Apes and Refugees

I spent the day in Gibraltar yesterday. What a fascinating place with so much history! I took a walking tour of the rock and my guide, Karen, was fantastic. She knew Gibraltar inside and out. Gibraltar is still a British owned territory and they use the pound (much to my wallets dismay!). The country is only 2 square miles and in that area live 128,000 people making it one of the most densely populated countries in the world. I didn’t really feel like there was much congestion and people surrounding me though.

The rock has a very significant strategic positioning as it is the entrance into the Mediterranean Sea. One theory behind the rocks creations is that Hercules erected 2 pillars, the rock, and a mountain in Morocco (I can’t remember the name) to mark the end of the world. Of course back then it was believed the Earth was flat and if you sailed between these 2 pillars you would surely fall off and never be seen again. Columbus was actually the first one to try his luck. The scientific explanation is plate tectonics. The Arabs are believed to be the first people to inhabit the rock and it is also believed that they are the ones who brought the Barbary Apes to the rock. There is a colony of about 250 wild tailless apes that call the Rock of Gibraltar their home. They are incredible animals. If you have plastic bags or even regular bags they will try to open them up in search of candies or sweets. They’re also very photogenic and act like little kids.

I digress. Gibraltar is basically the southernmost tip of Spain and once belonged to Spain, but the British have been in control for just a little over 300 years. Franco shut down the border to Spain several times in the 60’s and 70’s and it’s been a very contentious political fight over Gibraltar. It is rumored that as long as the apes stay on the rock it will remain under British control. I’m going to stop with the historical information now, because I’m already forgetting all that the guide told us and don’t want to give anybody false information.

Inside the rock is St. Michael’s cave which has beautiful stalactites and stalagmites. There is even a stage inside the cave where they put on productions. During WWII, a hospital barracks was built in the cave, but never needed. There is also an extensive tunnel system within the rock and around 30,000 troops could survive within the rock for at least 2 years without seeing the sun.

I walked to Europa Point which is a lighthouse at the southernmost point of Europe. From there I was able to see Morocco; I think it’s neat that I can now say I’ve seen Africa – I think Australia and Antarctica maybe the only continents I haven’t seen now.

Speaking of Africa, we had an interesting event happen on Tuesday evening. Around 8:00 the captain made the “man over board” announcement. The alarm was sounded because there was a small row boat that was in distress. The captain decided to help them out and it turns out that they were rowing from Algeria and seeking political asylum. The captain brought them on board and planned to hand them over to the Gibraltan authorities, but they wouldn’t take them. We now have refugees sailing with us until we reach Southampton, and from there I have no idea what will happen to them. I thought this stuff only happened in the movies! I’m going to end my ramblings now as I’m struggling to write coherently…the brain just doesn’t seem to be working!