Beyond the Pillars of Hercules

Today is a sea day, and we passed through the Straits of Gibraltar this afternoon. The known world is behind us, and we are venturing to the New World or Atlantis, whichever comes first into view. This is our second trip through the straits; this time, we can see the straits since it is a nice sunny day. On our first transatlantic trip, we passed through the straits during a rainstorm at night.

The Straits of Gibraltar is a narrow waterway that separates southern Spain from northern Morocco and connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. At its narrowest point, it is approximately 8 miles wide. The straits serve as one of the most important and strategic maritime passages in the world, as they provide the only natural connection between the Atlantic and Mediterranean seas. The region is also known for its distinctive geography, including the Rock of Gibraltar, a prominent limestone promontory that marks the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula.

I was somewhat surprised since, from grade school and 7th-grade geography, I had always envisioned the Straits of Gibraltar with the Rock of Gibraltar on the European side and a mountain on the African side.  Even Homer seems to exaggerate the view of the strait, calling it the “Pillars of Heracles,” which was the ancient name of the strait between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.  Plato placed the legendary island of Atlantis beyond the “Pillars of Hercules”. Renaissance tradition says the pillars bore the warning Ne plus ultra (also Non-plus ultra, “nothing further beyond”), warning sailors and navigators to go no further.

The Rock of Gibraltar is massive, but the opposite side was not really a large mountain.  From the ship, we could see both sides of the strait.  We traveled approximately another thirty minutes before we entered the Atlantic Ocean.

We are heading to the Dog Islands, aka Canary Islands. The name comes from the Latin word for dog, Canaria, and was given by the first Europeans. The story goes that when they landed ashore, they were met with large dogs on the island of Gran Canaria.

We arrived on Monday morning on the island of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and had an easy day enjoying the port and ship.

Next stop the New World – St John’s Antigua.