Rota Spain Part 1

My next stop was Rota, Spain. There's a naval base there and it's possible to catch a military flight back to the States, so I thought I would scope it out. One of the benefits of being retired military is that I can fly on a space-available basis for free or near free. I had also heard quite a bit about Rota; that there were a lot of interesting places to go in the area like Tangiers and Ronda.        


As I always do when I’m on a military base, I was excited to go shop for American food. After walking almost 1.5 hours, I was super disappointed to find no Taco Bell, which is at almost every base I’ve ever been on. I know, don't judge, it's my favorite fast food and almost no where do I see it in Europe. Oddly enough, Liverpool has one, but that's so random. All they had to offer was Subway. By that time, I was so tired and hungry I happily scarfed it down. After I did a bit of shopping I splurged on a cab ride back home. I had hoped to rent a car on base but the price they wanted was outrageous. Basically $170 when I could get it the next town over, Cadiz, for $95.

I should say that I almost never take cabs because I have been ripped off so many times as a tourist. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the cabs I took while in Rota were all between $5 and $10. I had flown into Seville and taken a bus to Rota. At the empty bus station, I realized I couldn't find a city bus to my apartment and the walk was going to be an hour.  You better believe I flagged down the first cab I saw. My charge ended up being 4 euros. By coincidence the base is about a block away from the bus station, so I expected the ride back to my apartment to be about the same.  Nope, that was 9 euro. So basically, double for a similar distance even though both are on a meter, I'm not sure how that works. And that's why I do not take cabs.

The next day I took a ferry to the neighboring town of Cadiz to pick up my rental car. This was a very nice town right on the Atlantic Ocean. It had some great churches and interesting buildings and I enjoyed walking around the city center.  I came back along the waterfront and found Cadiz Cathedral, which is as beautiful from the back as it is from the front.

My first day trip was to Gibraltar; a British overseas territory covering about 2.6 sq miles and a population of about 26,000.  It sits between Spain and Morocco on the Iberian Peninsula and is dominated by the famous Rock of Gibraltar, a 426-meter-high limestone ridge. It has an interesting history; according to Wikipedia – In 1704, Anglo-Dutch forces captured Gibraltar from Spain during the War of the Spanish. The territory was ceded to Great Britain under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. During World War II it was an important base for the Royal Navy as it controlled the entrance and exit to the Mediterranean Sea and the Strait of Gibraltar, which is only 14.3 km (8.9 mi) wide at this naval choke point. It remains strategically important, with half the world's seaborne trade passing through the strait. Today Gibraltar's economy is based largely on tourism, online gambling, financial services, and cargo ship refueling. The sovereignty of Gibraltar is a point of contention in Anglo-Spanish relations because Spain asserts a claim to the territory. Gibraltarians rejected proposals for Spanish sovereignty in a 1967 referendum and, in a 2002 referendum, the idea of shared sovereignty was also rejected. 

During WWII, most of Gibraltar's civilian population was evacuated, mainly to London, but also to parts of Morocco, Madeira, and Jamaica. The Rock was strengthened as a fortress. The naval base and the ships based there played a key role in the provisioning and supply of the island of Malta during its long siege. As well as frequent short runs, known as "Club Runs", towards Malta to fly off aircraft reinforcements. The critical Operation Pedestal convoy was run from Gibraltar in August 1942. This resupplied the island at a critical time in the face of concentrated air attacks from German and Italian forces. I thought this was an interesting tie in, as I also lived in Malta for a few years and knew of the strategic importance of Gibraltar to Malta.

It took about two hours to drive there and probably another hour to cross the border because the line was so long. Note to self - I should have parked and walked over. I didn't even think of it until I was past the point of no return. No worries I've got nothing but time. The downtown area had a nice vibe; it was very lively with plenty of tourists, cafes, and restaurants. After a leisurely lunch in the square with plenty of people watching, I continued on my walk. High upon the hill I could see the remains of the Moorish Castle. It sits just above a row of houses and looks quite out of place. The castle was first built in 1160 or even earlier. Most of it has since been destroyed and all that remains is the Tower of Homage. As I walked around, I could see various gates and arches that were remnants of the fortified city.  There are still defensive guns visible at batteries scattered all over the peninsula.    

There was a lot to see and do at the top of Gibraltar and the best way up was with cable cars.  The view at the top was spectacular, but what I came for were the monkeys, known as the Barbary macaques.  Wikipedia tells us they are originally from the Atlas and Rif Mountains of Morocco. The Barbary macaques are the only wild monkey population on the European continent. Currently, some 300 animals in five troops occupy the Upper Rock area of the Gibraltar Nature Reserve, though they make occasional forays into the town.  The name Barbary refers to the Berber People of Morocco and there have been written records of the macaques living on Gibraltar since the 1700’s. In 1782, Ignacio López de Ayala, a Spanish historian, wrote of the monkeys: "Neither the incursions of Moor, the Spaniards nor the English, nor cannon nor bomb of either have been able to dislodge them”.

A popular belief holds that, as long as macaques exist on Gibraltar, the territory will remain under British rule. In 1942 the population dwindled to seven monkeys, so British Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered their numbers be replenished immediately from both Morocco and Algeria.

The macaques are considered by many to be the top tourist attraction in Gibraltar. They will often approach and sometimes climb onto people, as they are used to human interaction. Anyone caught feeding the monkeys is liable to be fined up to £4,000. ($5170).

I can confirm that the little buggers are used to people and are quite skilled at opening purses, backpacks, digging in pockets etc. I spent quite a bit of time watching them and there was one young monkey in particular that was quite cheeky.  When I arrived, there was a monkey perched on the edge of the wall, looking very relaxed.  As I focused on taking a few pictures, a youngster came out of nowhere and leapt onto my backpack.  I thought it was kind of cute and didn't do too much to shoo it away.  All of a sudden people around me lunged at us.  Apparently he quickly opened the zipper and pulled everything out of my pack.  Sadly for him, and luckily for me, there was no food inside but I was surprised at how fast and agile he was.  From that point, it was game on.  Other people with backpacks came and went, but my little friend only had eyes for me.  As soon as I turned my back, he jumped again.  It got to the point where I had to face him at all times.  Every time he started to move I held up my hand. He promptly grabbed my hand with both of his and we are at a standoff.  These monkeys are known to bite so I did keep a close eye on him but for the most part he seemed content to just hold my hand.  Eventually he would let go and appear to find another victim.  I went back to snapping pictures of other monkeys but he sensed my attention was elsewhere and jumped again.  I was really amazed to see how many people were absolutely terrified of all of the monkeys, even the ones that were sitting around or even sleeping. Only one monkey really had any interest in people and he was focused on me. 

The cable car itself is a must do.  There are 2 stations, the middle and the top.  The middle station is called the Apes Den, which you guessed it, is where a troop of the macaques live.  This is a different family than the one I met at the top.  The middle station is closed from April to October, so I could only get out at the top, but one could easily spend all day up there. There are several different viewing platforms and decks and the view is breathtaking from each one.  At 1400 feet up, you can see not only all of Gibraltar, but the African coastline and Spain’s Costa de Sol as well as the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean.  There is a nature preserve and miles of paved trails with different themes such as Nature Lover, Monkey, History Buff, and Thrill Seeker. As is always the case, I wish I had gotten there much earlier, I would love to have explored the trails, but realistically, my knee wouldn’t have allowed me to anyway.  The top station also includes an indoor viewing area as well as a few food choices.  Some people were so afraid of the monkeys that they never stepped outside.  

My next adventure was to Rhonda, a beautiful city in the province of Malaga.  It’s a small but picturesque village with narrow streets and steep hills.  I managed to find a parking spot, but the hill was so steep it was a real challenge maneuvering in between the two parked cars.  Then of course, I had to climb my way back up to the city center.  I’ll say, I have the utmost respect for people who live in towns like this, they must be part goat!  The city looked a lot like Siena or Assisi in Italy.  There is a gorge running through town, called El Tajo Gorge.  It is quite spectacular, it literally cuts through the heart of the city, and is very deep, about 120 meters.  The Puente Nuevo bridge connects the two sides and is reported to be one of Spain’s most photographed spots. 

For the best view of the bridge, head to the plaza De Maria Auxiliadora.  From there you will find a small path with several switchbacks, heading down into the gorge.  It’s a bit steep, but easy enough if you take your time.  You will come to a vantage point where you have a spectacular view of the bridge and a bit of the village on either side. 

When you're walking around the village don't forget to see the Plaza del Toros Del Roda. This is where the famous bullfighting ring is, which I'm not a fan of, but there is a really cool statue of a bull out front. This bullfighting ring is one of the oldest in Spain; Ronda is the birthplace of bullfighting. If you're up for some lunch and people watching, always my favorite, head right around the corner to the Plaza Del Sol. It's a nice little square with plenty of bars and restaurants and it also gives you a beautiful view of the church.

On the way back to my car I passed a Moorish Castle called La Casa del Rey Moro. This Castle was built in the fourteenth century and the Moors installed a very interesting water pumping system or water mine.  There is a tunnel carved into the rock with 231 steps down to the river. I heard it was quite impressive, but personally, nothing is impressive enough for me to navigate 200+ steps.  

 

 

 

 

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