When I took my yearlong trip through in 2002, one of my greatest regrets was not going to Gibraltar, a British enclave attached to the South of Spain. The closest I got was a view of "the Rock" on the ferry from Algeceris to Tangier, Morocco. This time, I got a chance to correct the error of my ways, and it was truly worth it.

Gibraltar is a small peninsula under British control, Spain has tried in vain to get it back -- even going so far as to close the border from 1967 to 1985, but the people have spoken. Two separate referendums on the issue (1969 and 2003) yielded the same result: 99% of the people voted to remain part of Britain. Spain, it seems, is finally beginning to accept the idea that this is just the way it's going to be. Besides, they've got Ceuta and Melilla in Morocco. Fair is fair.

La Linea, a small Spanish city, is the gateway to Gibraltar. No trains go there, so if you really hate buses, the closest train station is in Algeceris. From there it's a short bus ride. I took the bus from Sevilla. It was supposed to be four hours; it took more like six. The driver was playing a great music station with a lot of lesser-known stuff from the eighties and nineties.

Budget travelers have only one option in Gibraltar: the Emile Youth Hostel (Line Wall Road). Let's Go! Spain & Portugal 2005 gives it a thumbs up, but feedback on bugeurope.com was at times rather harsh. I didn't stay there (probably because they didn't answer the phone), but I walked by it, and the location and property itself looked perfectly acceptable. Staying in La Linea is a great option, because the town is surprisingly nice, and for the same price you can get a clean, private room. I chose Hostal La Campana (Calle Carboneros 3, 25€) which was unbearably noisy. Hmmm...could it be because it shared the same space with an incredibly busy restaurant?

Going In: If walking, flash your passport to the Spanish officials, walk into the British customs building, show your passport again, exit the building, pass the taxi stand, bus stop, and a large map, then literally walk across the airport runway into the city. If you're really lucky, the gates will come down, and you'll get to see a British Airways or Monarch Airlines flight come in. Tip: Walkers should continue straight to the crazy intersection where the road splits three ways. Stay all the way to the left and look for the pedestrian path that leads through a tunnel directly into Casemates Square.

Be On the Lookout For