 |
| Port of Gibraltar under the Rock of Gibralter |
After weeks at sea seeing nothing but water, dolphins began to appear, letting us know we were near land! When we finally reached it, we docked in Gibralter right under the famous rock.
 |
| Striking a pose at the Pillars of Hercules |
Forced to play speed tourists in the one day we had off, we found a taxi van and tour guide to take us on the typical sight seeing tour. A whirlwind of a trip, the first destination was to the monument for the Pillars of Hercules. The Rock of Gibralter and a peak in Morocco flank each side of the entrance to straight of Gibralter. From here you could stand on Gibralter and see across to Morocco. It is fun to think that in ancient times the two points marked the limit to the known world. Can you imagine??
 |
| St. Michael’s Cave |
Stop number two was St. Michael’s Cave. There was no illusion that we were among any of the first people to set foot in this well trodden, and somewhat abused, cave.
 |
| The auditorium |
Orchestras play here in the auditorium in the open area called Cathedral Cave.
 |
| Meet and greet with a Gibralter monkey |
After emerging from the caves, we were quickly shuffled back into the van to continue up the hair pin curves up the mountain. To make it, the vans literally had to stop, back up and make a three point turn. The drivers were incredibly adept at hightailing it along these tiny narrow little roads that clung to the cliff sides.
 |
| Watching people watch the monkeys |
Introducing the Barbary Macaques, otherwise known as the Rock Apes. These monkeys owned the place and they knew it. I believe fame got to their heads.
A nice monkey posed for my photos.
 |
| Monkey on the Rock of Gibralter |
What I’m not showing you is the disgusting area the monkeys inhabit. People leave piles of food that are much to large for the monkeys to consume, so it rots in the sun. Add that to the fact that the monkeys are not potty trained….. mmm….. a delightful combination indeed.
 |
| A monkey so unimpressed by my presence that he’s falling asleep on me. |
Now, I guess now is the time to say that I’m not much of a fan of primates. For the most part, they remind me of trashy little people. Some are cute and furry, but…. yeah. No.
 |
| Baby monkeys |
We were warned by the guides not to get to close or touch the monkeys. I guess people forget (or ignore) that they’re wild animals and will scratch and bite when provoked (or not provoked). Again, they remind me of trashy little people.
 |
| View down from the top. Our boat is the biggest boat near the center. |
After covering a little more distance in the van….
After a view of the area, we were back on the road again to the next destination.
 |
| Great Siege Tunnels |
I can’t tell you that I absorbed any of the history of the Great Siege Tunnels in our fast-forward version of tourism, but I can tell you that soldiers dug an impressive series of tunnels through the Rock of Gibralter. And that today you can walk through them and see their museum-esque mannequins in period uniform reenacting common scenes. And I should also tell you beware, the people that set all this up have a sense of humor and can give you quite a startle. All in good fun–I had never seen my friend jump so high!
 |
| All’s Well Bar |
After seeing this bar on a Travel Channel show, of course we had to find it and get a drink!