Gibraltar as Literary Setting. Cultural History.

1.  Alameda Botanic Gardens:  Find Molly Bloom, wife of Leopold, as in James Joyce's Ulysses.  She is a major's daughter, raised on Gibraltar, famous for her soliloquy about Much in the novel. The time period is early 20th Century.

Look up James Joyce's Ulysses, at the Penelope episode (Penelope as the wife of the wandering Ulysses himself), at  http://ksumail.kennesaw.edu/~mglosup/ulysses/penelope.htm.  In the book, turn to pages 738-783.  Download it as part of the Gutenberg series at http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4300

There is a wonderful statue that we missed, but we all can see at the Gardens at http://www.flickr.com/photos/chiri_dr/188665328/

2.  Espionage, Spy Spot:  Find pseudonym Paul, present at a scene intended to be an extraordinary rendition, with roles by Whitehall and its British intelligence service, Blackwater-types involved as private companies, whistle-blowing and its consequences (expulsions and even death), medals to coax otherwise risky counter-source sources to cooperate and shut up, and all by author John Le Carre, in A Delicate Truth.  See review by James Srodes, Washington Times, at http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jul/19/book-review-a-delicate-truth/

The time period is Now.

3.  Ongoing drama, human aspirations both sides.

Despite strong support of the population to remain British, the people there are heterogeneous, see http://www.gibraltar.gi/history/.  In 1704, the War of Spanish Succession came to the Rock, with an English-Dutch expeditionary force prevailing.  The some 4,000 Spaniards left.  Immigrants entered -- including from Malta, Genoa, Portugal, some Jewish, and both Catholics and Protestants. In 1713, Treaty of Utrecht, Spain ceded Gibraltar to Britain.  The British who followed seem to have been merchants, or persons providing services to the military.  Early on, population-representation was limited, and courts administered by the military.

Spain has frequently used border restrictions to make its points in seeking reversion of the land to Spain, see gibraltar site above.