they have an outlet in the UK, I think I saw Polo Ralph Lauren in Gunwharf Quays at Portsmouth where I know they have, a Timberland, a Coach House/Radley and lots of other big USA companies - and my favourite, a Lindt chocolate Outlet. Hey! Just right for Xmas. I can buy lots of chocolates for other people and then eat them before I can wrap 'em up

I just like to see something different. For instace, we would never eat at Burger King or McDonalds when we go to the States, we would choose Denny's, Taco Bell, Applebees or American Brasserie, because they're not available here in the UK. Similar fast food, yes, but a different vibe and taste. I want to eat 'American' food that isn't burger and fries, and drink Californian wine that isn't a mass prodiced brand. I think the problem with Algeciras and Gibraltar is that there are too many global brands there and not enough individuality. What's the point in going on holiday if I feel I haven't left home?

When I visit the US, I want to shop at Target, and the outlet stores for Ralph Lauren Polo, Tommy Hilfiger, Nike and Maidenform, because those are shops/ranges we don't have here, or if we do, the prices are out of my range. My husband loves Polo chinos, but they are around £70 ($110) a pair here in the UK. In the US, they're about $40 a pair and the outlet store we visit often has deals on buy-one-get-one-half-price.

Gib to me was an uneasy place. Not one thing nor the other. A gaudy tourist town with some run down military housing to welcome visitors and an odd mix of Spanish, Brit and patois being spoken. It was like going back to the 50s, yes, but also like stepping into a reality TV show with a heap of unspoken tension in the air from the various nationalities crammed into a small space.

Shradda, I'd love to post the photograph my husband took of me running away from the apes which were trying to divest me of my skirt because I was stupidly holding on to some sweets they fancied, but it's rather indelicate. Lesson learned.

I know what you mean, Wordchaser, but a lot of people love Gib and even Algeciras - to each his own. I never spend more than a day or two in Gibraltar catching up with friends who live there permanently - and they love it. Globalization is something we can't fight against so we are going to see more and more chain stores opening in remote areas (maybe Bhutan will resist as they have stricter rules for even allowing tourists into their country). I visit Thailand every year and they have many Tesco outlets there. I never go but the locals love them as do the tourists. It hasn't changed the inherent nature of the country or the people. I count myelf lucky to have seen some countries before mass tourism became the norm, but newbies to these countries don't miss what they never knew.

Avoid the Morrisons supermarket in Gibraltar at all costs. That's a bastion of English expats wanting the things they can't get in Spain. I came back from Spain thinking that all would be right with these people if they could just export British 'culture' to a warmer climate. Irish bars, bad beer and chips with everything, Morrisons cafe food, the pound and everyone speaking English except in 80* instead of 55*. Yuck. When I go abroad I want to get away from what I know at home. That's why I go abroad. I want to try local food and drink and see the sights.

Algeciras has a shopping centre that is indistiguishable from the Metro Centre or Bluewater with a Bijou Brigitte, a massive Primark and a host of other English shops. Nothing to see there that I can't see at home. Yawn yawn. I was hoping to like Gibraltar, but unfortunately it seems to be everything that is bad about Britain, only in a warmer climate. One of these days I'll republish my article on the place and see what you think to my impressions - I didn't get to do any of the touristy things and I loathe cable cars so that was out.

Gibraltar seems a fascinating place for vacation - a must to travel. The macaques appear to be friendly but I am afraid you should not mess with them. I remember monkeys surrounding me and not letting me go when they sniffed bananas in my basket that I carried with me in a visit to the woods.