Gibraltar

True or False
- Gibraltar is a small peninsula in Southern Spain that was captured by the Dutch, who gave it to Great Britain, who recently gave it back to Spain.
False.  Gibraltar is a  British Overseas Territory and has been since 1713, much to Spain's dismay, because they would greatly like this 2 mile square little point of land back!
- Is there really a Rock that dominates this small peninsula?
True
A HUGE 426m (1,398') high rock of Jurassic limestone!  and yes, per Woodward travel "normal", it was raining when we arrived.

Our tour guide, Lisa

Lisa was a great guide.  Has lived on Gibraltar all her life, is part British, part Italian, part Maltese and part something else.  She loves this little piece of land and is proud to be a British citizen.  God Save the Queen!

Europa Point Lighthouse

Thankfully the rain stopped for several hours.  Can you believe it?
- Is there a huge cave inside the Rock?
True!
St. Michael's Cave winds downward 700 ft. into the Rock.  The Upper Hall was once a hospital in 1942 and is now used for concerts.  Impressive especially with beautiful lights.

From the top.

see that outline way out there.... North Africa!  

Roy and me

- In 1939 the British started digging tunnels inside the Rock but abandoned the project when the tunnels began collapsing.
False.  Big time.
Yes the Brits began digging an extensive tunnel system inside the Rock over 200 years ago but the big push was begun in '39 and slowed down in 1942 some 34 miles later.  There were hospitals and supply rooms and everything else that would be needed to withstand a siege.   There are actually more miles of tunnel inside the Rock than surface roads on the entire peninsula!

A famous photo of Winston Churchill was taken here.

Roy on Jock's Balcony

The men digging the tunnels longed to see the sun so Jock's Balcony was dug and brief visits were allowed.  German spies that were on the peninsula were a constant problem because they wanted to know what the Brits were up to.
Roy is looking at....

Yes, that is the Gibraltar airport runaway.

The patch of trees in the background is about the Spanish/Gibraltar border.
- One main street coming into Gibraltar that crosses the airport runway and cars must dodge planes taking off or landing.
False.
Traffic stops 10 minutes before and after plane landings.

The sign outside said: 'When the Moors recaptured Gibraltar from the Spaniards in 1333 they rebuilt an earlier tower, ruined in the fighting, into this solid tower of Homage, which has withstood ten sieges".  Yes, I would call that solid!  The pock marks in the walls are from cannon balls.

- There are 300 wild Barbary macaque monkeys living in the Upper Rock area in the Gibraltar Nature Reserve.  It is the only wild monkey population on the European Continent and is thriving, unlike that in North Africa.
Both are True.

that is the town of Gibraltar behind Mama and baby

They are super cute but bite and will steal anything they can grab.  I just kept thinking what Mary's ship XO told them in Thailand, "for gosh sake, leave the d**n monkeys alone!"  And we did.  They are locally called Gib monkeys, rock apes or Barbary apes (since they have no tails).

Last stop in the rain. Cannot come to Great Britain and not eat Fish & Chips.  Lisa told us the best F&C in town to eat was here. How fun is this?!  and yes, it was delicious!

On to Seville.