Gibraltar Day 2 (6/14)

Today we took a guided tour around Gibraltar.  I usually don't do these, but in this case we wanted to see all that we could in the time we had.  I'm glad we did.  The guide was a native and was full of information about the territory.

First stop was the 100-Ton Gun.  This huge weapon was first fired in 1889 and is only one of two in the world--the other one is in Malta.  The barrel got so hot when fired, that it could only be shot once every four minutes.  Our guide said the the firepower of the gun then compares to a nuclear weapon today.

The gun barrel

The 17.2 inch shell

Europa Point was the next stop.  This is the southernmost point in Gibraltar and has a few features in in the park here.

Gen. Wladislaw Sikorski Monument

Europa Point Lighthouse.  Unfortunately it was being painted.

Europa Point Mosque, with the Rock in the background.

St. Michael's Cave is a network of limestone tunnels that are located in the Upper Rock Natural Reserve.  It gets over 1,000,000 visitors a year.  The largest chamber (Cathedral Cave) is used as an auditorium.

I thought it was a bit kitschy with the lighting changes and the club music, but it was impressive and it made for  some good pictures.

The Auditorium

St. Michael's Cave

St. Michael's Cave

Legend has it that as long as there are Barbary Apes on the Rock, Gibraltar will remain British.  Our guide --who told us he'd been doing these tours for 18 years--was very familiar with the apes and could tell them all apart.  He knew where there were babies and when an Alpha male came around.

Barbary Ape

On our guide's van waiting for peanuts.

Jason with a primate on his head.  This is officially discouraged.

I thought Kyle would lose his hat.  We were told that they will take things.

The sheer side of the Rock.

The American Revolution was an event that affected many places, not just Britain and the US.  The British moved thousands of troops stationed in Gibraltar to support the fight against American rebels.  The Spanish took note of this sudden vulnerability and tried to take it back.  This led to the Great Siege, and the eventual construction of the Great Siege Tunnels.

View from one of the tunnels.

Cannon overlooking the border.

Another view from the tunnels.  The military cemetery is directly below.

Final stop was the Moorish Castle.  I had walked up to this the day before, but couldn't go in as it required tickets.  Now we got in and could climb to the top.

Inside the grounds

View from the top (looking uphill).

Gibraltar was full of surprises.  I was expecting a sleepy little British town without much going on, but I was surprised at how much traffic there was, all of the construction, and the overall energy and pride.  There was some concern about the future (due to Brexit), but they are forging ahead.