Adventure In Gibraltar!

Now we’ve done some daring things in our travel but booking an all day tour without an absolute guarantee that we could make it back in time to the ship was a new one for us. Malaga, Spain, was as close as we were going to get to Gibraltar which has been on the bucket list for a very long time. We have passed it in the middle of the night, in the foggy morning, and we scheduled one cruise to stop there but had the port canceled upon boarding the ship. This was going to be our one shot, miss the ship departure or not.

I had been assured by the tour operator that we had plenty of time to get back but in reading the description of the tour, it had mentioned that there could be a problem with traffic. We loaded a backpack with overnight underwear, medications and a few sundries just in case. Bob had already checked on hotels in Malaga and flights to Las Palmas, the ship’s next stop after a day at sea. So we had two days to get there if necessary.

The day before, I had a message from Eduardo, our driver, who said he would be at the terminal to pick us up at 9:30. I guess we were a little anxious because we were outside the cruise terminal a little after 9. He arrived a little before 9:30 and we were on our way in a very comfortable large minivan, just the two of us. We breathed a sigh of relief. One of our concerns was having to share the tour with others who might take longer to see things and shop.

The drive to Gibraltar was about two hours, mostly on freeway. Eduardo talked about the area we passed through. It was a nice drive mostly along the shore of the Mediterranean.

Our arrival at Gibraltar was in a bit of a fog, the rock itself being a bit obscured. Eduardo parked his taxi and led us to the immigration building. Gibraltar is part of the UK and not the European Union, thus we needed to have our passports and we had been urged to be sure it had been stamped on our entry into Spain. No problem there. Immigration had stamped it at the airport and then insisted we go through a second immigration check at the pier after we had already checked into the ship. One stamp had an airplane and the other a ship. Go figure.

There was no problem going through immigration and Eduardo met us on the other side. Apparently there is a special pass for tour operators. He texted another tour guide, the local one who would take us around the sights on Gibraltar. A few minutes later we met Tarek, a very happy and jovial guy, who loaded us into his minivan and pulled a short distance over to the airport. We needed a pit stop after the long drive and this was the best place for it.

Refreshed, we rejoined Tarek and he started our drive to the top of the rock. To get into the city, you have to cross the airport runway either by walking across it as pedestrian traffic or, in our case, using the tunnel under it to drive to the other side. The pedestrian crossing is closed whenever a plane is due or is taking off obviously.

Our first stop was at the Pillars of Hercules monument. Mythology says that Hercules was the one who made the passage between Africa and Europe. It was a show of strength for love of a woman. While the clouds threatened to cover our view, there were times of clear vision of a beautiful view of the sea and the area below us.

Next we were able to explore St. Michael’s Cave, one of many caves inside the rock. This one has been made into quite a light show. As you wander through the large stalactites and stalagmites, blues, purples, magentas and all sorts of other colors are projected seamlessly on the walls of the cave and blend with music that eventually crescendos into quite a light show before it all starts over again. There is even a large area where you can sit (a natural auditorium of sorts) and watch the whole sequence all over again.  Apparently there are concerts and theatrical productions done here on occasion. The auditorium area seats about 400.

Legend has it that St. Michael’s Cave was somehow connected to the African continent by a tunnel and that is how the Barbary Macaques (monkeys) were able to get to the island. No tunnel has been found. It is most likely that the Moors who inhabited the island at one time brought them with them as pets.

The monkeys are everywhere as you venture up the rock to the top. They are especially congregated where the feeding station is located. There is a department of the government that takes care of them. Tarek told us they all receive rabies shots which is a good thing as they have been known to bite tourists who get too close or might have something to eat in their hand.  At one point, we had one who was trying to get into the van through a half open window. Why? Well, they seem to know that some of the guides have peanuts to coax them with and create some fun for the tourists even though it is not allowed.

After viewing the feeding station, I went to get back in the van and felt a push on my back that sent me flying onto the seat with a squeal. I turned to tell Bob it wasn’t funny and realized quickly he wasn’t to blame. There was a monkey inside the van who had pushed me away to get in. Tarek quickly got me out of the van and as soon as the monkey found what he was after, a bag of peanuts, he grabbed them and ran. Tarek seemed to know each monkey by name and scolded the one who scampered off in a hurry with his prize.

We got to the top of the rock but the clouds that surrounded us did not afford much of a view. Once in a while a quick clearing would emerge only to be followed immediately by another part of the clouds covering us again. All the way up however we noticed heavy metal rings and at one point a heavy metal chain. It had been used back in the day to hoist large cannons up the rock for defensive purposes. I cannot begin to imagine that struggle.

The Siege Tunnels were another part of the Rock that we were eager to see. They seemed to go on forever (30 miles of tunnels) and were well documented with scenes of soldiers from the past. There were many sieges that took place on Gibraltar but the Great Siege that lasted well over three years began in 1779. It was during that time that excavation on the tunnels began mainly as a way to get cannons into strategic places.

During WWII more tunneling took place in order to provide a garrison for soldiers and storage for water and food, medical supplies, generators, and other supplies. I cannot imagine living in those tunnels even for a short duration.

When we finally finished our exploration of the Rock, Tarek took us to a square in town that was surrounded by restaurants and gift shops. He pointed out a Burger King on the corner and told us that Eduardo would meet us there in an hour. We parted company after a hearty thank you and found lunch of fish and chips at one of the restaurants (we were in the UK after all).

At the appointed time, Eduardo met us at the BK and we opted to walk to where his taxi was parked just over the border in Spain. It gave us the opportunity to walk across the airport runway. After all, how many times do you ever get to do something like that.

Our two hour drive back to the ship got us there with plenty of time to spare. It was a wonderful day and exciting excursion and another tick off the bucket list.