Cartagena

We have been lucky that most of the ports we have sailed into have the cruise terminal close to the centre of town. It was a 10 minute walk into Cartagena. We arrived quite early and most of the attractions weren’t open so we had a chance to explore without the crowds that would build up during the day.

 We bought a ticket that gave us entry to 5 of the main attractions. The first one we visited was the Punic Wall with remains of a rampart built in 227 BC, including the crypt underneath.

The next place we visited was the Casa de la Fortuna, the remains of a Roman house built in the late first century BC. There were mosaics on the walls and floor and the old road that ran in front of the house. It was fascinating to think of the people who had walked on that road.

Our next stop was the Castillo de la Concepcion which was built on the 17^th century using Roman ruins. Luckily one of the tickets gave us access to the lift taking us to the top of the hill.

Our last place to visit was the Roman Theatre, back down in the city centre. In the morning we had noticed some areas which looked like they were being set up for a festival and by the time we got back to the town it was in full swing. It was Cinquo de Mayo celebrations (5^th May) and all the locals were out in their finery. Most of the women and girls were dressed in traditional Spanish dresses and there were small stages with dancers all over the town. It was lovely.

The remains of the Roman Theatre were discovered in 1988, buried under buildings right in the middle of town. It has been excavated and restored and is an amazing place to wander around. They have rebuilt columns around original pieces.

On the way back to the ship we took a picture of a very unusual ship. Someone said it belonged to a Russian millionaire.