12/10/07 Monday - Gibralter
Cheerio! In our European travels, we've sailed by the great Rock of Gibralter 
many times, but this is our first chance to step foot on its soil.
We happen to meet up with Georgia and Don at breakfast, so along with Linda and Mark, we make a party of six, perfect for a minivan tour. We wander out and engage Daniel (accent on the last syllable) a very personable guide, who speaks great English. Gibralter has been a British colony since 1704. it's one of the two "Pillars of Hercules" at the Western entrance of the Mediterranean. It's name comes from the first occupation, by the Moors, in 711 AD, led by Tariq ibn Zeyad -- "Gebel-Tarik" means Tariq's Rock. The remains of his castle can still be seen. The Spanish recovered control in 1462, and lost it to the British in 1704.
Daniel takes us on a tour of the major sites, beginning with a drive up to the ape's den, where we get up close and personal to the small Barbary Apes. 
We are warned not to carry food or feed the apes, who are unafraid of humans, but not tame. There are adorable babies a few months old, which climb all over the van, pose for photos, ride on their mothers' backs, and generally entertain and charm us.
We continue up to the St. Michael's cave, which is surprising -- walking through a tunnel into a series of enormous caverns, with huge stalactites coming down to fuse with equally large stalagmites reaching up from the ground. There is dim lighting, but when we take pictures, the formations light up in lovely colors.
Many steps take us down to the largest cave, which contains a stage and stadium seats -- concerts are held here -- I sing a few notes to test the echo, which is wonderful. What a magical place this would be to give a recital!
Back out in the sunlight, and greenery on the rock, we get back in the van and continue our climb up the rock, past the remna nts of the imposing Moorish castle to the top, where we walk into the tunnels. Miles of tunnels were carved during the Great Siege (1779-83) when the Spanish tried unusccessfully to reacquire Gibralter. The tunnels are oddly reminiscent of "Pirates of the Caribbean" at Disneyland, becaue there are tableaux of workers digging the tunnels, soldiers on guard, cannons, and 
one small side tunnel leading to a door with a grate. As we approach this door, a soldier manniken inside is looking out, and we are startled when our movement triggers "Halt! Who goes there?"
At one point, the roadside narrows and we can see the Mediterranean on one side and the Atlantic on the other. We also look down at the narrow strip of land that connects Granada to Spain. Thi sis the flattest land in Granada, and contains the airport. To travel the only road between Granada and Spain, you must cross the runway, and whenever a plane lands or takes off, the road is blocked by barriers like those at train tracks at home.
After a great tour, (I liked the monkeys best) Daniel drops most of us off at Main Street, where we can shop for souvenirs. It's a charming town. Granada has about 30,000 inhabitants in a very small area -- less than 3 square miles. It is dense with tall apartment buildings especially in the newest area, reclaimed from the sea. A wonderful day, lovely weather and an exciting tour. We're so glad to have stopped here.
12/10/07 Monday - Gibralter
Cheerio! In our European travels, we've sailed by the great Rock of Gibralter
many times, but this is our first chance to step foot on its soil.
We happen to meet up with Georgia and Don at breakfast, so along with Linda and Mark, we make a party of six, perfect for a minivan tour. We wander out and engage Daniel (accent on the last syllable) a very personable guide, who speaks great English. Gibralter has been a British colony since 1704. it's one of the two "Pillars of Hercules" at the Western entrance of the Mediterranean. It's name comes from the first occupation, by the Moors, in 711 AD, led by Tariq ibn Zeyad -- "Gebel-Tarik" means Tariq's Rock. The remains of his castle can still be seen. The Spanish recovered control in 1462, and lost it to the British in 1704.
Daniel takes us on a tour of the major sites, beginning with a drive up to the ape's den, where we get up close and personal to the small Barbary Apes.
We are warned not to carry food or feed the apes, who are unafraid of humans, but not tame. There are adorable babies a few months old, which climb all over the van, pose for photos, ride on their mothers' backs, and generally entertain and charm us.
We continue up to the St. Michael's cave, which is surprising -- walking through a tunnel into a series of enormous caverns, with huge stalactites coming down to fuse with equally large stalagmites reaching up from the ground. There is dim lighting, but when we take pictures, the formations light up in lovely colors.
Many steps take us down to the largest cave, which contains a stage and stadium seats -- concerts are held here -- I sing a few notes to test the echo, which is wonderful. What a magical place this would be to give a recital!
Back out in the sunlight, and greenery on the rock, we get back in the van and continue our climb up the rock, past the remna nts of the imposing Moorish castle to the top, where we walk into the tunnels. Miles of tunnels were carved during the Great Siege (1779-83) when the Spanish tried unusccessfully to reacquire Gibralter. The tunnels are oddly reminiscent of "Pirates of the Caribbean" at Disneyland, becaue there are tableaux of workers digging the tunnels, soldiers on guard, cannons, and
one small side tunnel leading to a door with a grate. As we approach this door, a soldier manniken inside is looking out, and we are startled when our movement triggers "Halt! Who goes there?"
At one point, the roadside narrows and we can see the Mediterranean on one side and the Atlantic on the other. We also look down at the narrow strip of land that connects Granada to Spain. Thi sis the flattest land in Granada, and contains the airport. To travel the only road between Granada and Spain, you must cross the runway, and whenever a plane lands or takes off, the road is blocked by barriers like those at train tracks at home.
After a great tour, (I liked the monkeys best) Daniel drops most of us off at Main Street, where we can shop for souvenirs. It's a charming town. Granada has about 30,000 inhabitants in a very small area -- less than 3 square miles. It is dense with tall apartment buildings especially in the newest area, reclaimed from the sea. A wonderful day, lovely weather and an exciting tour. We're so glad to have stopped here.