Spain Day 3--Gibraltar, Ronda, Puerto Banús

Gibraltar, a British territory, is a fascinating place, located at the entrance of the Mediterranean Sea. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region. On a clear day, Morocco is visible across the Strait of Gibraltar, but not on the day we visited. We drove to the Rock and took a tour of the sites on the rock. Before the tour, we walked through the Botanic Gardens.The people of Gibraltar speak English, Spanish, and a mix of the two, slipping back and forth from one to the other, often in mid-sentence. A few times I had difficulty understanding our guide and I offended him when I thought he pointed to the Spanish Naval Base. He quickly corrected me and said it was a British Naval Base. Duh! I could definitely sense his British/Gibraltarian pride throughout the tour.

We stopped at the Apes' Den, which is filled with Europe's only wild primates, the Barbary apes. Legend says the apes came over from Africa through tunnels in the Rock. Here's a mama ape picking at something in the fur of her little one. St. Michael's Cave, a network of limestone caves created by rainwater seeping through the limestone gradually dissolving the rock. In the past, people thought the cave was a possible subterranean link with Africa.During WWII, the cave was set up as an emergency military hospital, but it was never used as one. This auditorium seats 100 and is used for concerts, plays, and beauty pageants.Upper Rock with views of the eastern side and coast
We also toured the Great Siege Tunnels, a complex defense system hewn out of the Rock by the British during the siege of 1779-83 to provide gun emplacements.After our tour, we walked down Main Street in Gibraltar and browsed the shops and ate delicious fish and chips. Yum!

Later that day we went to Ronda, a pueblo blanco (white village) in the countryside.The bridge connecting Old Ronda to newer RondaWe visited the bullring in Ronda, built in 1785.On our way home from Ronda, we stopped at Puerto Banús for ice cream and to check out the boutique shops and luxurious marina. It was built in 1970 for the super rich and their expensive yachts. It has berths for 915 boats, including those of the King of Saudi Arabia and several of the world's wealthiest individuals. Amy bought a Louis Vuitton here, knock-off of course!