Saturday a group of people from the base went to the Rock of Gibraltar. It was about a 2 hour drive from the base and we ended up having to take two vehicles. We stopped at a venta to grab some coffee and something to eat about halfway there and then rolled on into Gibraltar.
When we arrived in Gibraltar we parked on the Spanish side of the border and walked across to the British side. When you walk into British control, you are right at the airport. There is a public road that runs right across the runway and they stop traffic about 5 minutes before a plane is ready to land. It's almost like getting stopped at the train tracks except all of the sudden a huge airliner goes by.
We caught a bus that took us closer to the city center and also closer to transportation to the top of the rock. Once we arrived at the city center, we started walking to the base of the Rock of Gibraltar. On the way, we ran into a tour taxi driver and we settled on a price to take the 7 of us to the top of the rock.
We started up the 1400ft incline to the top of the rock and our first stop was at the Pillars of Hercules. This is the closest point between southern Europe and Africa. The day was cloudy and it was hard to see the coast of Africa but you could make out some of the coastline. This is also the point where the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea meet, and from here you can see two major bodies of water and two continents from one vantage point, I thought that was pretty cool.
Hercules needed a break, so Navarro filled in for a few minutes!
The second stop on the tour was the St. Michael's Caves. These are natural limestone caverns that have been opened to the public. They have some really interesting features inside but the really fun part about this stop is the monkeys. There are approximately 400 monkeys on Gibraltar and they roam about freely but generally stay where the tourist are because the get fed. They are pretty tame for the most part but just like any animal, if you antagonize them they will try to bite you. Rolando took a few tangerines and we fed them to the monkeys. One of the monkeys stole one of the girls water bottles, it was like a little kid with a new toy. He would try to balance on it and when he would fall off, he would throw it up in the air and make a bunch of noise like he was mad at the bottle. It was pretty funny! Needless to say, the monkey ended up keeping the water bottle as the girl didn't really want it back, can't say I blame her!
Next we got back in the van and went to the highest point on the rock that tourists are allowed to go. From here you can again see the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The trade winds blow the clouds right up one side of the rock and it is an awesome site to see.
The final stop on our tour was the Siege Tunnels. These are approximately 36 Km of man made tunnels that were carved into the rock to build an impenetrable fortress. There are living quarters, officers quarters, and eating areas for the military and soldiers stayed in the tunnels as recently as WWII. There are cannons pointing at the Med, and Atlantic sides as well as cannons that are in defensive positions over the city of Gibraltar.
After our tour we stopped at "The Angry Friar", a traditional British pub where they serve fish and chips. 
After that, we caught the bus back to the airport and then walked back into Spain for our drive back to the base. This was a once in a lifetime trip, and the only thing that would have made it better, would be to have my family here to experience it with me.
Life Sign, Day 32: God is free to use any area of my life to do His will.
Life in Action, Day 32: What can I do to make myself more available for ministry, both personally and through my church?
1 comment:
That highest point picture looks like a good picture for "Upward Point."
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