A Cloud on the Rock of Gibraltar

As we left the cloud began to rise

A little bit of the UK is tucked away on the edge of the Mediterranean and we decided we'd like to pop in and hopefully find a proper cup of tea.

The Spanish have continued to assert a claim over the rock since the Castillians finally won it off the Moors and pushed them off the peninsula in 1502. The British won it off the Spanish in 1830 with some help from their Dutch allies and have successfully defended their claim through sieges, border closures and two referendums. It remains a British Overseas Territory today. Our guide told us that just 6mths ago the border was slowed right down by the Spanish again and it would have taken 1.5hrs to cross the border back into Spain instead of the five minute wander with no passport being looked at that we experienced.

The earliest known inhabitant of the rock is a Neanderthal skull found in one of the caves 8yrs before, but unidentified while languishing  in the British Museum, a similar skull was found in Neander - Germany.

Replica of the skull found in St M's Caves
Flicker:ecemaml

The citizens are now a mixture of British, Spanish, Italian(washed ashore and settled on the eastern side centuries ago) Moroccans and Maltese. They
were granted full UK citizenship in 1981 and have governed themselves with elections for a 17 strong parliament since 1922. The Governor is still selected and installed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as in the Constitutional Monarchies of Australia and New Zealand. Britain remains responsible for Foreign policy, defence, internal governance and has an input on judicial appointments. Long ago in its past a new Governor was sent out to clean up the dreadful alchohol fueled debauchery and general misconduct on the Rock - he ended up by building his own brewery and became a very rich man.

Making a huge racket as our wheelie bags clattered across the pavers on our way from the Ferry terminal to the bus station in Algeciras.  The red bag has been put to use for souvenirs and groceries.  We passed mandarins, Lipton tea bags and  muesli bars from a Casablanca supermarket through Spanish customs without challenge.

 To get to this highly strategic lump of Jurassic limestone once off the Ferry from Tang Med (Ferries straight across the Strait to Gibraltar only go on Sundays) we decided to ask directions. The lady in the information booth at the Algeciras Ferry terminal told us that it was a 40 min bus trip to La Linea, the Spanish border town and that the bus station was about 400m away. She gave us a map that also showed the Train station on it and off we went.

Can you guess why none of the fragile things were stuffed into Petal's bag!

We were all feeling a bit weary so M and I left the girls to sit in the bus station and mind the bags while we nipped over to the train station to book our tickets to Cordoba the next day. I had read in several places that tickets needed to be reserved before the day of travel but the way the sales lady was looking at us I think these references must have been if you were using the Eurail Pass. She didn't speak a single bit of English and was very confused that we were buying tickets for the next day. Luckily the destination was a Spanish word - how convenient. By holding fingers up for how many tickets, departure time and date it all got sorted.

By the time we got back to the bus station we had missed the bus by seconds so we sat and waited for the next one in 30 mins. The trip cost 2.40 Euro each and took just over an hour. It was warm inside and the gentle rolling of Spanish conversation was very soothing, it doesn't take too much imagination to figure what happened, snore - luckily our stop was the last one.

It's funny how little things can easily turn into a crisis when you're tired, when we got off at the La Linea stop just such a thing happened - M's phone ran out of charge(treasure the photo above, it was one of the last things it did on 3.1.14 - our longest day this year). This of course meant that we were lost.  The Spanish didn't make it easy for people wanting to get to Gibraltar by having their bus depo next to the border or by having any useful signs! Taking the train is worse though because its last stop is on the other side of the town, I had found that out before leaving home. Petal lifted her arm to point at a Taxi, too used to the cheap as chips lifts in Morocco. Even so, the taxi prices in England and Spain have proven to be substantially less than Sydney!

It took a while for my natural feminine instincts to kick in after relying on M and his GPS for directions when they are around but eventually I woke up and asked at a local realtor beside the bus station, I figured they should know the town fairly well. As I opened my mouth they smiled and pointed up the road and said - 'Look for the flags'.  Maybe the suitcase following me in gave me away. 

The Spanish, European Union, Territory of Gibraltar flags and the Union Jack were waving hello around the next corner. Cars were queuing for a long way to cross the border, we found out that petrol is tax free in Gibraltar, so many of the locals would cross over to fill up. We spotted pedestrian crossings and wove our way to the flow of people going into Gibraltar. Just before getting to the check point we passed an indignant American loudly announcing that 'I don't know whether I want to visit a country that won't let my sister in anyway.' A red faced young woman was walking back towards us shushing him saying that there was a silly mix up with ... and I didn't hear the rest.  Have been trying to come up with a good reason why when all we did was hold up our face pages that were barely glanced at by the border security officer as we trollied past. Maybe she had an insulting T-shirt on? 

The Queen's Hotel where we stayed centre rear. This is the arch dug out of the city's walls to put a road through in 1967 to celebrate the first 'We want to stay British' referendum. Charles V put the first one through the Moors wall in 1552 then the British put one through in 1883 with their coat of arms after their claim and battle for the territory in 1830.
Although the phone box declares British ownership they drive on the right to stop confusion when crossing from Spain.

A well organised civic service provided us with a list of hotels. We picked one to fit the budget, rang to confirm availability - my phone was working! We caught a cab and lucked upon an enthusiastic Gibraltian, a devout christian  with 6 kids. He offered to take us on a tour of the rock the next morning which meant we could check out and leave our bags in the van as we got in and out to see the sights then be dropped back at the border with plenty of time to catch the bus back to Algeciras and make our 3pm train.  After negotiating the price(posters we were passing assured us that it was a good one) and more importantly the pick up time, we pushed him back from 9 to 11 thinking we might like a relaxing start to the day.

After a soak in the bath (in a hotel that was five star in the 1920's) M and I left the girls dozing in front of movies and went down to the Picadilly Cafe.  The billboards by the front door that we could see from our balcony promised that cup of tea but even here they used hot milk with the tea bag already in it when served. The girls are convinced I'm an addict, perhaps having a couple of bags in the handbag in case of finding hot water may point in this direction.

Afterwards we walked around the blocks close to our hotel and came across a statue of Nelson. After his tragic demise in the triumph of Trafalga they plunged his body into a barrel of brandy, camphor and mhyrr to preserve him for a state funeral. HMS Victory was towed to Gibraltar for repairs after winning the battle against the French and Spanish Navies. Many of the sailors who died in that battle are buried in the ditches below the city walls. When Nelson's body arrived at Gibraltar they placed him in a steel coffin and covered him in more brandy. His coffin was loaded onto the HMS Pickle (This is true even if it was brandy instead of brine!) to be taken back to England for burial. 

The was a restaurant in town called Nelson's that is all done out in nautical brass like the Victory's poop (enclosed cabin in the stern of the ship in case anyone thinks Victory was Nelson's parrot or pooch). I had thought this would be a good visit but M suggested that the 12 block walk might be a bit much in our exhausted state.

We popped across the road to Mama Mia and enjoyed a lovely Italian meal. My parmigearno and pear tortelloni was delish but could have done with some butter crisped sage leaves tossed on top. I was lucky to have eaten it at all as when I went to shake over some pepper my hand let go and the shaker ended up in the middle of the plate splashing some of the family in the yummy sauce, we didn't have a very quiet table.

Morning view of the cable car up the rock out
of our hotel window. A little rain on both balconies.

An early night and lovely long sleep put us to rights but I woke to the sound of rain. This was the only bad weather had on the whole trip, right on the day where taking in the views was the whole point of the location. We were very glad that we had arranged a van tour rather than walking it all. A huge cruise ship had pulled in and all the cabbie tour guys were busy. As we drove back to the border there were groups trying to find people to take them up. I hope our nice guide was kept busy for the rest of the day. You have to have a tour guide licence to be allowed to drive up on the upper rock because the roads are high, steep and narrow. Michael was quite glad of the cloud hiding some of the falls.

First Stop: The Pillar of Hercules
Actually there are two, the second is on the African coast, most think it is Monte Hacho at Ceuta. The ancient Greeks wrote that these two 'pillars' marked the edge of the world. The Myth is that Hercules used his superhuman strength to either punch a hole in the mountain blocking his path - leaving the two large rocks or he pushed land in to narrow the gap and stop monsters entering the Mediterranean. In Dante's Inferno, Ulyssys is said to justify endangering his men by sailing 5 months past the landmarks in order to gain knowledge of the unknown, the story continues with a whirlwind destroying his ship for daring to approach the mountains of purgatory before death. Plato wrote that the city of Atlantis was past the Pillars, meaning in the unknown.
Sir Francis Bacon was on the (front?) of the tide of England's late Renaissance with his publication of Novum Organum - The Great Renewal. He asks for James I to sponser a new attitude of inquiry based study of the natural world instead of relying on past 'knowledge'.

The title page of his thesis uses the Pillars of Hercules to refer to the physical exploration of the world that has only bought advance to humanity and that an intellectual 'sailing into the unknown' should assist mankind as well.  The SparkNotes summary demonstrates the pull from Church controlled learning "Bacon prays that greater understanding does not draw men away from God, or cause atheism and pride to arise in them. Inquiries into nature are not forbidden by God, but knowledge must be used with charity, for the improvement of life. Bacon asks that people see his work as the foundation for human progress and empowerment, not as dogma. He asks them to put away their prejudices and participate in the great renewal. It is a task that cannot be accomplished in a lifetime."    
The second Pillar is in Ceuta, funnily Spain makes claim to this 'autonomous'(from the province of Cadiz in 1995) city in North Africa and is embroiled in the same conflict with Morocco over ownership as it is with Britain over Gibraltar. Ceuta is a free port and part of the E.U.
The Spanish golden dollars had the pillars and a ribbon like their coat of arms and I read that this influenced the design of the U.S. dollar sign.

Isn't it amazing how so much has been made and idea s instilled over a couple of rocky outcrops.

The Strait of Gibraltar and the Pillars of Hercules Source-http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03397  Interactive map of Gibraltar here: http://dotcom.gi/map/home.htm More than what I have room to share here: http://www.visitgibraltar.gi

Second Stop: St Michael's Caves
Not a patch on the Jenolan Caves, they have been badly damaged and are dry and grey but have been used for thousands of years for shelter and hiding in.

A stage with tiered seating and sound system has been built in the main gallery for concerts and plays.

A fallen Stalictite had fallen so they sawed an end off. this showed that it was several smaller stalitites that had merged together.  It looked like a cross between the cross section of a large tree and marble, quite beautiful.

Petal is standing in the entrance to the passage down to the freshwater lake far below.  Our guide said that he and all the boys of his generation were taken down here in their early teens as a sort of initiation into manhood. Now that the stairs and ramps are there for tourists to be able to book a walk down the challenge is missing.

Peering down the stairs and walkways into the deep

The foggy cloud did not stop him from staking a claim.

Third Stop: Top of the Rock
Monkey feeding stations are set up around teh rock and tourists are encouraged not to feed them. Our guide said that if any official tour guides are seen to be feeding or allowing their customers to feed the monkeys there is a big fine now.  In the recent past a few tourists were attacked when they ran out of food.  The military are responsible for regular culling. Back when Winston Churchill was Prime minister there was a push to get rid of all of them because they sneak into peoples houses and steal things but he stopped them and put some legislation into the constitution because of the myth that as long as their were monkeys on the rock it would remain in Bristish control. Much the same as the ravens at the Tower of London.  I guess just prior to WWII Gibraltar was a very important piece of real estate.

Up at the lookout acting like an ape because
there was nothing to see!

The girls didn't even bother walking up but stayed to watch the baby ape eating
Our guide and his van - tight squeeze in places.

The runway goes across the neck between La Linea and Gibraltar. During WWII they built out into the sea to make it a mile long . There are usually two flights in and out a day and traffic lights to stop the road vehicle traffic running across it at those times.  It used to be a race course and not all the inhabitants were pleased about the changes.

Looking out over the Mediterranean side of the rock, it didn't look very inviting on this winter day.

Fourth Stop: Defence Tunnels
We came down from the cloud to the entrance of the tunnels used as early as the four year siege by the French and Spanish. The tunnels in the limestone were originally dug out to store supplies and create water reservoirs but when a hole was put in the side and the commander saw that it was a perfect place to rain cannons down onto the enemy.  A special cannon base was created to aim the cannon down and so balls crashed on the troops and cavalry of the their enemy.

 A young monkey thinking we had something yummy to offer

One great story that I think could be made into a Hollywood blockbuster. When the French thought that the Bristish army was weakened by its commitment to the American War of Independence. They were planning to invade Britain and had a treaty to this end with Spain thinking that securing Gibraltar was the first easy step. They built a wooden stronghold on the Spanish mainland in one night. This freaked the Brits out but a hero, General George Elliot decided to take 2000 British troops on a night time raid. After the New moon set, about 2:30am they crept into the enemy camp and torched the new structure.  They blew up all the gun powder stores and damaged most of the artillary beyond repair. Commander Elliott bought his troops home with only 4 dead, 20 or so injured and 1 missing. A little later jealousies between the Spanish commander and the head of French artillery collapsed their allegiance ending the siege with a polite note from the Spanish commander saying that the blockade had been lifted.

One of the big rooms dug into the rock to house cannon.  A chimney begins center top to let the smoke from the gunpowder out of the chamber.  Another tourist got caught in Ms photo.

Moorish Castle a smaller rebuild of the original. 

Drive Pass:
The Spanish destroyed the original castle, which had the tallest homage tower and largest area of any they later built on the Iberia Peninsula, in their conquest of 1309. 41 years later the Moors won Gibraltar back until the final European push to rid the peninsula of Moors and Jews in 1462.
Gibraltar was important to the Moors because it was from here that Tariq ibn Ziyad first landed his troops that would see the Visigoth Hispanic rule taken over all the way up to the Pyrenees Mountains to be ruled by the Muslim Moors for over seven centuries. The name Gibraltar is said to be a hispanic deriviation of Jebel Tariq - Mountain of Tariq.

LaLinea Bus Station on our return

Thanks to our rest in Gibraltar we are bright and bushy tailed ready for the next adventure.

Reading Now: A good time to reread one of Georgette Heyer's classic romantic histroical novels. More romance than accurate history as always in a rollicking yarn. A good way to fill all the train time.
Beauvallet 1929 Follows the unlikely career of a swashbucking Elizabethean hero aboard his ship grabbing treasures for his Queen from the heavy Spanish ships crossing from America. On one he discovers a 'jewel' of high price and determines to 'rescue' her from Madrid to be his wife.
At one point the hero impersonates a french spy and gets to met Felipe II himself.  This fragment is of the inquisitor monk who creeps in to advise the Spanish monarch.

"A new voice spoke from the door behind Philip. 'A man in league with the powers of darkness could do it.' A monk of the Dominican order had come in quietly.  His cowl partly shaded his face, but his eyes shone dark and intense.  He came farther into the room. 'I have thought on this sire.' He sighed heavily.'Who can say what such a man might do? ... Consider, sire, what dreadful errand this man may have come upon,' insisted Frey Luis in a hushed voice....Who knows in what cunning ways Satan goes to work?'
....King Philip was not at all inclined to believe i it.  His matter of fact mind discarded it as the wildest of suppositions, 'A test might be made,' he mused. 'A simple Mass perhaps.'
Frey Luis spoke again. 'There are tests the Holy Inquisition would impose that would be harder to pass.  We have to think of the soul sire.  Let this man be given over to the infinite compassion of the Church ...The Holy Inquisition is tender above all things and infinitely just,' said Frey Luis earnestly. 'It does not leap to conclusions and there can be nothing to be feared at its hands by a true son of Christ.  If this man be the Chevalier he could raise no objection to appearing before a tribunal appointed to sift him.'  p 272 -276

The horrors of those who judge in God's place here on Earth.