Cartagena, Colombia

 We had two sea days before we reached Cartagena, but I'll do a separate post with some photos shot on the various sea days throughout the entire cruise at a later date. 

We sailed into port early in the morning, around 7 a.m. I had booked an excursion for the day, with a scheduled time to leave the ship of 9 a.m. Since I was out of bed shortly after 6:15, I had plenty of time to drop off a couple of books at the library (I'd brought them from home and had planned to leave them in the sharing library), have a good breakfast, and take a few photos early in the day.

I'm not certain what I expected, but this was not it. It's clear that Cartagena is a very modern city - though I visited the old city area. I guess I need to up my research when I'm visiting new locales.

I was intriqued by these buildings - one very modern and the other, either under construction or about to be demolished. Who knows?

Early in the morning, the port was busy with vessels of various sizes buzzing about.

I headed down early to the Provence dining room, arriving at 8:10 a.m. While I waited I chatted with various other passengers. We were heading to the gangway by 9 a.m. Our medallions were scanned as we walked off the ship, and would be scanned again as we came on board - one of the ways the ship keeps track of the passengers. Our group boarded a tour bus for a drive into the old city of Getsemani - referred to by the cruise line as Gethsamane.

Our guide gave us some general information about Getsemani, and the history of Columbia. She indicated we'd be visiting three neighbourhoods; lower, middle, and upper class. To be honest, I only noticed the difference in the lower class areas - the streets were more narrow, the buildings were smaller, but no matter where we were the buildings were well kept, and often very colorful.

When we left the bus we were standing in a narrow city street with all the flags above us. I asked the guide what they were for, and she mentioned the World Cup. I do know from my research Colombia has not hosted the World Cup, so I'm not certain the purpose.

We made our way through the narrow streets where many of the buildings had murals painted on them. This was one i really liked. We had to share the streets with the vehicles, and though there were no signs, the drivers seemed to know the direction of the one-way streets. When relegated to the even narrower sidewalks, those in front would yell "big hole" to warn those behind who might be looking up rather than down. It worked, as no one fell during our walk.

We stopped briefly at the Iglesia de la Trinidad - Church of the Holy Trinity,  with a swarm of other tourists. There was a service in the church so we did not enter.

Another art installation on a side street. I recall seeing something similar in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2019.

I had to check a translation for this building. The sign Las Tablitas translates to the little boards in Spanish. I have to think it refers to the building materials. It appears to be a tavern.

We turned right at this corner and made our way to a local restaurant situated on the top floor of a hotel. We had been walking for about 15-20 minutes at this point, and the temperature was near 100F (38C). Here we were given a chance to sit for a few minutes, and have a cold drink that contained coconut milk, sugar, water, and lemon. It sounds a bit odd, but I can assure you it was delicious and refreshing. 

From this vantage point we could see the bridge we'd driven over to reach the old city.

Beyond the restaurant was a small pool with loungers for the hotel desks. There was a family using the pool while we were there so I was careful not to include them in my photo.

In the background of the photo is the Castle San Felipe de Barajas. The castle is a fortress built by the Spaniards to repel invaders. Construction began in 1536, repairs and expansions continued over the next 200 years. We did not visit the fort, but I definitely would do so, should I ever have a chance to return to the city.

It certainly looks imposing, doesn't it?

Back on the bus we made our way to a building that once was a nunnery, but is now a theatre. I don't have a lot of pictures as my major concern was locating the nearest bano (bathroom). 

During the stop, the guide spent about 20 minutes providing the history of the building and this man. I certainly didn't recall the details, so pulled the information below from various websites.

In the center courtyard was this bust of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, author of "100 Years of Solitude". Born in Aracataca, Colombia in 1927, he was exiled from the country in 1954, when he broke a news story about a sailor who survived the shipwreck of a Columbian Navy destroyer. Although the wreck had been attributed to a storm, the sailor reported that badly stowed illegal contraband from the US came loose and knocked eight of the crew overboard. 

Garcia Marquez died in Mexico City, in 2014. Our guide explained that half of his cremains are interred here and the other half in Mexico. He is considered a hero among the Colombian people. 

After the history lessons, here's a photo I took just because I thought it was pretty. 

I believe this was a monastery, but didn't take down any notes, and my search for information turned up other images but no details. In any event, the stained glass windows were simply gorgeous.

This sweet lady saw us walking down her street, and came to the railing to applaud us. I assume that's her caregiver beside her. We all applauded her as well.

In this area, almost all of the upper stories of the buildings had lovely balconies. This was one of my favorites with all the flowers.

Ventena de la Denuncia - Window of denunciation

Situated in the Palace of the Inquisition, this small window was a place where individuals would accuse their neighbours of being a witch during thr period of Inquisition. Once an accused had racked up three accusations they could be prosecuted. This generally meant torture with various devices, though if one was wealthy enough, they could pay off the church to be acquitted. Approximately 800 people (mostly women) were executed as witches during this period. Our guide explained that the property of those who died, was ceded to the church. She suggested that the inquisition was a money-maker for the Catholic Church as one either paid for their freedom or it was taken from them in death.

At the end of our second 15-20 minute walk was the Iglesia de San Pedro Claver.

The church was built between 1580 and 1624 and has been renamed a few times. The church is currently named for Saint Pedro Claver, who died in 1654, after spending much of his life ministering among the black slaves. The story our guide told us was quite different from the information I found on Wikipedia but I don't recall the details so won't try to share her comments. Let's just say her comments were not as favorable. We didn't enter the building this time because there was a baptism ceremony. 

Across the square from the church were several metal sculptures. I thought this one was most interesting.

The bus picked us up here and we were delivered to the shopping area. It was obvious the tour company had an agreement with the vendors of store #3 and we were shepherded into the store where souvenirs, jewellery and local products were available. I picked up a package of Columbian coffee for my son and then ventured outdoors to get some fresh air. I soon hurried back indoors as the vendors outside the store were more ferocious than those I've encountered in other countries. We had been warned not to look at the goods they carried, not to make eye contact, and to be wary of a vendor attempting to put something in our hands.

The bus pulled up and I headed to the air-conditioned comfort of the coach. Back at the port, we walked through the aviary where a number of colorful birds were on view. It was still very hot, and I didn't stay long. Looking back, I wish I had taken my time but I did get a few photos. One I've shared with you previously was the parrot. 

I was most excited to see the albino peacock pictured below. My first photo was of his butt - thankfully he turned and faced me. 

I was back on board by 1:30 p.m. and headed to the Grille on Deck 15 for a burger and fries. Then it was off to the stateroom to chill (literally and figuratively) for the rest of the afternoon. There was NFL football to watch while I relaxed.

Later, I went to the singles and solos get-together and then to dinner at the buffet with one of the group. C is from Ottawa, and we had lots of interests in common. After dinner, she headed off to the early show in the theatre while I went back to my stateroom to watch more football and do some reading. I knew I wanted to be up early the next day.

Between my rest and meeting with the solo/singles I did get up on the deck to get a photo of the city as we sailed away. 

Next - Panama Canal