Early the next morning, we arrived in Cartegena. Temp at 7am: 90 degrees (it max'd out at 106 with 90% humidity before we left port!). It was breezy and it felt nice to be out on the deck watching all the activity. It is a beautiful country. Our shore excursion was a tour of the fortress and city.
You can see Columbia behind us. It is a huge country and spans from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific with its shoreline.
The harbor is guarded by the navy and this statue of the Virgin Mary.
The old blends with the new. High rises are being built around historical sites such as this lighthouse.
As we entered the harbor we passed by the walls that protected Columbia from the Spanish warships and attacks from other countries who wanted to take advantage of the massive borders.
Many of the walls of the harbor entrance showed the scars of battles. As we passed by this wall, we could see where the cannons had destroyed portions of it.
We visited one of the most famous fortresses on the point. The people in the forefront are vendors, selling anything you could possibly want as a souvenir. Our guide cautioned us against buying anything silver in this setting, telling us it wasn't a "bargain" and we would be able to find the "real deal" in town. The guards are posted throughout the fortress to insure the safety of the visitors - a little unnerving!
Greg enjoyed getting pictures as we walked up the fortress. This is pretty close to the top of the fortress and we had a clear view of the harbor and entrance into Cartegena. The fortress was built in the perfect location for protecting the city.
There were vendors all along the main walkways. These people just set out their items on blankets and are not shy about asking you to look over the treasures.
These owls live in the fortress. At first I thought they were sick because of the way they were sitting and looking at us, but our guide assured us they were healthy and well taken care of. They were pretty ugly, though!
Many of the downtown streets are too narrow for cars and buses. Streets were not marked one way so if a car was coming down one way, other drivers had to wait to go the other direction. Many people just carried their goods on their heads, backs and in carts.
Typical shopping day......it was crowded, lively, colorful and fun!
Can you tell if these are real people? After taking a picture, the "statues" would motion the camera-taker over to put a donation in the buckets in front of them, but otherwise they were totally still. And yes, they are totally painted in metal black/gray.
This vendor was selling fresh fruits and vegetables to the local people. There was no evidence of any type of produce store/market. Just these carts throughout the city.
We then visited this Cathedral, where many of the early Church's punishments were carried out on the grounds and outbuildings. We saw torture chambers, guillotines, and weapons. It's hard to imagine what the people went through. Made us sad to see it.
This is the patron saint. He is buried in this tomb that sits in the front of the church on the alter. The church itself was very beautiful and serene. It was hard to grasp all the ugliness that must have surrounded this place during the years of Inquisition.
One of the stained glass windows in the back of the church.
Cartegena had many different types of hibiscus growing everywhere. The fragrance of these flowers was so pleasant. We really enjoyed our tour of the city, even if we sweltered in the heat.
The three pictures above show the beginnings of this area being cut away. The picture below shows the current state of the construction.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
