Gibraltar | The Escapades of Pookie and Allan

Today we took a trip to Gibraltar on an all-day excursion.

Gibraltar was ceded to Great Britain under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. It became a base for the Royal Navy during WW II and it was strategically important in controlling the entrance and exit to the Mediterranean Sea and the Strait of Gibraltar.

The sovereignty of Gibraltar is a point of contention as Spain asserts a claim to the territory but Gibraltarians overwhelmingly rejected proposals for Spanish sovereignty in a 1967 referendum and in 2002, a referendum was passed for shared sovereignty. Many people in Gibraltar speak English as well as Spanish and also a mix of both called Spanglish.

It was amazing to see the Rock of Gibraltar as it stands proudly in the sea. Many people think Gibraltar is an island unto itself, but it actually is connected by land. We have now been fortunate to view Gibraltar up close as well as from afar when we were in Morocco.

We drove 3/4’s of the way towards the top of the rock, and passed the Barbary wild monkey population. There are 6 monkey families on the Rock and we were fortunate to see most of one family. They were all out and about and many of the moms had little babies with them.

Although most of the Barbary monkey population in Africa is declining due to hunting and deforestation, the population in Gibraltar is thriving. The monkeys are managed by the Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society and they are provided with fresh water and fresh vegetables and fruit each day. The monkeys are periodically captured so that vets can examine them and assess their health.

We were told to leave all food items in our minivan as the monkeys can smell anything in your pockets and will jump on you to get at it. We all did as we were told and so the monkeys just watched as we walked by. Before we exited the minivan however, they were climbing up the windows and jumping around on the roof.

After seeing the monkeys, we went to what amounts to an underground city inside the Rock, which was a series of tunnels built during WW II to accommodate a 16,000-strong garrison.

Within the tunnels was everything the troops needed to survive… Plenty of water, food, and munitions. They even were able to do surgeries within the tunnels if need be. There was a water distillation plant, a bakery, underground telephones, and a power generating station – all within the 34 miles of tunnels inside the Rock.

The tunnels were built by the Royal Navy in preparation of war during the 1940’s when Britain was at war with Germany and Italy. Churchill believed an attack against Gibraltar was imminent, and therefore the tunnels were built as a massive fortress.

We wore hardhats as we walked thru the tunnels and we were in awe as to what an amazing feat of construction the tunnels were.

We got back to the hotel arrive 5 and Kelly, Jim, Allan, and I left for dinner around 7:30 walking to a restaurant we had heard about and that had great reviews.

We didn’t realize the walk to the restaurant would involve climbing up almost 400 steps!!! Still feeling the effects of bronchitis, I’m proud to say I made it to the top without too much breathlessness so I’m definitely getting better.

But guess what! After all those steps, we walk up to the restaurant only to read the sign on the door that said they were closed for vacation!!!!

It all turned out fine as we dined outside in a quaint little restaurant and enjoyed wine and a nice meal. And thankfully, the walk back was down the steps which was much easier.

Tomorrow is another busy day.