25 November 2017 –– Gibraltar

As we sailed into the straits of Gibraltar this morning we encountered some heavy sea fog, but by 11:30am as the ROCK appeared, we were treated to some spectacular views as we entered into port.

 

We docked in Gibraltar at 1:00pm and arranged a van with 3 other couples to take us to the top of the ROCK and all the other sites that are available up there, and we were not disappointed!

After leaving the port, we drove up a very steep mountainous road to the Wildlife Preserve.  We could see The Pillars of Hercules which consist of the highest mountain in Morocco (off to our left) and The Rock of Gibraltar (on our right)!!

Next stop was the St. Michael’s Cave which took us deep down to see spectacular stalagmites and stalactites that were lit up with colored lights, making some photos hard to take, but the formations were absolutely magnificent.  And the huge cavern was still not fully open to the public!!  

Upon exiting, we met some of the mountain critters (monkeys) that the Rock is famous for.  Even saw one that stole an ice cream bar from the restaurant cooler!  JJ  Tore the wrapper off with his teeth and sat and ate it like he paid for it himself!  We just stood and laughed!

Then on to the main gathering place for the monkeys. They jumped on the van roof and the driver had to close the windows or they would come right inside.  Some of the vans had rubber snakes on the hoods and tops to keep them off, as they’re afraid of snakes. We did exit the van and captured a number of photos, but mostly we just walked around enjoying their antics, especially the small young ones!

Final stop was the Great Siege and World War II Tunnels, which were chiseled into the Rock deeper and deeper from the 1762 battle of Gibraltar through WW I and finally WW II.  It took John 15 minutes to go to the end (HolyLand Gate) and then the steep ascent to get back out again.  There were depictions along the way, with actual recordings of WW I and WW II and mannequins dressed as soldiers of the various battles.

We then descended to the walled city, a place we visited over 17 years ago.  But it had changed a lot, including the waterfront which had expanded with new expensive townhouses, high-rises, etc., via reclaimed land and rocks that had been dug out of the mountains. We strolled through the shops and window shopped and made our way back to the ship.

We remembered this picture of walking across the airport runway, so many years ago, and they're still doing it!!

A great time in a picturesque port!!