First we rode the cable car close to the top where, eventually, standing on the spine at the top, we got some great views looking back into the Med from which we came, and across to Africa about 23 km away and north to mainland Spain. We walked for hours going from one end to the other, up and down trails from 1 sight to the next.
The Rock of Gibraltar
On our way up
One stop was at St. Michael's Cave, a large natural cavern where millennia of water seeps through the limestone produced stalactites and stalagmites which are now illuminated with colourful lights. St. Michael's was used as early as 40,000 BC by prehistoric man and is only 1 of more than 150 caves in the Rock.
1,000,000 visitors per year
Crossing the 71-m so called frightening suspension bridge over a 50-m gorge we found to be very non-frightening but great views looking down on the town.
Easy walk across for the brave-hearted
There are so many monkeys in the upper regions, mostly around the tourist sites. They seem to be an attraction for the tourists, many who can't wait to go to the Apes Den. These are Barbary Macaque monkeys (not apes) and not indigenous to the Rock.
Grooming buddies
As monkeys usually are, these are mischievous and opportunist when it comes to snatching anything edible. One we didn't see managed to very quickly grab half our lunch and run away. They will eat anything. Another very quietly snuck a package of strong cough drops hidden in our backpack pocket - which he persisted in eating while making a hilarious sour face with his mouth in a large O-shape - Oh my goodness, what did I grab this time?! Another we saw enjoying an ice cream that he obviously absconded from an unwary tourist.
These scoundrels are routinely fed fruit by staff to keep them up there on the upper slopes so that they don't invade the town below. They also have a sterilization program so that their numbers are limited to around 300. These unique Old World monkeys are tailless, just as apes are.
I wonder what's in here?
Much of the history of the Rock has to do with military control and occupation. In the most recent episodes of war, great huge guns were placed on the ridge during the 2nd World War. These guns could lob shells across the strait to Africa, just over 23 km.
Africa in the distance
On our second day visit to the Rock, we toured military battery tunnels dug during various war periods, most notable the Great Siege and World War II. We saw only a small fraction of tunnelling but apparently the mountain is a Swiss cheese of passageways and rooms carved out over time.
Looking down a long passageway
We were recently told that the Rock has more kilometres of tunnels than kilometres of roads in all of Gibraltar and that the not-so-secret underwater submarine caves that enable subs to sneak in undetected then surface within the protection of the Rock.
The Great Siege tunnels were dug by hand in the 1780s with crowbars, sledgehammers, and gunpowder blasts.
Hard at work
All along parts of the tunnel there would be openings for cannon firing. Original plans were to place a gun on top of an area called the Notch but upon reaching the area, it was decided to place 7 guns within the big rock outcropping where only the barrels would protrude out the Notch instead, giving a 180 degree view.
Top of the Notch with openings below
World War II tunnels, built with the help of machinery, were eventually joined to the Great Siege tunnels and in total there are now 55 km of tunnels. There are more than just tunnels. There are large rooms for hospital, supplies, and occupation for a virtual city where up to 16,000 soldiers could hold out for months. There are also tunnels for escape as the last option.
Jordan in World War II tunnels
From the tunnels, we could look down to the airport runway below. This scene will be different in the future as a new road is being constructed below the runway at the far eastern side of the peninsula. So soon there will be no more waiting for planes to land or take off by cars and pedestrians trying to cross the border between Spain and Gibraltar.
Busy runway crossing
After our second day of long trekking on the Rock, it was nice to be settled in for the evening on Sea Turtle.
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