GIBRALTAR

Although Gibraltar was never on my list of places to visit, I'm certainly glad I got to see it.  It really is a fascinating place.  It is a rock that is 2.75 miles long, three-quarters of a mile wide and 1,396 feet in height.
It is 8 miles from Africa and is the gateway between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.  A very strategic spot throughout history.  For more info go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibraltar
With the limited time I had to explore I managed to see three places.  Point Europa, St. Michael's Cave and Ape's Den.

This is Morocco, Africa as seen from Point Europa.  I was using the zoom feature on the camera. The ancient Greeks called the two sides of the Straights of Gibraltar the "Pillars of Hercules."  Supposedly Hercules had one foot in Morocco and the other in Gibraltar.  As far as I know, no evidence of the statue has ever been discovered.

 Another shot of Morocco from Point Europa.

St. Michael's Cave is one of the top tourist attractions of Gibraltar.  It is a limestone cave and according to the tour guide it is still a living cave.  It was really cool in both senses of the word.

 More of St Michael's.  There is a concert hall in part of the cave.  The tour guide said that the acoustics are phenomenal.  For more info on St. Michael's go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Michael's_Cave

 The roads are very narrow, very steep and very windy.  You're climbing almost 1,400 feet and the rock is only three-quarters of a mile wide.  Here's a view from a stop near the monkeys.  The ship is in the background.

Hey!! Hey!! They're the Monkeys!!  Actually the Barbary Macaques. These fellows were fun to watch.  Especially the young ones.  They climbed all over the buses and vans that had stopped and played on the roof of one of the buses.  I took several pictures of this one but never could get him to look straight at me.  You can tell by his attitude he could care less.  They are very friendly and will sometimes climb on tourists.   We were also told to hang on to our sunglasses and hats because they will take them and disappear over the side of the cliff and you will never see your stuff again .

 I thought this was a good shot of the cable cars.  One going up, one coming down, almost crossing.  the cable car goes up to the top of the rock.  That I'll do on my next visit.  I heard the lines were long and with a limited amount of time I wanted to see as much as I could.

 More of the monkeys.

 For more info on these guys go to  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbary_macaques_in_Gibraltar

The Port Authority sign.  I enjoyed Gibraltar and will go back if I have the opportunity.  There is more to see, the scenery is breathtaking, they speak English and they drive on the right side of the road.