Between The Rock and...well...Cadiz

The full day of travel between Lisbon and Cadiz was pretty eventful…not on the ship (it was relaxing with only about 40% capacity and a showing of the movie Mud), but back in Ohio. The Cleveland Indians (baseball) clinched a playoff berth after winning the last 10 games of the season; the Cleveland Browns (football) won their 2nd game in a row; and the Ohio State Buckeyes (college football) beat the Wisconsin Badgers in one of the few tough games on OSU’s schedule this season. Even when I’m floating in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, I still make it a point to keep up with sports! Unfortunately, during our next 1-day crossing, between Spain and Morocco, the Tribe lost their one and only playoff game of 2013. Even though it was a disappointing end (losing 4-0 with our big hitters going 0-9 with runners in scoring position), it was a fantastic season and made it so much more exciting than past years!

Back to the Voyage:

After getting the ship cleared in Cadiz, Spain, I immediately took off to explore. I was supposed to be On-Call, but another RD (Janett) told me she was having a relaxing morning on the ship and wouldn't venture out to explore Cadiz till after lunch. Score...this gave me around 3 hours to check out the city…which turned out to be more than enough time.

Cadiz is the oldest inhabited city in Spain and one of the oldest in southwestern Europe, with a population of 124,000. It is on a narrow slice of land surrounded by the sea (a tour guide compared the shape of the city to a frying pan) and the old city consists of narrow winding alleys connecting large plazas. I’d also add the port seems to be a popular destination for cruise ships as we saw 5 in 1.5 days.

Plaza in Cadiz, Spain with City Hall at the far end.

The city has created walking paths (painted lines) around the city for tourists to follow, so I decided to walk a couple of them: the Purple Line (“Shippers to the Indies”) and the Blue Line (“Cadiz Constitution”), as they intersected midway through the city. Unfortunately, it was raining/misting almost the entire time I was walking around, but I was on a mission to see as much as possible. Luckily, I learned the city really isn't that big and was very walkable. I saw the Barrio de Santa Maria, Barrio del Populo, Central Market, Tavira Tower (the tallest remaining watchtower; in the 18^th century, the city used to have more than 160 towers), Museum of Cadiz Constitution, San Antonio Square (Cádiz’s old main square with mansions surrounding it; also where the Spanish Constitution of 1812 was proclaimed), the Apodaca Promenade, and the Monument to the Cadiz Constitution (a square with the monument to mark the 100^th anniversary of the constitution). The only places I didn't get a chance to go to were the beaches (Playa de Santa Maria del Mar & Playa de la Caleta), which I thought wouldn't be as fun with the non-stop rain; and the castles (San Sebastian Castle & Santa Catalina Castle). However, I did enjoy using the little Spanish I do know and often tried following conversations around me (without much success, but I would pick up words/sentences every now and then).

Monument to the Cadiz Constitution

The biggest site in the city is definitely the Holy and Apostolic Cathedral of Cadiz. It was built between 1722 and 1838 and had numerous lead architects, who constructed it with various designs and styles. There are 16 chapels in the side naves including the Chapels of St. Peter (what’s up Dublin), St. Joseph (oh hey home parish), and St. Sebastian (with a vivid depiction of the martyrdom of the saint). One of the most interesting things was the crypt, located below the cathedral. Here lie all the prelates (Bishops), who have died since the consecration of the new Cathedral. In addition, two illustrious Cadiz citizens are also buried: a composer, Manuel de Falla and a poet, Jose María Peman.

The Holy and Apostolic Cathedral of Cadiz

The Cathedral Crypt 

When I returned to the ship, I was able to relax, nap, and get ahead in some work. Unfortunately, that evening we had 2 students in the “VIP Lounge,” which meant I only got 2-3 hours of sleep before I had to grab my passport as I was heading on a field program back to the United Kingdom!

By the United Kingdom, I mean, the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. Gibraltar is located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula (1.5 hours from Cadiz) at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. The Strait of Gibraltar is a strait connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea with just under 9 miles separating Spain/Gibraltar from Morocco (Europe & Africa). In addition, Gibraltar is one of the most densely populated territories in the world with a total population of 30,000 or 11,000/square mile. Gibraltar even has its own international airport (with flights to/from the UK), which we had to cross an active runway to get into the territory (fun fact: it is the 4^th most dangerous air strip in the world).

The Rock (no sightings of Nicholas Cage or Sean Connery)

Thanks for the Warning!

The Gibraltar Runway

Truth be told…I had no idea what the field program, Gibraltar: A Day on the Rock, would be like. I was under the impression I would be hiking to the top of the Rock of Gibraltar (also known as the Pillars of Hercules in ancient times), overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar…and that’s pretty much it. I was completely wrong, which was a good thing. Instead, this was more of a history tour, where we learned about the history of Gibraltar (from a somewhat biased tour guide) and were even taken into the tunnels in the Rock of Gibraltar.

History Nerd Time: Gibraltar is a sought after region because of its location, the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. It has almost no natural resources and relies on imports from mainly the UK. The territory was established by the Moors in the 14th century (though evidence of Neanderthal habitation in Gibraltar between 128,000 & 24,000 BC has been discovered), taken by the Spanish in 1462, won by an Anglo-Dutch force in 1704 (during the War of Spanish Succession), and ceded to Britain under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. Gibraltar governs its own affairs and remains the responsibility of the UK Government. The sovereignty is still a major point of contention in Anglo-Spanish relations as Spain asserts a claim to the territory. Gibraltarians (seriously, that’s what they're called) have rejected proposals for Spanish sovereignty in 1967 and 2002 (probably because 90% of the people living there are British).

Our tour started with our very pro-British female tour guide talking about the history on our drive up the Rock of Gibraltar. This guide along with another male tour guide (who served for 18 years in the British Forces Gibraltar; ie: Armed Forces) were going to take us through the tunnels in the Rock of Gibraltar. Incredibly, even though Gibraltar is only 2.6 square miles, there are approximately 34 miles of tunnels in the Rock of Gibraltar!

Touring the Gibraltar Tunnels

The Artillery Battery atop The Rock (left) & The Flags of the EU, UK, and Gibraltar (right)

There were five distinct phases for the construction of the tunnels of Gibraltar (constructed between 1782-1968). The Great Siege Tunnels were established from 1779-1783 during/after Spanish troops tried to retake Gibraltar from the British. During the siege, the British used 800 barrels of gun powder and fired 200,6000 rounds. The British realized the northern face of The Rock was an excellent place for a gun and (after some time) decided it would be best to use The Rock itself as a natural defense (instead of placing the guns on the outside/on top). The British started building the tunnels, blasted holes in the sides for ventilation and soon had a number of gun locations (aimed right at the Spanish).  

View from the top of the Rock of Gibraltar

Another major phase for the Tunnels of Gibraltar were prompted by the rise of Nazi Germany. During WWII, the British constructed an underground city with stores, water distilleries, hospitals, and more…enough provisions to be able to survive in The Rock for six months, in case of a siege by the Axis powers. Amazingly only 7 people died during the construction of the tunnels; with only one major collapse.

After touring the tunnels, we visited St. Michael’s Cave. This cave features an upper hall and has 5 connecting passages with drops ranging between 40-150 feet. Stalagmite and stalactite are all over the cavern and the Cathedral Cave is now used as a theater where concerts, plays, and other live performances are held (reminded me of Dan Brown’s latest novel, Inferno).

St. Michael's Cave

Throughout our program, we saw the Barbary Apes or Tailless Macacas Sylvanus, who have inhabited Gibraltar for centuries. During WWII, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill worried the apes would die out and feed WWII propaganda (“when the apes are finished, so are the British”). Thus, he ordered the military to care for them and imported more, which they did. Since then, the ape population has been under the care of the British Army and it continues to thrive with approximately 230-240 apes. The apes are definitely used to tourists, who can basically go right up to them (unless they decide to walk/jump on you). The apes are smart and know tourists tend to feed them, thus if they hear a zipper open (or anything similar), they will come investigate, expecting to find food. This being said, anyone caught feeding a monkey is liable to be fined up to £4,000. 

 Monkeys of Gibraltar

We finished our time in Gibraltar with a driving tour of the area, seeing the Moorish Castle, Europa Point Lighthouse, Ibrahim-Al-Ibrahim Mosque, the 100 Ton Gun (“The Rock Buster” which was built in 1870 but never fired a shot in anger, only ceremonially), and the Shrine of Our Lady of Europe. We had about 20 minutes in the main square, so I made my standard purchase of some postcards and a shotglass. I used some Euros to pay for it and figured what I didn't spend I could use in Cuba. However, I was given British pounds back…great.

The day field program was fantastic as we were the last ones back for embarkation (which means I didn't have to work it!) and were able to get right on the ship. Apparently this port was bad with over 60 SAS participants (students, faculty, staff, etc.) returning past “On-Ship time” and thus being given dock time in Casablanca, Morocco. Luckily if you’re on an SAS field program, you’re safe! The crossing would be short as it only takes 1 day to get to Casablanca...time to get ready with...some Casablanca.

Captain Renault: What in heaven’s name brought you to Casablanca?

Rick: My health. I came to Casablanca for the waters.

Captain Renault: The waters? What waters? We’re in the desert.

Rick: I was misinformed. 

“Spirit. In every language in all the realms, surface and Underdark, in every time and every place, the word has a ring of strength and determination. It is the hero’s strength, the mother’s resilience, and the poor man’s armor. It cannot be broken, and it cannot be taken away.”