The Rock of Gibraltar

Yes, you know Gibraltar. If you’ve seen the Prudential commercial, I t’s really there—a giant rock. I look up from the deck as we dock and feel a bit trepidatious at the angle of the arial cable car. I’m escorting a tour and our first stop is to see the view from the top and visit the Barbary Apes. A short ride through town, then twenty of us squeeze into the gondola and up we go. It’s breathtaking, and I love to watch the city below get smaller and smaller—I feel like Alice in Wonderland. When we alight we’re greeted by the cutest monkeys, perched here and there, with not a thought of the perilous drops on the other side of the railings. We’ve been told not to feed them or reach out to touch them; they are wild animals and roam free. They are tailless because they live above tree level and don’t need them to swing from branch to branch, but they give us a show with their amazing jumping ability and zany antics. I lean near to have my photo taken with one of them. He reaches out and takes hold of my jacket collar. I gently take his little hand and he lets go. We go on our way to see several man-made sites, but they can’t compare with being touched by the nature.