Dolphins delight: Monkeys, yes, but Gibraltar offers spectacular sea life

The Bay of Gibraltar is home to fancy yachts, pleasure and fishing boats and a variety of sea life,

along with the famed monkeys. This visit was to track dolphins, and we weren't disappointed.

BAY OF GIBRALTAR OFFERS GARDENS, WILDLIFE, CABLE CAR, FRIENDLY FOLK 

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS

PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER

Dolphins frolic in the waters of Gibraltar, where they

are a main attraction for tourists and beloved by locals.

GIBRALTAR is famous for many things from its photogenic  primates to its enduring rock. Its most notable attribute is its strategic position at the mouth of the Mediterranean, at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula on the Bay of Gibraltar.

Because it is so near the Mediterranean's exit into the Atlantic, its enviable location has made it a contested body of water over centuries and the site of many sea skirmishes. The bloody 1607 Battle of Gibraltar between the Dutch and Spanish is the most notorious.

The Dutch surprised a Spanish

fleet during The Eighty Years

War, destroying many ships.

GIBRALTAR is also celebrated as one of the few places in the world offering a view of two continents and three countries. On a lucky, clear day, from certain vantage points, it is possible to see both Africa and Europe. You'll also have a chance to see Gibraltar, Spain and Morocco, if you're really fortunate.

Realizing how close the continents are -- divided only by the narrow Strait of Gibraltar -- one understands the bay's importance as a maritime link between the two continents.

And wildlife abounds here.

Cavorting with the dolphins, from left: Christene "Cookie"

Meyers, Bruce Keller, Rick Cosgriffe, Jane Milder.

WE'D SEEN the monkeys twice, but we did not realize until this most recent visit that some of the Mediterranean's best sea life viewing is also here. Three species of playful dolphin are vying with Gibraltar's endearing monkeys for headlines: the common dolphin, bottle-nose dolphin and striped dolphin. These amazing and playful, "tourist friendly" creatures visit the Bay and Strait of Gibraltar for food, shelter and to breed. You can see both dolphins and monkeys in certain tours and the monkeys are worth a look, too, if you've not seen them before. Hang on to your hat -- they're clever thieves. They're Europe's only wild monkey population, originating from the Atlas and Rif mountains of Morocco and brought by early settlers.

THIS VISIT highlighted dolphins, which our homework showed could be seen near our ship, Norwegian Cruise Line's stunning Viva. We were met at the dock by a friendly driver who shared dining tips during a pleasant ten-minute drive to our dolphin watching boat.

There we joined a small, convivial group of fellow dolphin fans. We were delighted to find dolphins within five minutes from the dock -- the easiest and closest viewing we've seen in many dolphin outings on several continents.

Gibraltar's monkeys are long famous,

but dolphin tours are on the rise. 

A CABLE CAR ride to the Top of the Rock and Nature Reserve is another highlight. The viewpoint was not open on our visit four years ago and is a recent addition to other attractions as Gibraltar amps up its tourism push.  

Gibraltar's cable car offers stunning

views of the bay, and on clear days of

two continents and three countries.

The laminated glass floor and balustrade are  an impressive 1,115 feet above sea level, built on the foundations of a  World War II base structure. A plaque informs that it is a faithful reproduction of the original base used for an anti-aircraft gun during World War II. 

Gibraltar's architecture reflects its Moorish influence but it has long been a British Overseas Territory with 34,000 proud Gibraltarians. Its area is a scant 6.8 kilometers, bordered to the north by Spain from which myriad daytrips are possible.

MAIN ATTRACTIONS are all fairly close in Gibraltar.  The cable car station for Gibraltar's Swiss designed aerial tramway is near the southern end of Main Street, next to the gorgeous Gibraltar Botanic Gardens, known as the Alameda.  This wonderful place offers plants from all over the world, a calming respite after the cable car with its white knuckle, 360 degree panoramic view across three countries and both continents. 

Gibraltar's Botanic Gardens, known

as The Alameda, are meticulous.

The viewpoint was opened in 2018 by actor Mark Hamill, known as Luke Skywalker of "Star Wars" fame. A tasteful plaque commemorates the dedication. Although spectacular on a clear day, it can be unnerving to climb those metal steps to the viewing platform, then walk on glass to the view. I confess to a tinge of vertigo -- the same I felt in Madeira, at the top of its spectacular Skywalk. But it's worth the nerves. 

We felt welcome here, too, as Gibraltar has yet to join the ranks of tourism protesters

More information:

www.visitgibraltar.gi/ 

www.ncl.com/Norwegian/Viva

www.naturereserve.gi/experiences/cable-car/

www.visitacity.com/gibraltar/tours

Native son Cesar Manrique had his hand in transforming

the island of his birth, Lanzarote. Here his home and

studio is now an intriguing museum in the Canary Islands.

UP NEXT: Cesar Manrique was a gifted artist --  painter, sculptor and architect.  He is beloved and famous for changing the face of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. The artist studied in Madrid and after several years exhibiting  around the world, he moved to New York, the mecca of art in the 1960s, then back to his native Recife on the island he loved and made more beautiful. We look at his fascinating architecture, remembering to explore, learn and live: www.whereiscookie.com