Day 6 - Gibraltar, Costa Del Sol, and Ronda. In the morning, the walk into Gibraltar is only about 15 minutes. The border crossing is a bit of a mess for car traffic but effortless on foot. At this time of day anyway. I'm later told that some 15,000 workers go in and out every day so there is definitely a rush hour. Glad I missed it.
My original plan was to walk to the cable car, take that to the top, then walk down. But there is a sign saying the cable car is closed for maintenance. So I take the taxi tour instead - fortunate as it turns out. Not only is it cheaper than cable car, but the driver/guide is very knowledgeable about the city. And it saves a lot of walking which I've already done plenty of on the trip. The only road in and out, whether by vehicle or on foot, crosses the runway of the airport. I later find out how that works.
The taxi tour goes up the narrow roads, mostly one-way, stopping at all the major points of interest.
There is what appears to be a shipwreck being salvaged. I later look it up - it's a bulk carrier that collided with another ship back in August.
First sighting of the monkeys - there is no official record of how they were brought here, but most likely arrived on ships coming from africa. Today the population is managed to a constant size of about 200 individuals. They are fed twice a day at several feeding points by government park managers.
One of the stops is St. Michael's cave. Entering it, the first feeling is - it's a cathedral! A 300 million year old one built by nature. No doubt places like this are the inspiration for man-made structures. It's too bad that today it's lit by colored lights and flooded with music. Treats for the tourists I guess, but to me it's annoying. Fortunately the light show stops every 10 minutes and there is mostly white light for a short intermission.
There are seats in part of the cave, and we're told there are occasional classical music concerts here. This makes it even more like a cathedral, albeit a mix of natural and artificial.
A stop at the seige tunnels which were built for the defence of the territory by the British. I also get to see the airport in operation.
Exiting the tunnels I hear jet engines spinning up and it looks like a plane is about to take off. I call this to the driver's attention and we stick around for a few minutes to watch. The gates on either side of the runway are closed. A pickup truck comes out towing what looks like a sweeper and drives in circles, presumably to clear any debris that might get sucked into the engines. Then the plane takes off, and the gates are reopened to car and foot traffic.
On Linda's recommendation, my next stop is Ronda. But there are beaches on the way, and it's warm and calm for the first time on the trip. So I stop to just lay on the beach for half an hour. Water is way too cold to swim, but the beach experience is very nice. Only a couple people around.
The roads leading to Ronda wind through the mountains and remind me of the canyon roads around Malibu in California.
Ronda is a small town straddling a deep gorge. I drive to the center, find a (very tight) parking garage, and go walk about.
The views are spectacular. There is also a bullfighting arena, but that is of less interest to me. I decide to have an 'experience meal' at a cliffside restaurant, then move on.
Next recommended stop is Alhambra, but by the time I get there it's dark and the place is closed. I wonder around in the dark for a bit then start the long drive towards Barcelona. Car camping is the plan for tonight.
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