My Weekly Powerup | #club100 | St.Michael's Cave on the Rock of Gibraltar | #steemexclusive / 10 photos

When in Gibraltar, one of the places that shouldn't be missed, is a visit to St. Michaels Cave. It's located on the Rock, or more presise, the Upper Rock Nature Reserve. The cave is actually a whole network of caves. The name of the cave is believed to derive from the Italian cave where Michael, the Archangel is presumed to have appeared. There are many ways to get to the sights on the Rock, which includes the famous monkeys, a skywalk, the Great Siege tunnels, Moorish Castle and etc. A good option is a guided tour that will take to most of the sights. You can walk, but the road is rather steep. Or maybe take the cable car. That is a steep ride too, but on the way you can enjoy the view.

St.Michaels cave is located 300 meters above the sea. The limestone caves count more than one hundred caves, but St. Michaels is the most visited. The cave is used for musical concerts of all kinds. From operas to rock concerts. The cave is suited for these events because of its natural acoustic. These events take place in the chamber called the Cathedral Cave. It is the largest of the chambers, with a capacity of almost 100 seats. The cave has been used for other purposes, like military hospital. This was during WWII. The guide also told us about that Spanish troops who were hiding here on the day that Gibraltar was captured by Anglo-Dutch army (1705)

The cave is lit with colorful light. The formations are impressive, but it does give quite an amazing experience with the changing light. You follow a path that is one way. In between we made a stop to read the information boards.

The Angel of St. Michael

Look at this rockformation and imagine an angel. The light changes if you stay looking at it for a while. The Angel of St. Michael get a different look as it changes. This is a very tall angel, probably close to ten meters.

The guide did not give us many geological facts, but I have understood the creation of the rockformations and cave systems, are due to rainwater. The limestone has then turned into carbonic acid, that eventually have been dissolving the rock. Somehow this has led to the creation of the caverns and passages. This process has taken many thousands years. Still you can feel the water on the ground. One has to take care not to slip. Another interesting fact is the discoveries that prove that prehistoric humans have once lieved here. Art drawn with charcoal on a wall. Two Neanderthal skulls have been found here in Gibraltar. The cave is both geological and historical interesting. Definitly a highlight on a trip to Gibraltar.

A short film from the place
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/K-f2NuhB6Kc

CC @patjewell

Powering up at least 50% of all liquid payout. Thank you for the support for making this possible. 😂

Thank you for visiting my post. Have a great day everyone.

Latest powerup post, check out :
My Weekly Powerup | #club100 | A symbol of the Age of Discoveries – The Belem Tower in Lisbon, Portugal | #steemexclusive / 16 photos

U.J

Kristiansand, Norway

All the photoes are mine, Ulla Jensen (flickr, Instagram and facebook)

Read about us? // Main page!
Follow us for our blogs about travel, art, article and photo