Gibraltar Day Two: A Rainy And Foggy Start, Then A Sunny And Scenic Walk Down From The Rock.

After my breakfast at the Rock Hotel on my recent visit to Gibraltar  I changed back into my rain gear and walked down to the cable car lift, a few blocks from the hotel.  Upon arriving I learned the lift was closed because of the rain and wind. I looked fora  Plan B and found it nearby. I joined a guided tour that would take me to the Top of the Rock. I planned leave the tour at the summit and walk back down to my hotel.

The  tour van  drove the winding road up the side of the Rock in a steady rain and fog. Our guide  informed us on the history of the Rock and we were soon at out first stop, the Pillars of Hercules.  The monument explained how  the Rock of Gibraltar in Europe and, most likely,  Abila Mons in Africa,  were the two famous pillars in the legend in   which Hercules pushed  apart  these mountains and  opening  the Mediterranean Sea to  the Atlantic Ocean.

Unfortunately,  the clouds and fog obscured our view of Africa.

We continued up the steep, foggy and winding road where we were left off near the summit  and in the Upper Rock Nature Preserve, now part of the Gibraltar Nature Preserve which includes 40% of the territory of Gibraltar.  .

We were immediately surrounded by the famous monkeys  or apes that live on  the Rock.

I was warned they could be nasty and would steal items from tourist requiring payment in foo for their return. I saw none of this nasty activity  and I enjoyed the monkeys and their engagement with the tourists.

Almost all of them monkeys were females and juveniles. 

I only saw on large male.

The monkeys are Barbary macaque monkeys from the Atlas Mountains in Africa. They were introduced to Gibraltar  long ago and the exact origin of who introduced them is lost in time. 

I watched the young monkeys interact with the tourists. They loved playing, and eating the vans.  The group spent about a 1/2 hour with the monkeys. When the group moved on I decided to walk back down the  Rock. Here is a link to a gallery with more photos  of the monkeys on my blog website. Spain Day Three  Gibraltar monkeys March 14  2025.

As I walked down the steep road the  thick fog, rain and clouds obscured my view of the summit of the Rock. The roads were narrow and I had to keep my eyes, and ears on  alert for tourist vans driving up the mountain.

A steady rain fell as I walked down the winding and steep road. I had my camera covered with a plastic bag and occasionally took some photos of the  beautiful  views below.

There was little wildlife or bird activity in the poor weather conditions but I did see  this flock of rock doves . These birds were domesticated and  are an invasive pest in the United States and most cities in the world but they are native to the cliffs of western Europe.

I continued my hike down  the hillside in a heavy rain and  wind.

I was glad when I got to St. Michael’s Cave.

I was only going to stop and purchase my admission ticket for the reserve.  I was glad to get out of the rain and decided to take a quick tour of the famous caves visited by over a million people each year. The limestone caves have been inhabited since prehistoric times. I have seen many caves, and they are all impressive but I wanted  to  continue on my hike so did not wait for the  famous light shows.

I left the sanctuary of the caves and found the rain had slowed down. As I walked down Spur Battery Road  I saw  blue skies in the distance.

The rain eventually stopped as I walked down the road along the slope of the Rock.   At first there were a lot of tourist vans on the road, but , the trail left the main road and I had a quiet walk with views of the bay and town of Gibraltar below.

 There was little wildlife or bird activity in the woods along the road.  One of the reasons for my visit to Gibraltar and southern Spain was the Spring bird migration from Africa.  I was disappointed I was not seeing or hearing many birds,  but the views were beautiful.

There were some wildflowers  blooming along the trail, and interesting,  two were, I believe,  members of the onion family, this is rosy garlic  a species of wild garlic,

and this three cornered leek. 

Google lens tells me this is branched asphodel.I  was surprised there were not more wildflowers along the road. However the woods along the road  were green with lush  plants and trees unfamiliar to me.  I wish I had the time to learn to identify all of them.

I crossed under the cable car lift and here, started to see exhausted folks walking up the road.  It was a  pleasant easy hike downhill  at first but the sun  soon  warmed up the cool air. I had my rain gear on  I was getting hot too.

I still enjoyed the magnificent views of the  city below,

and was able to see where I walked in the rain earlier in the morning.

The only bird I saw on my hike down  the Rock was this Sardinia warbler. I was excited to see it, thinking it was the first of many migratory warblers. Sadly, it was the only one I would see and I learned it was very common in  Gibraltar and southern Spain.  Here is a link to  a gallery  on my blog web  site with some more photos of my walk down the Rock. Spain Day Three . Gibraltar . Hike  Upper Rock Nature Preserve. March 14 2025.

I was now following Station Road down the hillside until I came to the road that led to the Great Siege Tunnels. I decided to take a quick look at these historic tunnels  learned a lot of history from the exhibits  on my  quick walk through the  dark and wet tunnels.

I learned how they were built by the British in 1782 during the Great Siege of 1779 to 1783 when France and Spain tried to capture Gibraltar during the American Revolutionary War. 

I also learned General Elliot, the man who’s monument I had seen in the Botanical Gardens led the British forces in the siege.

It was a dark and wet hike in the narrow tunnels but I walked through to the end.  I got a different view of Gibraltar from the tunnel. I wish I had more time to read all of the exhibits but I was glad I took the walk up the hill to visit the tunnels.

After leaving the tunnels I continued my hike down hill,

l and came to the World War II tunnels. It was getting late in the afternoon, and I was tired, so I did  not spend much time here, although I wish I could have.

I did learn the tunnels were built to accommodate 16,000 soldiers, an amazing feat. I took a quick peek inside at the Spitfire airplane on display.

After leaving the WWII tunnels, I continued down  hill, meeting large groups of tourists walking up, and made one more stop before I left the Upper Rock Nature Reserve, the Moorish Castle.

Again it was a quick visit but I learned some history of the Moorish invasion and the building of the castle in the 8th century. There is a lot of history  in Gibraltar.

I left the castle, and the turtle living in the pond,

 and walked into  the city of Gibraltar. I decided to take the back streets to the hotel. I enjoy walking in the residential areas of a city and especially the ones were the regular folks live. 

So I walked on Calpe Street until I came to a dead end and had to back track a few blocks. This happens when exploring new cities.

I returned to another narrow street , Castle Road and followed it toward my hotel.

It took me through a modest residential neighborhood. I heard music and voices as I walked past open windows.

I descended a lot of steps as I followed the back streets along the hillside of the Rock. . Dogs barked, children cried and folks walked by. I left be exploring cities.

The residences in neighborhood became older and run down,and were mostly older apartment buildings.

I loved looking into open doors ,

and having a look inside. I wondering who lived here when these old buildings were first built, what did they eat, where did they work, did they have families, were they happy or lonely, and so many other thoughts .

I also wondered these same questions about the folks that live here now.I walked past them s patriotic street, painted with the colors of the British flag

and this old church. Again, I wished I had more time to explore.

But I was tired, and hungry so I walked back to the hotel. I was glad to see the famous Rock Hotel on below the more famous Rock of Gibraltar. Here is a link to  a gallery  on my blog web  site with some more photos from the rest of my 4 1/2 mile walk down the Rock. Spain Day Three . Gibraltar . Hike  Upper Rock Nature Preserve.Part two  March 14 2025

 It was around 3 p.m. when I returned to the hotel. I was tired , from my flight, the time change, not sleeping and from my 8 mikes of hiking. I edited some photos, showered and was soon having an early diner at the hotel. I started with a bowl of pumpkin soup,

and had salmon and pasta for my main course. I was soon in my room, and dozed off immediately. However I didn’t sleep well and was up in the middle . Eventually, I slept, thinking about my morning exploring Gibraltar and my adventures in Spain.

 Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life—and travel—leaves marks on you. – Anthony Bourdain