Relentless Monkeys & Cyclists - July 9


Gibraltar has been a trip of a lifetime for me. It has brought me more awareness of different cultures and aspects of life. Today, we started our day hiking the Gibraltar rock. Not only did I get my exercise in, but I also learned more interesting facts and history about Gibraltar and the rock. It is said, that if the monkeys vanish from the rock, Gibraltar will not be British territory. Also, Gibraltar has a unique position on the world map where the east meets the west. When walking today, we stood in the same spot Queen Elizabeth II and HRH Duke of Edinburgh stood in 1954 on the rock. I also was able to observe monkeys in their natural habitat today. Growing up, I had always loved monkeys. To see them running and feeding their babies today was a experience I will never forget. I also had a monkey rip my orange juice out of my hand before we went into the St. Michaels Cave. I have only been to one cave throughout my life, and that was in my hometown. St. Michaels Cave is said to once be bottomless. This is because Gibraltar was once attached to Africa. The rock was believed to have flipped over twice making the Cave bottomless. When walking into the Cave you notice the Stalagmites all throughout. There are also different color lights shining in the cave. One of the highlights of the walk up the rock was the skywalk. It had glass floor so you were able to see below you near the top of the rock. From the walk I learned interesting and historical facts, but I also learned monkeys are very rude. We finished our day volunteering with the cycling time trials. I have to say from watching, this has to be one of the most difficult sports in the games. The participants must cycle around and up the rock. When walking the rock, my watch said we had walked 121 flights of steps. I could not imagine cycling the rock. The most important thing I have learned from Gibraltar is no matter the culture or race everyone should treat each other the same. Everyone is so welcoming and nice. When working cycling, a lady was offering me water and food. Gibraltar seems to be like a little family. I also am thankful to have had this experience with my classmates and I can not wait to see what is ahead of me this next week.

 - Jenny 



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