We stayed with a family who still lives in their 100 year old home close to the Centro Historico but far enough to be in a quiet neighbourhood. The home has nine bedrooms so there were guests from around the world. There were rocking chairs on the front porch which would be occupied in the evenings with their family and friends.
There are many older homes here which are now state monuments...
It is also located by the marina, lots of money around here...
Cartengena is a very historic city with 11 Kms of stone walls which were built to withstand the many armies that tried to conquer the city. There were the Spaniards, the French, the Portuguese and the English all looking to get a toehold in South America.
The entrance to the old city...
Cartagena being a port city was in a very strategic position to access the riches of Columbia especially its gold. It was also used to house and ship million of slaves from Africa to other countries in the Americas. As a result it’s people are descendants of Africans, Europeans and the Indigenous people of Columbia.
The main tourist area is inside the walled city which is home to many old buildings, churches and lots of tourist shopping and did I say it was hot? Mid 30s with 90% humidity made for many stops as we explored the city.
Mojitos and...
Fresh juices on every corner...
As we moved around the city it was obvious that this place was a popular tourist attraction as there were crowds everywhere including the cruise ship traffic as there are over 200 visits a year.
We spent one day exploring the historic Center which was quite colourful...
Lots of shades of yellow!
Our favourite neighbourhood was Getsemani, a working area which has now become quite the hipster neighbourhood. In the past it was where the slaves and poorer class lived but now is full of boutique hotels, bars and cafes...
The Center of the neighbourhood is Plaza Trinidad which has a large church on one side where people sit in the shade and watch the world go by.
Zumba in the square...
Don trying the street food, arepas which are corn tortillas stuffed with various ingredients including eggs, meat and cheese...
A fancy hotel lobby...
A typical tienda...
Men playing on the street corner...
This area is also home to many street murals...
Quite colourful with lots of meanings...
The story behind the mural below...this artist undertook an ambitious project to find an authentic ‘Face of Cartagena’ by reaching out to locals. Through social media channels, and asking them to submit personal photos: the idea being to find an indigenous person that represented the mix of ethnicities and cultures in the cultural coastal hotspot. This was the result...
Cartagena being on the Carribean Ocean is surrounded by sandy beaches...
Many are lined with sun screens that you could rent by the day...
Lovely views of the water...
Also lots of tasty seafood which we sampled in this little restaurant which was featured in the New York Times...
Citrus flavoured cerviche...
Another day we did a city tour on an old bus called a Chiva...
We climbed up to The Castillo San Felipe de Barajas is a fortress in the city of Cartagena, Colombia. The castle is located on the Hill of San Lázaro in a strategic location, dominating approaches to the city by land or sea. It was built by the Spanish during the colonial era.
The newer parts of the city...
Some other street scenes as we explored the city during the day and also at night. We felt very safe in Cartagena which was a good introduction to Columbia...
So much color in this lively city!
