Salisbury, England

Salisbury Baptismal FontThere are two main attractions to see in this area, Stonehenge and the 750 year old Salisbury Cathedral.  The best Indian food we have ever had at the Shah Jahan and the friendly owners at the Old Ale House were added bonuses.  It surprised me that Stonehenge is a site that is totally visible from the main road.   Other visitors at Stonehenge told of how they were able to simply drive up in recent years and walk in.  No more.  Now there is an admission fee, buses which take you to the site and the obligatory gift shop.

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The Rock of Gibraltar, UK

I never thought as a kid watching the Prudential Insurance ads on television that I would one day climb to the very top of the Rock of Gibraltar.  Further, who would have thought that monkeys were at the top waiting to steal food from tourists?  Actually we were told they are Barbary apes, so I guess I’ll soon need to go look up the difference.  This was a strenuous hike up a steep trail with many steps, called the Mediterranean Steps.  One member of our party had to turn back, so the rest of our group went on without our guide.  The mountains in the distance across the Straits of Gibraltar are part of north Africa!

We were told there is no unemployment in Gibraltar, UK.   In fact, there is a labor shortage so the businesses there must hire thousands of people from Spain who commute over the narrow land bridge connecting Spain to Gibraltar.  This road actually crosses the airport runways on Gibraltar.  However, Spain still feels like Gibraltar should be theirs, so they refuse to hire anybody from Gibraltar….