Kat and Ellie get Macaque'd/Gibraltar

We just got back from a delightful tour of the Rock (as Gibraltar is affectionately known). Our guide was Adrian Holmes, a native of Gibraltar and a very charming host. We got to see the old city, along with the new, and Adrian was full of information and anecdotes about the history and development of what is now a bustling city of about 30,000. Many Spanish people work on the Rock, so the border is busy, especially in the mornings and at quitting time. We found the border security to be pretty lax and laid back. We had been thinking about coming here to spend the winter, but have crossed it off our list as it is still cold and rainy in May. Plus prices are pretty high. We had two lunches and they both came to over $50.00 US. Housing is pretty hard to find, and fairly expensive.

Gibraltar was acquired by the British in 1713 and it was deeded by the losing Spanish government to the British "in perpetuity". The Spanish, however have made several attempts to regain the territory, the latest being during the time when Francisco Franco ruled Spain. He cut off all supplies and utilities being provided by Spanish people. The people of Gibraltar are used to being under siege. Whoever controls Gibraltar can control the shipping coming and going from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic or vise versa. It has a long history of conflict. We visited the gun emplacements and tunnels through the mountain used to defend the city. You will see some of those in the slide show that follows.

Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory, and it's citizens consider themselves part of the British Empire. The currency is the Pound, but it has Gibraltar on the money, and is not accepted in the UK. Shops here will accept Pounds or Euros. The citizens speak English, Spanish and a unique language called Llanito, which is a combination of Spanish and English with very few rules. The land mass is about 6.8 square kilometers, so with 30,000 people it is the fifth most dense in terms of population of any city in the world. It has a floating hotel/casino, and the harbor is always filled with cargo and cruise ships.

The rock is home to 8 troops of Macaque monkeys. These little guys are charming thieves. Our guide told us that the rule is the monkeys can touch you but you can't touch the monkeys. If they sense any danger they will bite. We watched Adrian warned another tourist holding an ice cream cone that the monkey would take it. The tourist retreated into the cafe, but the monkey came out with the ice cream cone anyway! Adrian then proceeded to tease the into stealing nuts from his pocket, and he coaxed them to climb up on Kat and Ellie's shoulders. They were so thrilled to get to interact with these wild creatures in this way, and you will see lots of pictures of the monkeys in the slide show. You will also see some pictures of the inside of St. Michael's cave, which is now used for concerts, but has been a shelter used by the populace in times of siege. You will see the coast of Africa, which is clearly visible, with it's corresponding "pillar of Hercules". In ancient times, it was thought that the world was flat, and that Hercules had placed these two massive rocks on opposite shores of the area to warn people not to go past as they would fall off the earth.

You can see the Spanish port city of Algeciras in the background of some of the shots. We were lucky in that it was a rainy day when we started and then it cleared up enough for us to have an enjoyable tour, and then it started raining again. Enjoy the slide show!