January 18, 2025 - Walking on the Wall and Around the Old City

 Juan Carlos picked me up around 7:15 this morning.  No cruise ships were expected until 10 a.m. so I figured it would be a good morning to stroll around the Old City.  It was delightful!  Cartagena is geographically small.  From my apartment to the beautiful walled City is less than 10 minutes.  It takes me longer to go to the grocery store at home.  

There are a lot of photos.  I hope you enjoy!

5:30 a.m. view.

The traffic that early is mostly people going to work, like rush hour in most cities.

We parked outside the wall.

There are a few large dogs around but they're more interested in perusing garbage than people.

The Hotel Santa Clara.  A Sofitel property, I just checked the rates and it's about $850 USD per night.  

The smooth path up to the top of the wall.

In places, the wall is wide enough for restaurants, like this one which will open later.

That's my neighborhood of Bocagrande in the background.

There are bridges in spots.

Notice only two shadows?  No crowds this morning!  

The smooth pavement made walking easy.  And the views and 78 degree temps made it wonderful.

I'm very glad I met Juan Carlos.  He's been a wonderful driver and guide.  

Looking down from the wall to the streets of the Old City.

That's a pineapple on top of the turret.  I thought pineapples were a symbol of welcome. (We won't go into the upside down pineapples). The Spaniards didn't build this to welcome anyone.

These antique canons are aimed toward the Caribbean.

Another, larger restaurant that will be hopping at sunset.  Then, it will be wall to wall people.

That's Bocagrande on the left.

I live in the highrise in the middle.  I think it's the juxtaposition of antique and modern that I find so appealing.  All surrounded by water.

Quintessential Cartagena...old and new.

That's the flag of the city of Cartagena.

Before bed I sit on my balcony and watch the traffic on this road.  

Steps make it a bit easier to walk up and down.

Where the rain goes...down into a deep hole.

What a gorgeous place for a morning run.

People go out for dinner around ten p.m. here.  It is quiet in the morning.

The street light is a bit jarring.

This is the main road that leads to the airport (toward the right) and Bocagrande (to the left).  It's only about a 15 minute drive from one to the other.

A bored policeman.

We hit a dead-end on the wall so climbed down and walked through the Old City.  The whole wall is about 11 KM (6 miles).

Few people were out.  Later, it will be packed with cars and people.

Hard to read but this website explains the Bastions of Santa Cruz and other nearby parts of the wall that were among the earliest built.  This site is in Spanish but Google Translate is helpful.  https://fortificacionescartagena.com.co/es/destination/baluarte-de-santa-cruz/

This gives you an idea of how narrow some of the entrances to the city are.

The covered hallway behind those arches is called  a portal here.  Some are used for vendors, like the famous Portal de Las Dulces, where I bought the candy.

I love the colors.

And notice how clean and well maintained things are?

Wooden carving on a wooden door.

The actual door, with the handle, is about five feet tall.

Owning a property in the Old City means you have to keep it maintained.  That's one of the reasons that Cartagena is so popular with tourists.

Small signs show that many of the buildings house businesses - restaurants, small hotels, clothing stores, tourism shops, etc.  Diego Maya is a high-end spa that also has a location a couple of blocks from me in Bocagrande. 

I don't know why I'm obsessed with big fancy doors, but I have been for years. 

Many of the buildings were homes to famous people who are commemorated with plaques.

There are plenty of places to spend lots of money.

La Gorda Gertrudus was a gift to the city by the artist Fernando Botero.

Rubbing the body of the fat lady is supposed to be good luck.  

These are private apartments.  One is for sale.  I couldn't find it, but found another apartment in the Old City for just over $2,000,000.  USD.  It is MUCH less to buy a new apartment with an ocean view in Bocagrande.  

Typical of Spanish architecture, behind many of the large doors are courtyards, open to the sky.

Casa Santiago Botero (anyone else have trouble reading that?) is a boutique hotel with the courtyard shown in the previous photo.

I don't think the folks at Disney would like this.

But I like the dog with sunglasses.

There are many restaurants in the Old City.  A main course is typically at least $20 USD.

A fruit vendor on the street.

The fruit is much less than in the USD.

Cruise clothes.

Oh, this isn't good.  I'd asked JC where I could find Pan de Bono, a popular food here.  It is made with cassava flour, corn starch and cheese.  We stopped here to try some.  It is good.  And cheap.  And fattening.  And, there's one near by apartment that delivers.  Uh, oh.

Diditos de queso.  Cheese fingers, made with cassava flour.

So many good choices.

The smell was so good.  They also sell coffee.

Is it a good thing that I can order these online and have them delivered in 11 minutes? With a $.50 delivery fee?  $2.50 for two pastries.  $3, delivered.

Yes, those are Nutella croissants.

JC finally dragged me out of the bakery.  He lured me with another door.                        

As with many cruise ports, there are a lot of jewelry stores.  Most here specialize in emeralds.  This one was a bit different.

Tired of doors yet?  I'm not!  And you thought this blog was boring when I stayed home, lol.

A Tinto (coffee) vendor.

There are even more paintings for sale in the nearby neighborhood of Getsemani.

The walled city is small but has a number of parks where people hang out in the shade.

Pigeons and portals.

Dancing with my new friend.

JC knows the names of every statue.  I do not remember them.

There were several fountains in the park to add to the pleasant ambiance.

And another statue.  I believe this one is Simon Bolivar.  The province Cartagena is in is named after him.

The other day, I jokingly told JC that I'm a queen.  So he said I needed to come to the Portal where the queens are.  It is all the women who have been Miss Colombia.  The contest is held here each November.  

The Portal de Las Reinas.  Portal of the Queens.

This isn't my first trip to Cartagena.  I've been here 5 or 6 times, so am less excited this trip about doing all the tourist sites, like the Gold Museum.  I do have a cool little statue in my guest room that I bought here.

Beyond the park is another museum, of the Inquisition.  Interesting but painful to see what men do to each other for power, money and religion.

Have I mentioned I fear breaking my leg again?  These marble stairs look great but wet?  NO!

Second only to my love of giant doors are ceramic street signs embedded in walls. Popular in many countries, including Portugal and Spain.

They remind me of an era when art and beauty was as important as function.

I love this door knocker.  Would it look at all out of place in my small suburban house?

At the edge of the Old City reality returns with a large parking lot and lots of motorbikes owned by the people who work in the city.

Near the Naval Museum are many statues.  I prefer doors.

The Naval Museum

One of the large, beautiful churches is the Santuario de San Pedro Claver.  In the square near the church are many statues by the same artist.

This is San Pedro de Clavar.  He lived in the early 1600's.  He was a Spanish Jesuit priest who worked with the slaves in Cartegena and is their patron saint.

The front of the church.

The statues show people playing common games like dominoes and chess as well as typical jobs, like sewing and shoemaking.