The Rock of Gibraltar

Gibraltar is a United Kingdom colony on the southern tip of Spain. It has a population of 30,000 people fiercely loyal to the British crown. You have to go through a passport gate to enter. The Spanish government is not exactly thrilled that the British own this prime piece of real estate.

It has 30 miles of tunnels carved into it, making it very much like a block of Swiss cheese. The tunnels have been used for a variety of things, but mostly for defense purposes from World War II back hundreds of years.


It rises to 1,400 feet high and covers about 2.5 square miles. Looking south you can see a hint of north Africa.

The Barbary Macaque or the "Barbary Apes" number about 230. In 1943 when the population dwindled to four, Winston Churchill ordered a new batch to be captured in Morocco and released. It was said that Gibraltar would remain British as long as Macaques lived on "The Rock".

If you notice my expression, I do not look very happy. About 5 minutes earlier I slipped and scraped my knee while exploring St. Michael's Cave.

To enter Gibraltar you must cross the airport runway either by foot or car. You're back in Spain once you've departed the airport area.



We returned from the top of "The Rock" to Gibraltar's lively city square for a treat.

Spain -- At the Beach

One thing you might have noticed if you've been following my blog the last 4 years, is that I like going to the beach. Southern Spain has exceptional beaches (or "la playa"), but all have their differences. I visited three, and some more than once.

The beach at Rota Spain was conveniently located near uncle Gordie and aunt Tammy's house. It was also the best. It had warm Atlantic Ocean water and no shortage of beautiful sand.
You've seen pictures like this before. I love getting pounded by the surf. No wave is too big for me.
"Bring it on rip tides! Is this all you've got?!"
No need for sunscreen.
Also, a well placed jungle gym.

La Herradura, Spain on the Mediterranean. Spain has hundreds of miles of beaches along the Costa del Sol. This beach was a rocky beach and the water was a little cold, but the waves were BIG. Notice that I can challenge waves to a duel while holding a can of Fanta.

La Herradura, Spain. Here I'm waiting for the next big wave.
Marbella, Spain. You call this a wave?!
Dad only likes the little toddler waves.

The Bullring -- Ronda, Spain

Ernest Hemingway once said, "there is one town that would be better to see your first bullfight in, if you were only going to see one, and that is Ronda."

And..... we still have to see our first bullfight. Oh well. Mommy and daddy said they would give me the "G" rated version of bullfighting.

Ronda is a large "white hill town" perched on a cliff face. The Guadalevin River divides the city in two halves, which is connected by an impressive bridge.

The Puente Nuevo (or New Bridge) is not so new. It was completed in 1793. It drops 390 feet to the canyon floor.

Spectacular views!

Ronda is the birthplace of bullfighting. Ronda's bullring is the oldest in Spain.

I was told it's the bull's job to chase the matador around the bullring.

I played the part of the matador and daddy played the bull. Daddy underestimated my speed. There is no catching me.

After a lot of running around the bullring it was time to visit either a Gelateria or heladeria. It doesn't matter to me much, it's all good! In this case it was delicious gelato.

Tangier, Morocco

No sooner did we arrive in Spain, we left Spain. We went to Morocco in north Africa. We spent a full day in Tangier. It was quite a cultural experience. I had never been to a Muslim country before. I spent a lot of time learning Spanish for my trip only to find out that everybody in Morocco speaks Arabic.

View from the Kasbah.


We even found time for a 1 minute camel ride.
I highly recommend the two humpers!
We even came across other Americans. Rick Steves and his camera crew in Medina.
Snake charmer.
Me and a snake charmer. We'll see if I make it on Rick Steves' tv show. The camera crew got some good video.

Rick Steves trying to get away from dad. You can only talk so much to a travel groupie.
Street performers put on a show for the video camera.
Lunch in Tangier. I would only give this restaurant one star. No mac & cheese. No hot dogs. No chicken strips. Thank goodness for orange Fanta.

Spice shop. No tiny bottles like Penzeys Spices. You could build sand castles with these spice piles.
Taking a break at an outdoor cafe. A break from the street hustlers.
Dad was always saying "Lah" (Arabic for "no!") to the aggressive street vendors. I was always saying "yes" to what they were selling. Dad said I was making it difficult to negotiate a good price.
View of the shipyard.
I'm glad I'm not the bus driver. "Which exit do we want?"
Bus ride back to our ferry and then back to Spain. It was an exciting and memorable day.

Spain

I'm back from Spain! I had a super fantastic time! Uncle Gordie and aunt Tammy deserve a big "THANK YOU!". I didn't know what to expect at first. I spoke a little Spanish, but there were a lot of unknowns when it came to Spain. I was most pleasantly surprised throughout my trip. Spain is a wonderful country! The following blog entries will show some of the fun things I did in Spain and elsewhere.
Hiking to Bubion, Spain in the Sierra Nevada Mountains with uncle Gordie & aunt Tammy.
The beautiful Andalusia region of southern Spain.
Uncle Gordie & aunt Tammy's house. There weren't many "ranch style" homes in Spain, but that wasn't the case on the naval base in Rota, Spain.

Would I be able to play golf in Spain? "Yes!"

Would I be able to climb castles? "Yes!"

Would I be able to hitch a ride if my legs were tired? "Yes!"

Would Spain have jungle gyms? "Yes!"

Would there be trees in Spain that made it look like I needed a haircut? "Yes!"

Would Spain have cool beaches? "Yes!"