Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
As you travel, opportunities to enjoy history are everywhere. Work on cultivating a
general grasp of the sweep of history, and you'll be able to infuse your sightseeing with
more meaning.
Where can a monkey spy two seas and two continents at the same time? On the Rock of
Gibraltar.
I was sitting on the summit of the Rock of Gibraltar, looking out at Africa. It's the only
place on earth where you can see two continents and two seas at the same time. The straits
were churning with action. Where bodies of water meet, they create tide rips—confused,
choppy teepee seas that stir up plankton, attracting little fish, birds, bigger fish…and
fishermen balancing the risks and rewards of working those turbulent waters. The fertile
straits are also busy with hungry whales, dolphins, and lots of ferries and maritime traffic.
Boats cut through feeding grounds, angering environmentalists. And windsurfers catch a
stiff breeze, oblivious to it all.
Looking out over the action, with the Pillars of Hercules in the misty Moroccan
distance, I realized that there was also a historical element in this combustible mix.
Along with seas and continents, this is where, for many centuries, two great civiliza-
tions—Islam and Christendom—have come together, creating cultural tide rips. Centuries
