Ahoy there! What be that?! Tis Gibraltar, one of the Tower of Hercules! Impressive, eh?
So Gudrun and I decided to go see Gibraltar and see what we could see....and there was a lot....come one and all to experience Spangland! (Spain and England) It´s quite an experience...
Gibraltar is a self-governing territory that Britain was given in 1713¨, but Spain still tries to claim it. In Spanish it is called Él Peñon.
Here is Gudrun in the car waiting in the long line to get into Gibraltar...
The name Gibraltar is a Spanish version of an Arabic name for the ´Rock´. In other words, EVERYBODY has been here! Phoenicians, Romans, Germanic tribes, the Moors, Spaniards and now the British!
What a sight!
Ok, so those are the gondolas that is supposed to take us up the hill so we can enjoy the view (me no likey climb up mountains), but alas for us the system was down for repairs! There ´just happened´LOL to be waiting there some locals who had a tour company that would offer to take us all over the place...we did it! (It is REALLY interesting to me...the locals...they all speak Spanish and English with a Spanish accent, but, for example, our tour guide was adamant Í am a BRITISH citizen!´ :) He said that about 5 years ago they had a referendum about to whom they wanted to belong, and 99.9% of the people of Gibraltar said they want to stay British, rather than go back to Spain (after all...it´s been over 300 years!)....
While we waited for the tour to start, we were told to go visit the local botanical park. VERY deserty for sure, and then, as a sign of their Britishness and to commemorate Elizabeth II´s visit to Gibraltar back in the 50´s....
There you have the Queen´s initials.....
So the ROCK, is one of the Pillars of Hercules. Hercules found a large mountain and instead of climbing it, he smashed his way through it, opening a hole that let the Atlantic cascade into the Mediterranean basin....and there you have it folks, the true story....(the other Pillar is on the African coast....)
One of the Pillars of Hercules!
Looking out from a platform (not at the top of the Rock)...that is Africa in the background!!
Go ahead and click the photo...what is that in the middle of the Mediterranean?
That´s right! The Brits had a U-boat out there patroling the waters....
In that direction you find Morocco and the city of Tangiers, where we were last week...
Lots of boats....busy seaways.....
And there they are! The óther symbol´ (other than the Rock) of Gibraltar, the Berber Macaque :) Momma and baby....the babies are so kyoot!
Our guide took us to St. Michael´s cave. It was quite a ´pirate´looking cave inside....and VERY wet!
I don´t know if this is real, but they showed this skull as evidence that humans have been around the area for tens of thousands of years....
Reminded me of Jabba the Hut....
Outside the cave exit was this monkey that was just sitting there screaming and screaming and screaming....long story short, the worker had fed it earlier and it wanted more....GIMME! GIMME! GIMME!
This guy was actually trying to get into our car to find the ´goodies´that tourists bring along....
They were sometimes loud and crazy, but for the most part they seemed friendly-ish....
The Bay of Gibraltar again as we go higher and higher up the Rock....at these times I was grateful that a car was taking us up there instead of me having to walk :)
They are funny, methinks....
And there it is (from a north looking south point of view) THE ROCK! SHAZAM-cool!
I´m just looking at it again....WOWZUHS! That is SO COOL!....LOVE EET!
That is the direction of where Torremolinos is.....with the monkeez :)
Ships crossing in and out....makes more sense why the Brits wanted to control this area....
AHHHH! DON´T LOOK DOWN! oops, too late! :) AHHH!
SUWEET!
So our guide warned us about the monkeys...but.....
Gudrun got into my backpack to get the binoculars out and left the top unzipped...well....suddenly I feel something on my backpack! It was a monkey! He was trying to get into my backpack to find something to eat! LOL! Hilarious....
Our tour guide gave him a good whack and he just sat there, looking away....embarrassed I guess for his attempted thievery :)
Then our tour guide took us to the ´Siege Tunnels´. Spain tried to take Gibraltar back during 1789-1793 and during this time the Brits blew all of these Siege Tunnels out of the rock!
A long, long ways....
This is one of the ´cannon´holes that they had blown out on the north side of the Rock facing towards Spain.
There is the Gibraltar airport runway with the Spanish border just on the other side of it....
Here you have the cemetery! Not much room in Gibraltar!
This reminded me of the HMS Belfast on the Thames, here in the Siege Tunnels they had all of these Madame Tussaud-esque figures and this guy, when you came around the corner would yell, ´HALT!´
I admit, he caught me off-guard and I jumped :)
Apparently this is one of the things that was ínvented´during the Siege....this system of áiming´cannons up and down....so this cannon is aimed at the invading Spaniards....
And we arrive at the end of the Tunnels....there be the beautiful sea....
So, the Brits stayed put and that is one of the reasons why Gibraltar is still in British hands....
Here we are outside of the Tunnels and another shot of the airport runway, etc. I just think it´s interesting how ´smashed up´close everything is....
Outside of the Tunnels looking up the Rock....
Our tour guide kept us there for a bit so we could watch a plane take off....
There was a point when you were like ´HURRY UP! THERE ISN´T MUCH ROOM LEFT!´ AHHH!
But they made it :)
Again, the Gibraltar monkeys....famous symbols and souvenirs...made in China! LOL!
As I said earlier, they had a referendum a few years ago (Spain still claims Gibraltar) and asked the people if they wanted to become Spanish or not and 99.9% of the people voted to remain British citizens HAHAHA!
I just thought this was funny....the ´British´telephone booth next to a Spanish-looking garrison wall.....that´s Gibraltar though!
This didn´t seem like it is much nowadays, but I think that back in the day it was a ´splendid manor´....
This building used to be a convent, but now it´s the Governor´s Palace...
(notice the Christmas decor still up....)
I am still confused, but this building was across from the Governor´s Palace and was like the home of the ´Guards´or something like that...
I just liked the name of the British pub next door - THE ANGRY FRIAR (monk)!! LOL!
This is the Catholic Cathedral of Gibraltar. I thought it was interesting that even though they are British, the locals speak Spanish, ´look´more Spanish than British and are Roman Catholic rather than Anglican....interesting stuf.... (in the end, I just find it interesting....so the people of Gibraltar´s desire to remain ´British´probably has more to do with economic issues rather than language, religion or other factors....that´s what just came to my head anyways...)
I thought this was pretty over the front entrance....
This is St. Bernard, patron saint of Gibraltar.... (I don´t know why, but he is... :)
Pretty much my favorite part of churches - the candles!
Beautiful!
Gibraltar is a TRUE hodge-podge, international city! Moroccans are all over (the Saudis built them their own mosque a few years ago)...there are FOUR Jewish synagogues! Truly, in a strange way, what óld Spain´used to be like with Christians, Muslims and Jews living together before 1492....
The British empire to me is so interesting....from a ´personal´point of view...what would that be like to be a young man from Liverpool and then to be sent to protect-guard Gibraltar in the 1800´s or India or Burma or or or or? The idea is so strange to me....
A lot of the area had been restored recently, so I kind of think-wonder if óld Gibraltar´looked more like this....
....than the ´reworked´Main Street.....hmmm....
Gibraltar has no sales tax, so tons o´shops, especially jewelry, on Main Street....
This seems like it should be a ´tourist´painting! The worker smoking her cigarette on her break - old buildings with business signs - and then the Cathedral....
THE ROYAL MAIL! Just in case, with all the Spanish everything, you forget whom this territory truly belongs to! LOL!
This is Casemates Square with the northern end of the Rock in the background....again, shopping and....
Glass blowing! Love it!
again, Madame Tussaudesque characters showing how it was done ´back in the day´....
Here he goes...SO interesting to watch! Glowing hot glass and then he puts into a mould there on the floor and blows....and then something that looked like a lamp came out....
Working on it....
And the products, ready for the éntertained´tourists to buy....
Like this pic!
Gudrun couldn´t resist. She had me ask if she could get her picture taken next to this BRITSIH BOBBY (who was speaking in Spanish on his walkie-talkie :)
She then asked him if she could wear his hat, he said ´no!´
This was built by the US to commeorate British-American cooperation during WWII....
Goldy-goldy....
And then right beside the memorial are remnants of the old British fort and cannon....
The ´bastion walls´if you will....
This explains itself really well...I found that bit of info interesting....I didn´t know this....
Double-Decker! But only as tourist bus LOL!
Here is the door of one of the FOUR Jewish synagogues in Gibraltar! Like I said, I just can´t believe it! I´ve never been in a town so small with so many synagogues before!
Old ´British´Post Office....
City Hall....
Outside of Casemates Square, i.e. the ´bastion walls´again...
Protecting the ´British´Gibraltar from the possible Spanish invasion LOL!
New modern everything down by the bay....
Suweet! But unfortunately it´s time to leave Gibraltar....boo-hoo!
´Welcome to Gibraltar´but in our case, goodbye....we walked back towards our car....
´To the left...´
´To the right...´
People going home from work (there are apparently around 6-ish thousand people who LIVE in Spain, but who work in Gibraltar)...talk about odd...just walking to your cars over the flight line, aka runway....
Beautiful! You are amazing Rock of Gibraltar!
Truly EXTRA-ordinary!
Thank you....you are too kind :)
(I don´t know if that is the best name for a travel company, LOL!)
