Rock On

Monday, April 25, 2011
Gibraltar, United Kingdom
Approaching Gibraltar from Seville, the first signpost you encounter indicating that the Rock even exists is just 10 km from the border, even though the first view you get of this, the European "Pillar of Hercules", is from nearly 30 km away. An indication that the sovereignty of Gibraltar is still a thorn in the side of Anglo-Spanish relations. It's been this way since soon after 1703 when Spain ceded Gibraltar to England “in perpetuity” following some war or other and they’ve been trying to get it back ever since. Not that Britain would ever give Gibraltar up without a struggle given its position “guarding” the entrance to the Mediterranean. In the intervening centuries, Gibraltar has withstood a barrage of attacks, sieges and blockades the last one ending as recently as 1982 after which Spain reopened the border first to pedestrians and a couple of years later to motor traffic. Still the Queen hasn’t stopped in since 1954; Prince Charles was even in Seville a couple of weeks back and then went on to Morocco without even a passing nod to Gibraltar. Undoubtedly all in the name of international diplomacy, but much to the chagrin of the 28,000 (human) inhabitants of Gibraltar.

A bit run down

Today, other than the sunshine, Gibraltar has the look, feel and food of a rather tired and down-at-heel English seaside town . Everywhere on the Rock is a little run down and in need of a good coat of paint. We stayed at The Rock Hotel, very much the “Grande Dame” of Gibraltar and one of the grand old hotels of the British Empire but as tired and in need of a good coat of paint as the rest of the colony. But like any old English seaside hotel, The Rock has a charm and attraction that is hard to explain, but probably won’t be around to experience for too much longer – there are rumours of demolition and construction of a luxury apartment block.

The ape and the egg

Thanks to Rob Horton we were introduced to and had the good fortune of being shown around Gibraltar by native Gibraltarian, Charlie Menez. Charlie, a retired banker (of the traditional conservative sort rather than the lot with today’s bad reputation as he explained to us) can trace his roots in Gibraltar back to before that fateful day in 1703 when the Rock was signed over to England. Charlie’s children and grandchildren live in Gibraltar; if anyone could say he knew the place it’s Charlie . As a resident of the Gibraltar, Charlie could take us up to points on the Rock which are difficult to access except on an organized tour. The incredible complex of caves, some natural, but most excavated over the centuries as part of the defense against various invaders; the view over the Straits of Gibraltar with the coast of north Africa (and the other “Pillar of Hercules”) just 15 km away; the airport built on what had been no-man’s land between Spain & Gibraltar with a runway that crosses the road that links the two countries (planes taking off and landing have right of way over cars); and of course, the Barbary apes. The “apes” are actually tailless monkeys, related to African macaques although how they actually came to be on the Rock is a mystery. They’re not found anywhere else in Europe and presumably this colony is happy to stay put because they are fed by the Gibraltar government and don’t need to forage for themselves. Completely accustomed to humans, the apes congregate where they know that not only will they be fed, but that there are also plenty of photo ops! Despite the threat of fines, the local “taxi” drivers (actually hustling tour guides – they’re not too keen on just taking you from A to B) provide illicit food to the apes to get them to pose for the tourists . This induces the apes to be even more adventurous and the Rock Hotel’s bedrooms have notices advising guests not to leave windows open in unattended rooms – the apes have become very clever and dexterous when it comes to finding food. We were there over Easter weekend and the hotel left a chocolate Easter egg in each bedroom. Sandra and I ate half of an egg and then made the mistake of leaving the window open when we went out. That was the last we saw of either the remaining chocolate, a cardboard tube of M&M’s (Smarties) and a dish of candies also compliments of the hotel. Nothing else touched or disrupted, but next morning, Harvey and Noelene in an adjacent room found a couple of smug looking apes sitting on their balcony!

An odd place

An odd place indeed! A small piece of England in the Mediterranean which has played a key role in British colonial history from before the Battle of Trafalgar - the first time Napoleon "met his Waterloo" (the story has it that the injured Admiral Lord Nelson was brought ashore here after the battle in a rum barrel) through WWII. A majority of Gibraltarians it seems want to remain British - it will be fascinating to see how it all plays out!

Comments

eve and den
2011-04-27

The parades in your photos are just spectacular,thaks for sharing it with us,enjjoy the rest of your holiday best regards Denis

jan
2011-04-29

Love receiving your updates....a good little history lesson every now and then is good for the soul. Cheers Jan

2025-02-16

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