Christmas Eve in Gibraltar

The main reason why we chose to go to Malaga for Christmas was for the sun and to relax on a slow-paced vacation. Knowing us though, we had to do a little more than just sitting on the beach. Of the few other nearby towns that peaked our interest, Gibraltar was easily at the top.

Other than the famous Gibraltar rock, we really wanted to visit this unique place because of its history. What was so cool about it is that even though it borders the South of Spain, it is actually a British Overseas Territory.

Because its British, the moment we crossed the border it felt like we were back in London. It was so cool that all of a sudden everyone was talking english, and of course, they had the red phone booths.

After crossing the border, you come across one of the most unique parts about this place: the airport. The airport's runway actually crosses the main and only road into the city*. At certain times throughout the day, lights flash and pedestrians and cars have to stop for a plane to land, just like at a train crossing.

*I know its not a city, but its not a country either, and its the size of a city so that's how I have been referring to it.

They drive on the right side of the road, but they still have the paint on the streets telling you which way to look when crossing, just like they have in England.

After crossing the very easy border, we headed straight for the rock. Our plan was to take the cable car up and see the monkeys at the top. Our plans quickly changed when we saw the sign saying the cable car was closed, and the only way up was with the van tours. It also was disappointing that the caves were closed, so we missed out on that part. Even without it, we didn't leave feeling disappointed.

At first, we were a little upset that we were going to have to take the van up instead, but it actually turned out so well and we were so happy that we ended up going on the tour. We learned way more, and saw things we wouldn't have if we would have stuck to the original plan. It's funny how things like that work out when travelling.

We began our van tour and our guide immediately started telling us all about the rock and its history. He was born here so was truly a local and told us way more than what we'd learn in a brochure. It also helped that he was able to tell us how to act with the monkeys. In the picture above he is showing us that monkeys will only take things that look like food. He was trying to give it his wallet and phone which he just left, but as soon as he heard a crinkly wrapper in his hand he started to get interested.

This monkey posed with Cam for several shots. Once I uploaded them onto my computer I was jealous of how they looked like best friends. Immediately after this, Cam and I switched. The monkey also changed his leg position, and decided to show a lot more of himself, so I couldn't really post the pictures if you know what I mean, haha. Ugh.

Our first stop of the tour was at the Pillars of Hercules. The Rock of Gibraltar is the Northern Pillar and the other pillar is a peak in Morocco or Spain, both of which can be seen from the lookout behind the monument. It was a pretty foggy day but you could still see the peaks in the distance.

The monkeys are not usually down by this monument, but because it was a holiday and there were fewer people around. We ended up seeing just as many here as we did at the place they normally hang out which is where we headed to next.

Cam and I had a good laugh about finding the monkey versions of ourselves. All the other monkeys were checking out the people for better snacks, but the one in the picture above was perfectly happy eating the food that was left out for them. Of course, there was only one monkey eating and we knew this would be Cam. I myself related to the monkey in the picture below, one that was napping in the middle of the road and barely moved for the cars driving up, lol.

It was so cool seeing these monkeys living in the wild. Even though they are monitored, they are the only wild monkeys in Europe. They have become accustomed to people being around them, but they are still wild with very sharp teeth so they were pretty intimidating at first lol.

We mostly came for the monkeys, but if they weren't there, the rock itself is just as impressive.

In these pictures, above the clouds, you can see the peak in Morocco in the distance. This is partly why Gibraltar so interesting. It is British, but attached to Spain, and you can see Africa.

If we would have had more days, we definitely would have made the trip over to Morocco, but the tours that were offered weren't working with our schedule and we weren't up for planning one ourselves just yet.

Our next stop on the rock was the lookout point over the town. It was actually a lot bigger than I had expected. We figured it wasn't very big so we walked everywhere, but taking a bus probably wouldn't have been a bad idea.

There was one lonely monkey here taking in the view, but was getting all the attention. One bonus of it being a holiday was that there was almost no one else there. Our guide told us normally there'd be people everywhere.

The long strip Cam is taking a picture of below is the runway I talked about earlier, that was half built on the water, and the rest crosses the main road.

Of course given the opportunity, we took a few more monkey pictures before heading back down to the town.

It was like he was posing for us... I mean seriously, look at these two?!

After the tour, we of course stopped at an english pub for dinner. Ordering at a restaurant where everyone speaks english is probably one of the things we miss most about home so this was a nice treat.

Before heading back to catch the bus, we broke the rule of stopping on the runway to get a good picture of the rock. Its so big that you really can't get a great picture of it all at once. We were pretty confident that we'd be able to run fast enough if we heard a plane coming.

Last year we spent Christmas Eve on top of a mountain in Switzerland covered in snow, this year we spent it on one covered in monkeys. I wonder where next year will be? :)