CARTAGENA
Cartagena
Cartagena de Indias is a beautiful old city facing the Caribbean sea on the west, about a 1 hour drive north of Barranquilla. The city was founded at the beginning of the 16th century by Spain. Because of its rapidly increasing fame and wealth it became a target for pillaging and plundering. (What, might you ask is the difference between the two? The best I could decifer, according to Webster's Third New International 10 lb. Unabridged Dictionary, is that there is no difference - both refer to the taking of goods and valuables by violence and force, no mention of rape or beheading.) At any rate, after all this pillaging and plundering the city fathers of Cartagena, supported by the Spanish, decided that it might be wise to construct a series of walled compounds, castles and forts around the city to protect their cash cow (Cartagena was amassing a fortune in gold and silver as well as other valuable goods.) This, then, is why the city is today so spectacularly beautiful. The wall which surrounds the city now has numerous areas for walking or enjoying a drink or two or eating establishments where you can sit and enjoy the sunset (or sunrise if you are so inclined). The many noble houses that were built by the aristocracy within the city proper have been turned into grand hotels, restaurants and what my son refers to as "boutique hotels" - small establishments so gorgeous they take your breath away, always with an interior open-air courtyard (see some pictures below).
We didn't stay in the city, however, because it was Christmas/New Years/and school vacation time, thus the prices of everything were at least three times what they usually were. Instead we found a lovely brand-new building outside the city limits right on the sea with all the amenities you might want...pools, spas, ocean-side covered umbrellas, para-sails, etc., etc. We were able to leave Chloe with Clau's parents, a daytime "Nanny" and her new God-parents so Clau & Mike finally had a night or two to themselves.
We used that time to investigate Cartagena - (beautiful stores and boutiques) - take a horse-drawn carriage (carruajes) around the city and just generally relax, exploring the grand hotels and the boutique hotels in anticipation of visiting at another time when the prices were not so high. We will also make it a prerequisite to visit some of the castles and forts next time.
Lovely, but when we returned to our hotel we discovered that the bathroom in one of the bedrooms was seriously clogged with septic smells, an indication that they are building these places too quickly with limited attention to the necessities, not a very wise move. That's a shame since the area is gorgeous, but by moving too quickly they are taking shortcuts that will only need to be corrected eventually. In my humble opinion, Colombia, and Cartagena in particular, are on the cusp of a major tourist boom. Yes, there are police but I saw no guns and it appeared that their major function was to keep order during the holiday week.
All in all it was a lovely side trip and one I would take again willingly. We returned home with no "incidents" the following Monday and thanked our lucky stars that we had been able to visit such a unique country.
At our hotel on the beach
Living area at our hotel
The whole complex
Interior of a boutique hotel
Buying some jewelry
Street sign
Horse-drawn carriage ride around town
Drinking out of a wine cooler
Happy we came...