Gibraltar, the Rock

(Excerpt from the Ship's Librarian, June 4)
We’ve been in view of “The Rock” for several days doing maneuvers. Gibraltar is just that, a giant rock rising up from the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea pushed up by the collision of Africa and Europe. It is attached to Spain but owned by the British where they have used it as a naval base to protect their interests for hundreds of years. As such, English is the mother tongue making communication a little easier than in the Azores.

We docked at the main dock at 8:00 Friday. Many times the ship docks miles away from anything and the logistics of getting around can be complicated. This time we are once again lucky because, like Ponta Delgada, we are docked right near the center of town.

Today I’m doing a tour of the rock. There are intricate caves dug into it by generations of defenders. At the top there are huge defensive guns for its protection. And then there are the infamous monkeys who roam the summit. These are the wild Barbary Apes brought here as pets by British Sailors. Supposedly, they are the biggest crime threat on the island. They are notorious for stealing sunglasses, hats, cameras, etc. It’s going to be interesting.

I’m taking a tour over to Morocco on Saturday. The ship is arranging tours for each of the days in port. It’s about a 10 mile ferry ride from Gibraltar and then I’ll have set foot in Africa for the first time. This should be a real adventure. I’d love to get over to Spain too, maybe on Sunday.