Gibraltar

Just got back from a wonderful weekend in Morocco. I have so much to write about, I believe I will have to do these blogs in sections too.

Alex and I biked over to the Plaza de Cuba bright and early Saturday morning to hop on a bus to Morocco. We went with a group called We Love Spain, which arranges tours and programs specifically for students studying abroad in Spain. There were two charter buses full of us-- about a hundred kids in all with about 15 from UNC.

First stop: Gibraltar
We stopped for awhile at a McDonalds to use the restroom, then continued through customs into Gibraltar. I didn't get a stamp on my passport, which was disappointing. The guards basically just looked to make sure we had a passport but didn't check it at all. Once we got through the gate it was like we'd been transported to England itself. There were red telephone booths and double decker buses and people speaking English everywhere.

Telephone booth

We climbed onto several small tour buses and putted our way through the city. My bus had a hilarious tourguide named Dave, who was from England. He was very British. He used words like "blimey" and "bloody hell." He kept poking fun at Spain and the US. He asked us if we were here studying in Spain and said "Spanish. What a stupid language. My wife knows enough for the two of us."

It was a 2 and a half hour ride to the Gibraltar, the tiny British colony located at the south of the Iberian Peninsula. In case you don't know much about Gibraltar, here are some facts:
6.843 square kilometers of land (about 2.6 miles)
30,000 residents
It was signed over to Britain from Spain in 1713 with the treaty of Utrecht and became a base for the British Royal Navy (In the words of my tour guide, "We took it from them in 1713 and since that day they've wanted it back.)

As I said, the tour was very entertaining. We rode through the city and up the rock for breathtaking views of the Moroccan mountains across the Mediterranean. The water was a blue reflection of the sky and the weather was perfect. As we passed by the ocean I even saw some scuba divers emerging from the water.


We went to St. Michael's Cave, which was incredible. I have never seen such a magnificent or elaborate cave. Massive stalactites dripped down from the huge vaulted ceiling and stalagmites up from the floor. Crevices continued down for miles under our feet. Signs were placed around the cave that said "Please do not touch the stalactites, they took thousands of years to make." Spotlights showcased the intricacy and the shadows in each formation.

The cave was used for picnics, parties, concerts, weddings and even duels in the Victorian era. Now it has an auditorium inside, where plays and shows are held.

Pictures can't even do it justice.



When we got outside we were able to play with the monkeys for a second. Apparently around the turn of the 19th century some soldiers brought pet monkeys back from Africa. Now more than 200 populate Gibraltar. They were very friendly, and didn't hesitate to jump on the buses and ride them up the rock or hop on people's heads. I had never seen a money that close before. They had so much personality and loved to pose for the camera. I wish I'd been able to get a picture of the monkey that climbed on me, but I didn't realize it was the end of our tour!

Beauty Queen

Riding the bus

Monkey that hopped on Taylor's head... uninvited

Monkey on Francisco's head

More tomorrow, but for now I am still exhausted from our busy weekend!

Update on what is happening in Sevilla:
-Spent all day working on internship applications, and finally submitted two of them today! One more due in April. Hoping I will have somewhere awesome to work this summer!
-Planning classes for next semester, thinking about adding a Spanish minor since I'll only need two classes when I get back from Spain. That would make me a journalism major, creative writing and Spanish double minor.
-Meeting with my intercambio again tomorrow at a restaurant or pizzeria. I met with her last week at the cafetería at EUSA. She is nice-- her name is Pitu.
-Homework-wise this week is pretty clear, other than a presentation on Thursday
-As the weather gets more and more beautiful, it becomes more and more difficult to work inside! Spent Friday eating strawberries by the river with a bunch of people-- so much fun!
-Made a 9 (90) on my exam in Angel's Spain and America class today.