Day Trip to Gibraltar

First glimpse of the Rock seen from the Spanish side

This week Pepe drove us, Angela, Ryan, and me to Gibraltar, also known as the Rock! The British Colony at the southern end of Spain. 

Working telephone booth

It is a strange mix of Spain and England, for example they use British pounds for currency but accept Euros, they drive on the same side of the road as the rest of Europe, shops are a mix of high end things like diamonds and tourist tat. 

One of the many English gardens

There is a large Jewish community there visible because men and boys were the kippah or yarmulke. Getting across the working airfield and border check, that is the only access, going in was fine, coming out took an hour which is considered about average. It was 2.5 hours each way driving so we were out 12.5 hours. 

The artist is the link, Ryan had read about his work.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Eine

Lunch at a rather swanky place called The Lounge at the marina was fish and chips with mushy peas that were great and enjoyed. 

War cemetery

Gibraltar is a tax haven place so we bought cigarettes and booze for about 90% of what we would pay in Spain.  It was weird about the language difference, everyone there knew both English and Spanish and it didn’t seem to matter which we spoke, we were understood. Ryan asked me if the town looked like something typical from England but as with the language it is half and half in my opinion. 

The Tour: there is a cable car that goes to the top of the Rock but it was closed due to wind, when we reached the top it was really windy, which must happen quite often. We took a taxi tour service that stopped at a war memorial, then caves that were a hospital and are now used as a large concert function space then on to a couple of different view points. 

The former hospital now used as a function space and lit spectacularly or gaudily depending on opinion.

Of course, the Barbary apes are the stars of the trip, there are 250 of them there in 6 family clans, well regulated and looked after. 

Peanut packet, they get lots of peanuts in the shell which help keep them under minimal control.

Poor Ryan got ape bombed!

Video of one eating off the fellow's back.

Now for some views, they were breathtaking and may include another ape or two.

The working runway we crossed from Spain to Gibraltar and a plane took off while we watched from this vantage point.

That land behind the rock is Africa.

Bruce and I visited Gibraltar in about 2005, on our first trip to Europe together. The major differences were, we drove to the top, and I remember the apes seemed wilder and there was a bigger population of them. 

It was a great trip and again it astounds me (la-di-da) that in parts of Europe you can drive to another country and back in a day.

Cheers, Bev and Lexi Cat who was miffed with me coming back after dark.