Day Trippin': Gibraltar edition; or Little Britain for a Day

It's been a while since I've posted---life's been a little crazy lately. This past week marks the one year anniversary of our oldest kid moving to Spain---little did we know that one month later, we would find out that we were following him. I've said it before and I'll continue saying it: I never dreamed that we would be able to see him for holidays when we bid him goodbye at the Jacksonville airport. I'm so excited that he is only a few hours away by train, and that he is enjoying life in a big city and can come visit his family in the country whenever he wants.

The last month has meant spending time with both boys, including day trips to Seville and Gibraltar, as well as holiday get-togethers, lots of time spent in local restaurants and pubs, celebrating the Spanish holiday of Three Kings Day and Epiphany, and unfortunately for me, a good fight with what seems to be an annual cold. It really kicked my butt in the last couple of weeks, so I'm just catching up on posting pictures, etc.

Anywho, we took the 90 minute journey on December 29 down the peninsula to Gibraltar, the British territory most famously known for the Rock. You can see it from several miles away, and we spied it upon our first big day trip to Baelo Claudia a few months ago.

The drive was easy. We parked on the Spanish side and experienced a first---walking across the runway to enter town. Space is limited and this route is the only way you can enter Gibraltar. During the 3-6 flights a day, the walkway is temporarily closed and pedestrians get to stand by until it's all clear. We didn't see any planes land during our trip. We bought daily bus passes and jumped on to cross the runway and venture into town.

Gibraltar has been occupied by the Phoenicians, the Moors, and the Spanish before becoming British. Its existence is a point of contention with Spanish---we've been told often, don't ask Spaniards about their family's role in the Civil War, and don't mention Gibraltar. (During our week-long required course upon getting to Rota, many of our Spanish presenters made a comment like, "Gibraltar is a British territory, unfortunately." Yes, they are still bitter!)

Most people there speak English and Spanish. The main industries are banking, tourism, and it also serves as a fueling station for ships. Maybe it's because you have to go through customs when entering with passport in hand, or maybe it's because you have to exchange your euros (or U.S. dollars) into British pounds, but I felt like we are most definitely not in Spain anymore, even though we never left the Iberian Peninsula. 

Gibraltar is tiny is size---only about 2.6 square miles---but there is plenty to do and see. There are over 30,000 inhabitants and everyone there is required to have a job or income. The place is truly a melting pot---we saw Muslim women in headscarves, Jewish men wearing yarmulkes, churches, synagogues, and the largest mosque in the peninsula---and Gibraltarians pride themselves on the fact that they are tolerant of many religious views in their small community. 

The town has taxis (actually vans) for hire to take you to the top of the Rock, since you are not allowed to take your own vehicle. You can also take a cable car to the top (or hike it, if you so wish). 

Our driver was a native Gibraltarian who also has Spanish relatives and speaks several languages. He has been a guide for over 20 years and wove through the narrow road that hangs on a sheer cliff at a breakneck speed, making me happy that driving the crazy, winding road was not an option.

We first went through a cavern which also sometimes doubles as a concert hall, and then continued to the top of the Rock for the main attraction---the apes (which are technically monkeys). Not only did I hold my breath every time we switched back on the road, but also every time we nearly missed one of the numerous apes that didn't seem disturbed at all at the tourists passing by every few minutes.

Yes, you go to Gibraltar so you can be surrounded by dozens and dozens of rather friendly apes.

There are over 200 Barbary macaques living on the Rock. The are believed to have been brought to Gibraltar across the Strait from the Moors who had them as pets. The legend is that when all the apes leave Gibraltar, so will the British and it will fall back into the hands of the Spanish.

They are protected and fed by a local wildlife agency in efforts to keep them on top of the Rock and out of the town below. Feeding them also (in theory, anyway) keeps them from scavenging tourists for food. They will jump on the vehicles as they travel up the twisting road, and they also jump on people as they walk around. You haven't lived until you have a wild creature boomerang between your moving vehicle, a wall, and the ground, and then bounce on you when you leave said vehicle. Both kids held them, but the mister and I stayed clear and just took pictures. I'm not a huge fan of wild animals in general, so I was happy watching them pick bugs off each other and sneak around to get food. The guides claim to recognize individual ones and call them by name to sit in your cupped hands if you want to hold one. The apes will also go through your pockets, purses, and backpacks, so be prepared to not have a morsel of food anywhere on you if you don't want a curious creature invading your personal space.

We also went inside the ruins of a Moorish castle and enjoyed amazing views of both Spain and Africa. The Moors inhabited Gibraltar for over 700 years, longer than any other people so far. The castle was built in the early 700s and until 2010, part of it housed the small Gibraltar jail. As with everywhere we've been in Andalucia, the influence of the Moors is everywhere. The word Gibraltar is from the Arabic phrase Jabal Ṭāriq (جبل طارق), meaning "Mountain of Tariq." Tariq was a governor of Tangiers and an army general who lead the Muslim conquest of Gibraltar in 711.

We were reminded by signs everywhere that not only are we back to English-speaking civilization, but it's oh-so-British, too. In addition to the "Give Way" yield signs, there was this very civilized suggestion, which cracked me up:

We know we will go back, so we decided to do a tour to the top of the Rock for the day and skip some of the other tourist attractions until another trip. You can, however, do much more than we did in one day. We did go into a few shops and naturally ate British fish and chips (so good!), but we didn't go into the caves (many used during WW II) this time around, although it's also an option with your taxi tour. You can also tour the Strait by boat to view dolphins (and I'm sure the view of the Rock is spectacular from the water).

Going back to the English speaking world was a little strange at first, and the blend of Spanish and British culture is an unusual mix, to say the least. The food, the language, the stores were all a change from what we've become accustomed to while living in southern Spain, and it was a nice diversion. Gibraltar has a laid back appeal and will definitely be on our list for another trip, another day.