3/23/2010

The next road from Tarifa, Spain, led to Gibraltar, which is more famously referred to as the Rock of Gibraltar. Did you know it is under British control? One minute you are driving along in Spain and the next, passing through British customs.

The history is long and storied and territorial control not a settled issue in Spain’s view. Statistically speaking, the Rock is 426 m (1,398 ft) high. The sovereignty of Gibraltar was transferred from Spain to Great Britain by the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 after the War of the Spanish Succession. Most of the Rock’s upper area is covered by a nature reserve, which is home to around 300 Barbary apes (more on those later).

Atop the Rock is the Moorish Castle, a relic of the Moorish occupation of Gibraltar, which lasted for 710 years. It was built in the year A.D. 711, when the Berber chieftain Tariq ibn-Ziyad first landed on the Rock.

Moorish Castle, a relic of the Moorish occupation of Gibraltar, which lasted for 710 years

A unique feature of the Rock is its system of underground passages, known as the Galleries or the Great Siege Tunnels. The first of these was dug toward the end of the four years’ siege which lasted from 1779-1783. Having withstood long sieges, it seemed there was nothing that could destroy the Rock. This history has inspired the saying “solid as the Rock of Gibraltar.”

Our main goal was to see the Barbary macaque commonly referred to the Barbary ape because it lacks a tail. A colony of approximately 300 reside in caves near the top of the Rock, the only wild primates in Europe, most likely introduced from Africa. With dusk approaching we drove hurriedly along the steep and narrow road that leads to the top of the Rock.

You have to know that the road up the Rock is very narrow and curvy with only enough room for one car, and the Rock is very sheer. It is straight down 1,ooo feet to the ocean. The view was amazing and complaints of driving dangerously fast endless. But dusk was approaching.

We spotted our first ape about two-thirds up the Rock.

One of approximately 300 Barbary Apes on the Rock

Then they were everywhere.

Barbary apes are cute as can be, but they are known for their sharp teeth and bad temper so one is cautious, which helps to explain the blurry pictures. Stacy and I got out of the car and warily approached the apes.

Unfortunately, I inadvertently forgot to roll up my window. Added to that problem was that the car was parked very close to the sheer wall, which made getting out of the passenger side impossible. Sure enough, one of the apes decided to climb onto the car window and peer in. Betsy was trapped in the back seat.

Lots of screaming and yelling ensued, which fazed the ape not one iota, he barely paused then leaped onto the front seat to face Betsy. Breathing heavily with primordial lust, he grabbed the fruit salad from her hands, turned and scrambled out of the car window and ate the fruit—an expensive assortment she had bought in Tarifa. There he is with his ill-gotten treasure.

We were laughing so hard we could have fallen off the rock. We quickly noticed that Betsy was not laughing as much as she was recovering from her intimate encounter with the ape. He stole her fruit!

There was some talk that I was not “man” enough to fight off the ape or that I did not sacrifice myself to save my wife, but I did try to “shoo” it away. In my defense, I was in an awkward position in that the ape sat on the window sill for maybe two seconds, sizing up his prey before entering. My only recourse was to grab it by the nape of the neck to pull it backward. In that moment in time, attacking the ape did not seem like a wise course of action, especially given I was aware of their well-known temper issues (and sharp teeth). I think all was forgiven once Betsy escaped unharmed.

Our visit to Gibraltar was short but intense. Continuing to retell of the wild ape attack, we drove on and arrived in Malaga, Spain, late that evening. It was dark and busy, a big city of 500,000 people. Our hostel was not easily found and parking more difficult,  but once we settled in, it was in a great location. The next day, we went to the Cathedral which is beyond words (200 years to build), the Castle and the home of Picasso.

One last view of The Rock…

Majestic Rock of Gibraltar