1936 On the Continent

other British possession symbolises so powerfully the majesty and might of Great Britain as Gibraltar.
    You must show your passport as you land and there is a perfunctory examination of your luggage, but otherwise you will not be bothered. On the other hand you will have a great deal of bother with porters and cab and taxi drivers, with whom you must haggle for the price of their services. There is an official tariff for cabs, but it is never observed and the visitor has no remedy.
    The most interesting thing you will see at Gibraltar is the Rock itself, which rises to about 1,400 feet. Being a British subject you can visit the fortified galleries of the Rock and climb to the summit for the view.
    The town, which is quite small, is inhabited by a mixed race, mainly of Italian and Genoese descent, but there are also many Jews. Naturally, British soldiers are much in evidence and English is spoken everywhere. Also, English currency is accepted without question, though pesetas are more popular.
    The most interesting part of the town is where you are set down on arrival, to wit the Casemates Square, which is surrounded by barracks and casemates, with the Moorish castle above you. The King’s Bastion and the cathedral and the Alameda, a lovely sub-tropical garden, are other places you may choose to visit.
    Gibraltar at certain seasons of the year is crowded with visitors and efforts are now being made to turn it into a health resort. If you happen to take a fancy to the place and desire to stay for a day or two, I can recommend the Hotel Continental and the Bristol, at both of which you will receive good service at reasonable rates—about 16 pesetas for full board-residence at the former and about 30 pesetas at the latter.
    Of course, there are sports, and you can temporarily join the tennis or cricket club on the introduction of a member.
    But although Gibraltar is impressive and picturesque you will probably want to go on and you can get by steamer in half an hour to Algeciras, a small town lying picturesquely at the mouth of the river Miel beneath the Sierra de los Gazules. Algeciras is a fashionable winter resort, and if you are very well off you can stay there at any time between October and April, and pay extortionate prices at the hotels. In summer, however, you can stay at the Marina Victoria, not far from the pier, for 20 pesetas per day.
Algeciras
    Algeciras, like practically every town in this part of Spain, has a history relating to Romans, Moors and others, but the place is so lovely that most visitors will fail to work up an interest in ancient stories. But if you are old enough to remember the international bother of 1906 over something the ex-Kaiser had done, you may visit the
Ayuntamiento
(town hall) where the pact signed over that little trouble is exhibited to the curious. It is the thing to give a tip to the attendant who shows you the document.
    Of more immediate concern, however, is the fact that you have by now noticed that the Spanish have one bad habit. They expectorate too freely everywhere. I could have revealed this earlier in this essay, but, frankly, I forgot all about it, just as you will when you get used to it.
    What you must not forget is that you are now in Andalusia, a province that has many strange superstitions. The most curious—and dangerous—is that they never blow out a match but throw it away while it is still burning. It is supposed to bring bad luck if you blow out a match, but the chances are that it will bring bad luck if you don’t, and thereby happen to cause a fire. It is best, on reflection, to use a petrol lighter.
Tarifa
    On your way from Algeciras to Cadiz it will be worth your while to pause for a few hours at Tarifa—some 14 miles away—which is said to be the most Moorish town in all Spain. There is a rumour to the effect that the word “tariff,” which haunts us all our lives, is derived from the name of this little city. But that is a libel. The name commemorates a Moorish gentleman named Tarif, who commanded the advance guard of the Moorish invasion. Tarifa has Moorish walls with horseshoe gates, an Alcazar, an Alameda, and a very Moorish atmosphere.
    There is a pretty story about one Alonso Perez de Guzman who defended the city against the Moors. A traitor got hold of Guzman’s young son, whom he threatened to kill unless Guzman surrendered, whereupon the latter threw down a dagger to the traitor, saying that a “son with dishonour” was worse than