Gibraltar Trip

This is a late post about our Gibraltar trip last month before going to Naples. I only posted the pictures at Snapfish.com and forgot to post it here. Anyway, the day started overcast with some scattered drizzles but cleared up later on. It was about a 2 hour drive from Rota and very easy to find so we'll be taking you all over there when you come and visit us.

Wasn't able to take pictures of the rock itself because it was covered by a heavy mist in the morning and then we weren't able to find a suitable parking spot in the afternoon to stop and take pictures. The MWR tour guide took us around first since she's been there before but lost her way coming back. She ended up going uphill where the streets were narrow like in Japan and with cars parked on one side. She was driving a big van and only had about an inch to spare in some areas so she had to almost crawl along and the drivers behind us were getting impatient.

It was still overcast when she dropped us off but you can see part of the rock and a Moorish fortress with a British flag in the background.

There was also a memorial marker here for the US and British forces that defended the island from invading forces.

We walked around at the main town square and checked out the the stores - plenty of monkey souvenirs complete with the annoying screech that they make.

Gibraltar is noted for the monkeys up on the hills where they are protected by law and pretty much run the place. The sky finally cleared up and we were able to take some really clear pictures of the mountainside.

Walked up the streets some more, visited a couple of churches and then had lunch at Burger King where we met a couple of Filipino workers having lunch also. I forgot to mention earlier that this is a British Colony so English is spoken here but most of the tourists are Spanish with a sprinkling of Japanese and Chinese. We missed taking pictures of the British guards marching in the square while we were eating lunch and only saw the tail end as they were marching down the street.

We met up with the local tour guide later on and he took us around the historical spots while providing information at the same time. He was very knowledgeable especially providing details about how the rock was defended by the US and British from the atttacks.

He took us to the lighthouse first which is the main guide of the sea lanes in the area. We had a breathtaking view of the Gibraltar Straits with the Spanish coastline on the right and the Moroccan coastline on the left.

This is a major shipping lane and there plenty of containers ships anchored out.

There was also a mosque nearby that was built by funds provided by a Saudi King with a donation of 2 million pounds. It was there by itself with the limestone hills on the background.

He took us next to St. Michael Caves which had natural stalactite and stalagmite formations. There was a big piece that broke off from the celing because of the sheer size and weight. The trail inside was lit and can be easily followed. A concert hall was also constructed inside where they had seats and a stage set up for performances because the limestone walls provide an excellent acoustic insulation and reflect the sound evenly. Water was dripping everywhere when we went through because of the recent rains so performances are scheduled during the summer months only.

Outside the caves though, monkeys rule. One of them sat on the driver's window and helped steer the van while the driver was feeding him pasta.

Here is the alpha male of the group sunning himself and then the driver had him get on my shoulder.

Mom posed behind one of her cousins.

We went to the siege tunnels next where the British dug tunnels through the rock and placed cannons aimed at strategic locations. It was cold and wet inside with water dripping everywhere and a strong draft blowing through the tunnel since it's way up there on the rock.

The view was breathtaking though and you can see the runway and the Spanish city of Algeciras. There were some mock displays of the actual set-up as well as the cannons themselves.