During our most recent trip, to Spain , we took a day trip from Seville to Gibraltar . My “Anglophile” side looked forward to a little British order and English language in the midst of pleasantly chaotic Spanish experience. We pulled up to the border crossing and got our passports stamped with the unique Gibraltar stamp and proceeded into a bit of England . We knew this was a strange place as we proceeded across an active airport runway to access Gibraltar town. Little did we know how strange things would get! Gibraltar is very compact and crowded. It took awhile to arrive at the cable car access, and even longer to get a parking spot in the lot. What followed was and may always be my favorite travel story. First, some background. My ever intrepid travel partner and dearest wife is somewhat “Animal-Averse.” Actually, she hates animals. In spite of this, she was willing to accompany me on a stated goal of the whole trip: A visit to the “Top of the Rock.” Along with red phone booths and the royal mail, the Rock of Gibraltar is also home to a breed of small monkeys. These relatively tame, small monkeys roam the rock freely. They are the only free-range monkeys on the continent of Europe . We saw them on T.V. and it was determined that it wouldn’t be a problem. As we waited for the cable car, several signs warned us of how to deal with the monkeys. No feeding, no plastic bags, etc. I saw them, and don’t know how she missed them. We arrive at the observation deck, the door swings open, and sitting on the floor, blocking our way, is a monkey. We made our way past it, and the two others on the narrow spiral staircase, and arrived at the very top of the rock. It took a few moments for the circulation in my arm to return, as my dear wife was holding on to me so firmly! The views were wonderful. One side was Spain/Europe; the other was Morocco/Africa. In between was the confluence of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea . Dozens on huge sea ships waited patiently to pass through the straits. I got some great photos of the views and the monkeys, which were numerous on the deck. In the concession stand/gift shop, my wife picked up some souvenirs. The attendant warned her: “The monkeys go after plastic bags. They think they hold food.” He then put the purchased items in a plastic bag and handed them to my wife. Her plan was to immediately hand the plastic bag off to me, thus making the monkey issue my problem. The flaw in that plan was she had to walk past a few monkeys to give it to me. About two steps later, the monkeys started to attack. The ensuing melee devolved into a battle of wills, as the monkey and my wife played tug-o-war with the souvenir bag. I yell for her to let go of the bag, but a 50 cent postcard is a 50 cent postcard. Eventually, the monkey let go when it sensed no food in the bag. My wife, freaked out, retreated into the gift shop for a much needed diet coke! While we sat together, another woman was attacked, this time violently! This genius actually brought a ham sandwich on the trip, and monkeys, about five of them, pounced on her until she dropped her bag. They rifled through the contents, got the lunch, and headed for a ledge beyond the railings for a nice meal. Within minutes, we were on the cable car and headed down the rock…

Hey, when I visited Gibralter we took a tour up through the rock to visit the monkeys. They are adorable cheeky little things, who have no qualms with robbing the food out of your hands! :)

I was there as a younger teenager and it is one of my best memories! When we got to the Apes, one took the glasses right off my face! To a kid, that's pretty cool... :)

Very nice, courious animals. I would not have expected to find a special species of monkeys in Europe.

trozo de roca perteneciente al continente europeo habitada por monos