Chasing Battuta to Gibraltar
Monkeys, Englishmen with Andalusian accents, duty-free shops, tea sets, English breakfasts, pints instead of cañas, sunburns in December, the curry you’ve been craving, and English bookshops… the Rock is something different for everyone. This Mediterranean protuberance has been a thorn in the Spanish conscience ever since the Berber commander Tariq Ibn Ziyad stepped ashore and changed everything back in 711. Al-Andalus was born under these modern-day camera shops, though all that remains of the Muslim presence is the Calahorra tower, whose imposing defensive properties were noted by none other than the intrepid medieval adventurer Ibn Battutah. The fortification still keeps watch over the modern-day sidewalk/runway border with Spain. Talk of the U.K. giving the rocky peninsula back to the Spanish might not make many friends here, but Euros are gladly accepted.
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Originally published on Trazzler
