18th September 2023
Arrival at Cartagena is on time and we are docked by 8 am. Our berth is right in town, so it is just a short stroll ashore this morning for our shore excursion which is a walking tour of Cartagena, with Tapas and Drinks at 3 different Tapas bars. It is a late start as the tapas will be our lunch, so the tour starts at 10.45 am.
Founded over 2000 years ago by the Carthaginian Hasdrubal. It's great attraction was it's protected harbour. The city was thriving during the Roman Empire, followed by occupation by the Visigoths, Vandals, Byzantines and Arabs until it was conquered in 1245 by King Alonso X
Cartagena was a mining town and considerable wealth was made from mining iron, zinc, silver and lead. The first phase of mining was in the Roman era, the second phase was tied to the industrial revolution. Many contamination issues resulted from the mines and operations ceased in the lates 1990's after a heavy metals discharge into the ocean.
Just a short walk from our ship we reach the shoreline of the city. There is a large marina between us and the city, filled with lots of yachts, many of whom appear to be visitors.
Viking Jupiter from the city shore
There is a large shipyard to the west of the harbour and a fortress on the hill behind it
As we approach the city centre we can see the remains of the city wall fortifications. Apparently the wall used to be on the edge of the harbour with water lapping up to the wall. Land reclamation now has it a good distance from the current shoreline.
At the entrance to the city we see the Monument to Heroes of Cavite, created in honour of those killed during the American - Spanish War in 1898 in the battles of Manila Bay and Santiago de Cuba.
At the entrance to the main street of the Old City is this stunning building which used to be the Town Hall, but is now just an administrative building for the Council, with the main public offices located in a different building. Constructed in 1907 it immediately suffered structural deficiencies due to the weight of the building on the reclaimed land it was built on. It took 7 years to complete the works to stabilise the building.
Entering the main street, the streets are paved in marble and the old building facades make this a very attractive city.
Our guide is quick tell us that if there is one thing Cartagena is famous for, it is Asiatic Coffee, advertised below. It sounds like a Spanish equivalent of a strong Irish coffee.
Before we go further into the city, we are diverted to go and see the Roman Amphitheatre, that was only discovered in 1988 when some new building works uncovered some Roman ruins underneath the current level of buildings. This resulted in the demolition of many buildings and houses to expose this amazing ruin.
This old photo from 1923 shows the extent of building that covered the site
Restoration is still under way, but there is an effort to leave as much of it in untouched as possible
Now it is back to the main street to continue our tour.
Our guide explaining highlights along the way
This elaborate facade is the most exclusive club in Cartagena called "Casino", but it is not a casino.
Our first Tapas bar is located on the eastern side of town, near the entrance gate to the shipyard. Our tapas is Patatas Bravas with a glass of wine , beer or Sangria or something soft if preferred.
Now into the serious part of the tour, we are off in search of our next tapas bar, which is not very far away, but the walk takes us past more historic sites.
We pass this beautiful old building which is now an upmarket hotel.
Palacio de Capitania General
A magazine seller in the square
Continuing through the backstreets we soon arrive at yet another Roman ruin that has been discovered under the city and is being restored. In this case it is the remains of the Roman baths and Forum. It seems that much of this city has been built over the top of the old Roman settlement and it is not possible to expose it all, as most of the current city would be destroyed.
Roman Baths and Forum being restored
Near the Forum is Plaza San Francisco. The continuation of the Roman ruins go under the plaza.
Plaza San Francisco
Our next tapas bar awaits us. This time the tapas is like a ratatouille on a crisp base with a fried quail egg on top. Various refreshments are offered to wash it down including beer, wine and the local specialty vermouth. Some of us gave the Vermouth a try.
It is time to move on to our final tapas bar, once again weaving through the back streets and squares.
Our final tapas bar
Our tapas here was anchovy on a potato salad served and crisp pretzel type base
With our tour now officially finished we walked back to the town entrance where we now have free time to look around, or go back to the ship.
We stayed ashore for a while having a bit of a further look around and doing a bit of shopping, before heading back along the waterfront to our ship.
Departure from port is at around 5.30 pm, and we wasted no time leaving the dock and heading out to sea. As usual, leaving the port in daylight provides another perspective.
Entrance to the harbour
Leaving Cartagena behind us
Remnants of the mining past
The port was well fortified against invasion from the sea
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed Cartagena and agree it was one of the nicest cities we have visited on this cruise.
Tomorrow we arrive in Barcelona at around midday.
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