When I think back to the conversations I used to have with my Grandma Ruscup, for some reason one of the places I remember her talking about was the Rock of Gibraltar. My initial reaction when I saw the itinerary for this contract was excitement knowing that I would be in yet one more place where she stood. For those of you that don’t know, Grandma Ruscup was my rock and the day she passed away a small part of my passed with her. Whenever times get tough or I get lost or confused on a path I think about her and how she would have handled it. No matter what, “Everything happens for a reason.”
A little over a year ago now, I got a tattoo on my left wrist that says “Believe” and I often get questions as to why I have this and what it means. Initially, when I decided on getting a tattoo I knew it had to be something with meaning and after much thought and consideration I decided on “Everything happens for a reason” as a reminder of my grandmother and a reminder to myself whenever I began to question the plan that God has set up for me. The tattoo was going to go on my wrist, and those exact words wouldn’t fit the way I wanted them to and I couldn’t find a translation into another language that sounded or looked “pretty.” After awhile, I realized that “believe” would be perfect because I BELIEVE that everything happens for a reason. Overall, I wanted this tattoo to serve as a reminder to believe in God, believe in myself, believe in love and believe that everything happens for a reason. It’s so funny how many times I’ve laid in my bed and cried and the tattoo caught my eye and reminded me that it is all a part of the plan. It’s so ironic that I got the tattoo as a reminder of Grandma and her mantra on life when in actuality she would KILL me if she knew I got it :)
Not to anyone’s surprise, I’ve gotten off track with this post but I’ve been missing Grandma Ruscup a lot lately – more than usual.
So back to Gibraltar. When we arrived, I was excited because everyone who had been there previously talked about how close it was to the ship so it was easy to walk and get there on foot. A group of us headed out on our journey and about 6 stops for Steve to shop, a pop into the Gibraltar Glass Blowing Studio, a speedy ride on a cannon and a 45 minute walk, we arrived at the cable car to get us up to the top of the rock to see the view and most of all – the monkeys!
Unfortunately, it was an early port which meant all aboard was 4:30 and I had to work at 4PM. The group all paid 13 Euro (holy guacamole!) to take this cable car to the top, but it’s all about the experience and it is impossible to pass up the opportunity regardless of how rushed it may be. The line was about 15 minutes long to catch the small cable car, so of course we took the opportunity to take a few photos. The first photo you see below is the cable car (it’s so small that its difficult to see) and the second was a representation of what could happen if you get too close to the monkeys. I am playing the role of the human and Jess is replicating the monkey. Unfortunately, the sign behind us explaining the rules did not make it into the photo as initially intended. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Once we reached the top, we were very tight on time but determined to see a monkey or two as well as some photo opportunities of the rock and the view of Gibraltar from the top. As soon as the cable car stopped, we rushed off and up about 6 stairs before we saw the first two monkeys sitting on the ledge overlooking our ship. Well, I began to talk to the monkey that you see pictured below and literally, he turned his back away from me as soon as I began to talk. Of course, I walked to the other side so I can see his face and converse some more. Immediately, he turned his head to the other side. Quite a few of the visitors at the top just sat and laughed because it was quite comical how because this continued on. This monkey DID NOT LIKE ME. If you read previous posts, you will know about the “5 Euro Girl” story. In an attempt to get the monkey’s attention, I explained that he had the opportunity to meet the 5 Euro girl and he still turned his back to me. The first picture on the left depicts this interaction. Eventually, I got a great shot of him sitting on the ledge with the ship which you see below.
We headed up a concrete spiral staircase which led us to the breathtaking views of Gibraltar as well as a monkey who walked into the restaurant on the same level, stole someone’s sandwich and had a nice picnic lunch on the lanai.
Because of the time constraints, we couldn’t go to the famous location where there are tons of monkeys surrounding you. Truly, that was something I wanted to do but we didn’t want to risk being late (I do like my job a bit :) ) Steve, myself and Jess headed back and did a bit of speed walking so that we could grab a bite to eat before heading back to the ship. We stopped at a place called “Roy’s” for the “Real English Fish & Chips.” (yes, one more low-calorie meal!) Quickly, the waiter took our meal and within three minutes or so we each had a pint of Old English Cider as well as a large basket of ketchup, tartar sauce as well as two bottles of malt vinegar and pepper. Basically, everything I needed to make this meal perfect. It wasn’t much longer before we had a huge piece of fresh fried cod, “chips” as well as a side of “Mushy Peas” because Steve said we had to have it since it was a truly British staple. Honestly, they were good – literally tasted like baby food or peas that have been smashed. As for the fish and Chips…TO DIE FOR!
High for the Day: The reminder of God’s awesomeness with the stunning views of the Rock of Gibraltar.
Low: Racing back to the ship in the heat with a very full tummy…but how blessed am I to have a full belly, right?
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