Week 9 - Hello Gibraltar & Olá Portugal

This week was eventful. After England changed its entry requirements last week, I decided to pay a visit to Gibraltar spontaneously.

Gibraltar is an overseas territory of England and is therefore subject to English regulations.

I parked on the Spanish side at the harbor and crossed the border on foot. This posed no problems despite Brexit. Only a passport is required. I had packed it as a precaution in case my ID card got lost. That paid off now.

Gibraltar consists of a town, an airport, and the rock.

After the border crossing, you are practically standing directly on the runway and crossing it on foot or by car. Only then do you reach the town.

I ascended the rock with the overpriced cable car. Once at the top, I continued on foot. The famous Barbary macaques of Gibraltar greeted me directly at the mountain station. These monkeys are the only free-living primate species in Europe besides humans.

Since a giant cloud hovered over the mountain most of the day, the view was limited. Nevertheless, the excursion was beautiful and worthwhile.

After a peaceful night at the harbor, I continued to Tarifa. This is where the southernmost point of mainland Europe is located and where the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean meet. Tarifa is known for its strong winds and its kite surfers. I immediately felt the wind and could barely keep my balance at times.

Spontaneously, I decided to enter Portugal this week. Officially, a negative test is required for this, so I managed to get an appointment for the test through detours. However, I could have saved myself the 40 euros, as there are no border controls.

In Portugal, I first ended up at Praia da Falésia. There is definitely more going on here than in Spain, and the Germans are everywhere, as always ;-)