Gibraltar And Spain Day Two: Gibraltar: A Late Afternoon Hike Through The Botanical Gardens.

It was around 4 p.m. when I finally arrived at the famous Rock Hotel in Gibraltar. The reasons for this adventure,  my experiences on my flights,   landing in the wrong country and three hour delay were told in my previous blog. It was around 4:30 p.m. when I finally settled in my room and decided to venture outside for a walk around Gibraltar.  Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory located on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula and ruled by the British since  1713. The town is densely populated  beneath the famous   massive limestone  Rock  of Gibraltar,  which  I saw for the first time,  a few hours earlier.  The Rock was know as Mons Calpe to the  Romans and was believed to be one of the two Pillars of Hercules in  ancient mythology,  The name Gibraltar comes from the Arabic for Mountain  of Tariq, a Berber who invaded Spain in the 711 A.D. I wanted to see this famous landmark since I  learned about it in elementary school.

The  historic Rock Hotel was built in 1932 and has had many world famous visitors, including  world leaders, entertainers, and sports figures.   Photos of some of the visitors are displayed in the hall near the elevator. .

I left the famous  hotel,

and decided to walk into the nearby Botanical Gardens. I had planned to take the cable car to the top of the Rock but it closed at 4:30. I did want to visit the Botanical Gardens since there were many species of birds seen here. I walked down a narrow, tree lined stairway from  the hotel,

and crossed  the busy Europa Road, which I followed  to the entrance to the gardens.   As I walked on the road  I heard the  loud roar  of thunder in the distance, but the storm appeared to be moving away from me.

I entered the  15 acre     Botanical Gardens, also known as Alameda  which   consisted  of a series of terraces built on the hillside of the Rock in 1813,

It was still Winter but there were many  colorful cape daisies and

hibiscus flowers blooming along the trail in the wet and mild Mediterranean climate.

In addition to the flowers many species of ferns and

philodendrons grew along the trail.

And I saw my first bird on the Iberian Peninsula, a common chaffinch. I had  seen one before on my visit to Slovakia.

There were not many other people in the  quiet and peaceful gardens, mainly school children walking home or riding their bikes.

I walked under the many different species of  unfamiliar trees  down the main winding  stone road. I walked past the Elliot Memorial ,

with the cannons form the famous siege of the Rock in the 1770’s.

These  telephone boxes  reminded one of the British influence.

As I walked through the gardens I heard  and saw many yellow legged seagulls flying overhead.

I also saw a few common Eurasian blackbirds fluttering along the trail.  I  remember these  birds from previous trips to Europe. There was not a lot of bird activity in the gardens.

I walked down to a cacti exhibit were many species of cacti from around the world were growing .

There was also a stream flowing through the gardens. I heard a duck here but didn’t see it. I did see this dragonfly sculpture.

I followed the trail down to  the residential area next to the gardens,

and came to the Duke Wellington Memorial where I saw more school children riding their bikes.

I meandered my way back up the gardens, seeing more cacti growing along the way. It was a peaceful walk after a hectic 24 hours of travel.

I walked past this castle on the grounds   as  made my way back up the steep trail back to the hotel.

I love botanical gardens and have visited them all around the world. I could spend a day exploring these gardens and learning about the many beautiful plants, flowers and trees from  around our planet. However , I saw storm clouds in the distance, and it was now after 6 p.m. so I decided to head back to the hotel .

On the way I saw two colorful common birds,  a European robin and a

Eurasian blue tit.  The only other birds I heard on my hike were a Eurasian wren and a Eurasian greenfich according to my Merlin app. I also saw dozens of house sparrows which are native here but an invasive pest  in the United States.

I was disappointed not seeing more birds on my hike but it was a beautiful, peace walk.  As I was getting  back to the hotel  more rain began to fall.  Here is a link to some more photos from my visit to the  Botanical Gardens. Spain Day Two: Gibraltar afternoon March 13 2025.

I was exhausted from my long day of travel but hungry too.  I couldn’t get a table at the hotel restaurant until 7 p.m. but it was worth the wait. I had a wonderful meal beginning with a shellfish  bisque.

My main course was sea bass served with black rice and  buttered  mushrooms,

And I had to have the local favorite olive oil cake for desert. I enjoy eating on my trips and sharing  my dining experience here on my blog.  It was a long day and I was exhausted.

I retired to my comfortable room, excited about exploring Gibraltar in the morning and getting a much need rest. 

“Well, Gibraltar is a place which you either love or hate. I quite like it. It’s a rock, that is essentially what it is.”
–Nigel Short

“Do not quibble or quarrel over trivialities but stand firm as the rock of Gibraltar on matters of principle. That is, do not argue vociferously over a referee’s decision or a difference in the size of dessert but stand solid and unflinching when it is a question of absolute honesty, truthfulness, kindliness, compassion, (or) thoughtfulness.’   Nile Kinnick

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