My trip to Spain was going perfectly fine until the monkeys. Hi, my name is Andrew, and this is why you should never, EVER, trust monkeys.

The dreaded day started with a 5:00 A.M. wake up time, which was not pretty. With the more than usual “Did you grab it yet, sweetie?” then the retorted, “No, Mom, don't rush me.” Then the yelled, “Get in the car! We`re going to be late!” After a while in a family of five you get used to it. It was honestly a surprise that we left only an hour and a half behind schedule.

The ride started with the routine fight about nonsense, follow by me on my phone; my sister, Noelle, listening to Taylor Swift and Adele; my older sister Madeline looking belligerent and spiteful; my Mom, Carol, trying to turn on her phone; and my Dad looking like he wanted to drive off the coastal highway and into the Mediterranean sea. The drive to Gibraltar only took forty minutes, but thanks to Pokemon GO it felt like four.

When I saw the rock, I was speechless. The limestone cliffs glowed a shimmering silver with the sunrise. The broken military battery at the ridge seemed to say, “this rock isn't going anywhere”. We drove into the town of La Línea de la Concepción, parked, then walked toward customs. Once we got through security (without any problems, thank goodness) we crossed the runway of the small Brittish providence and got on a bus. The British town was small and clean, with an obvious Spanish influence. Just at the end of the town was the tram to the top of the rock, and after a thirty minute line, we got on. Throughout the ride a prerecorded moderator spoke in a calm voice, “If you happen to see a monkey, please refrain from feeding it. Have a nice visit!”

Nearing the top of the ride, someone spotted a monkey. Then another. And then another. We got off the tram. Another. We walked to the main area. A whole family of monkeys. We walked up the stairs. A guy got his passport stolen. By a monkey. At this point, I was realizing that monkeys were not like Curious George. I went inside the snack shop, and my mom followed suit.

My Mom and I got some food and sat down at a table. We were just about to dig into our turkey sandwiches when the attack came. In three seconds a monkey opened the door, ran across the room, jumped on our table, and in a flash, had grabbed my sandwich and escaped. I fell off my stool in shock, and my mom screamed expletives. Soon after recovering, we hiked down the rock, cautious of all monkeys.

Overall, this experience left me in surprise. Now that I know that monkeys are smart, I won’t be taken by surprise. So, no moral really, except that the best stories come from the worst of times. I have a lot of good stories.