Tarifa, Spain is known for two things: world-class kite surfing and easy ferry access to Morocco. Our original plan was to travel from Spain to Morocco for a whirlwind 7-day tour and then head back to France. After further research, we decided to go to Central Europe instead and just do a quick day trip to Morocco.
We left Sevilla on another rainy day and took a 3-hour bus ride south to Tarifa, arriving in the rain. Tarifa is a tiny coastal town with a walled old town. The town is mostly shut down at this time of year. Since it was the weekend, a few restaurants were open and not much else.
Our plan was to day trip to Morocco the following day, but we received an email that due to a big storm with 40 mph+ winds, the ferries would be shutdown for the day. So, we had a choice to stay in Tarifa an extra day or skip Morocco and continue to Gibraltar as planned. We decided to stay the extra day in Tarifa and hope to travel to Morocco the next day.
Staying in a little town with not much to do ended up being a nice change of pace. We slept in, wrote in our journals and even braved a few walks along the sea. The kite surfers were loving the high winds, so we enjoyed watching them fly across the water and catch some serious air!
We also enjoyed the change of cuisine in town including an amazing vegetarian restaurant specializing in Indian and Moroccan food. It was a nice change from the meat heavy foods in Madrid, Toledo and Sevilla!
The following day, we were up early and at the ferry station excited to go to Africa. Unfortunately, the winds were still too high, so the ferry was canceled at the last minute. We had 2 choices: we could wait around for the 1pm ferry which may or may not go, or we could make the best of it and go to Gibraltar. We opted to skip town and go to the UK.
Since it was a Sunday, there were limited buses running between all the coastal towns. So, we high-tailed it back to our room, canceled our room, packed up and quickly walked to the bus station. Two buses and 2.5 hours later, we arrived in La Linea Conception which is the border town to Gibraltar. We dropped our bags at a hotel and walked 10 minutes to the border. It was the easiest border crossing ever, as all we had to do was flash our passport.
It was quite strange to now be in an English-speaking country after the last 3.5 months. Most people travel to here to see Gibraltar Rock, buy cheap booze and cigarettes or as a quick sunny vacation.
Since it was so windy, the cable car to the top of the Rock was closed, so we opted for a minibus tour. Our driver/guide was great and was constantly telling us the history of Gibraltar, what it was like to live there and their current political news.
Gibraltar Rock is prominent as it dramatically rises from the flat peninsula. It has been a strategic military position for the UK since the 1700’s. During a Spanish siege, they hand dug tunnels to provide better vantage points for their cannons.
In WWII, they expanded the tunnel network and built out the airfield. The airfield spans the entire width of the island. As you cross from Spain into Gibraltar, you walk across the runway!
The rock is also famous for its monkeys. They are not native but have been here for a long time. The legend is that as long as the monkeys live on the Rock, UK will control Gibraltar. So, they are well cared for by the government.
I enjoyed the views from the top as we could see 2 seas and 2 continents. We could also see the town below us and how they have reclaimed land from the sea to expand their city.
The town itself doesn’t have much going for it. Main street is tacky gift shops and booze and cigarette stands.Â
We did enjoy eating at a pub for lunch. Mike enjoyed a couple British bitters and fish and chips, while I had a steak and ale pie and a cider.Â
After getting our fill of the town and feeling a little disappointed with the day, we decided to head back to La Linea for the night. However, along the way out of town, we stumbled across a plaza with a huge stage and a band running through sound check sounding a lot like Coldplay. We decided to stick around and see what it was all about. After checking things out, we determined that it was Gibraltar’s Festival of Lights celebration, and Coldplay would really be playing later that night! Yes, this day just got way better!
We stood in the center of the square watching the local entertainment. We saw a bagpipe/drummer band who played a beautiful version of Little Drummer Boy. There were lots of kids dance routines, some better than others. The local high school choir was amazing.
There were even mascots walking around the crowd. We dubbed one of them Angry Hotdog and tried to avoid him. He was funny looking and had us giggling all night.
As the evening went on, the more crowded the square became until there was no room to move. They announced that over 3,000 people were jammed into this square! There were tons of families with kids, young couples, old couples and a few other tourists like us. It was so fun to get into the holiday spirit with all these people.
Finally, it was time for the tree lighting. The entire square was illuminated, and cannons went off spraying the crowd with snow confetti. It was crazy and happy and cool to see their whole community come out to celebrate!
After the tree lighting, the crowd thinned out which surprised us as Coldplay was next. I’m sure the parents were ready to get home with the kids, and it had been a long 3 hours of local entertainment. I was excited to have space again and get to see one of my favorite bands live! They put on a great show, and it was incredible to have such an up-close view!
The show ended and off we went giggling as we walked across the runway, flashed our passport and went to our room with views of the Rock. What a night!
Sometimes, the best parts of traveling are the unplanned experiences that you just happen to stumble upon. We couldn’t go to Africa, so we went to the UK instead and got to see Coldplay. Pretty awesome!
Travel is always about the unexpected! Love it.