fun with tunnels
If you enjoyed the CIncinnati Subway (as I did), you'll love
the tunnels of Gibraltar. That famous rock is perforated with some thirty miles of "galleries"--containing roads, ordnance, and cyllindrical reservoirs. According to Simon Winchester, the British military even built a replica Northern Irish town for war-gaming; it has a cathedral (St. Malachy's), a pub (the Hope and Anchor) and a chippie (Tom's).
Interestingly, Gibraltar also has a colony of vomiting Rock Apes (macacus inuus). This colony has almost become extinct on a number of occasions, but for some reason--probably colonial romance--the Brits spent large amounts of time and money reviving it. Eventually, macaques of the same breed were flown in from North Africa under the direct orders of Churchill, and the population has remained fairly stable since. This enormous effort may be due to a Spanish legend that "when the apes go, then the British will surely follow." They can be seen today, eating indigestible loquats and vomiting them back up onto the hillside.
Also neat, considering the recent "discovery" of Atlantis near Cadiz (see below), is the fact that the Romans called the twin coasts of the strait Mons Calpe and Mons Abyla, the Pillars of Hercules, and the edge of the known world. Beyond which lay Atlantis. Take a look at the map of Spain. Cool, huh?
