Friday, December 16, 2016 – Partly cloudy, light breeze, 88 degrees
According to the ship’s log this morning, “the Pilot guided us through the narrow Bocachia Channel and through the Bay of Cartagena towards the inner harbour. The Captain maneuvered the ship in to our assigned berth. By 0929 the ship was All Fast fore and aft.” It would be so much fun to be up in the bridge and watch all this going on instead of reading a report!
We had signed up for an “self-guided tour” of the Old Town which was just transportation from the ship to the historic district. We passed through Las Murallas, the wall, and under the Monumento Torre del Reloj, Clock Tower.
I’ll never understand why we had only a half day in Cartagena, Columbia whose historic districts of El Centro and San Diego, are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Cartagena is a big fascinating modern city of almost a million people with a lot to explore, including the Spanish colonial walled district, 16th century fortress and churches, and scores of other historical sights.
The local guide pointed out historic buildings and told us the weather in Cartagena is always “hot or hotter.” I wasn’t sure which we had today, but with 90 degree temperatures, direct mid-day sun, and 85% humidity, it was HOT!
Spanish colonial architecture is attractive with shaded wooden balconies hung over narrow sidewalks. Many of the stucco buildings were brightly painted and some had shady arcades which extended to the street.
We became “shade seekers” choosing shady narrow streets filled with vendors and locals. We had been warned about aggressive vendors who followed us around, but they were harmless, just trying to earn a living.
The walled historic district is an area of interconnected streets and alleyways which lead to many open plazas.
We followed a calle to the end to look at the wall and discovered that it was wide enough to walk on. It would have been fun to walk all around the district, but it was too hot in the sun.
Standing on the wall we saw a roadway around the perimeter near the water and the modern skyscrapers of Cartagena in the distance across the bay. It was too hot to stand in the open, so we returned to the shade of El Centro.
Time passed quickly and we had to find the Plaza San Pedro Claver for our transportation back to the ship. We got a little lost in the alleyways, but finally found the right plaza.
The bus drove through several other interesting-looking neighborhoods which just reinforced my notion that Cartagena is a city worth visiting and spending a lot more time. But it’s hot!
