March 25, 2026 - Staying home in Roccalvecce

 Since we were in the car most of the day yesterday, we opted to stay home today, except for errands.  Matt and I drove to the nearest small store, in the town of Celleno.  Small, but with fresh cheeses/sausages/bread/vegetables.  I wanted to get more of the wonderful cookies to take home but they only had one package.  They said more are being delivered tomorrow and they're getting enough so I can stock up.

Later, we hit Eileen's favorite place for lunch.  We ate there the other day and it was good so today I tried a different pasta (Alfredo) and a salad.  Both amazing. With huge portions - I have MORE than enough for dinner tonight.

You'd think I wouldn't have many photos today since it was mostly just hanging out but...guess what?

Photos!

Eileen loves all dogs, including this cutie, named Rolling, after the Rolling Stones.  Owned by one of the nice older gentlemen who live in the village.

See that window with dark shutters, in the middle?  That's my kitchen window.

A small, old church in Roccalvecce.

This fountain is fed by a live stream and people in the village still get some of their water here.

The patron saint of the village and his pig.  This area is known for pigs.  We saw several the other night on our way home from dinner.

The private castle grounds have a fountain, swimming pool, garden and a tennis court.

There are no bad views from Roccalvecce.

This house is for sale.  I want it just because of the doors.

Have I mentioned this is how they announce deaths?  I've seen a board like this in every town we've visited, including Viterbo.

Good food requires good ingredients.  Check out these tomatoes in the small neighborhood grocery store in Celleno.

Not sure if they grow these here or folks just like to eat them.

It's a small supermarket but has everything we needed.  And the people working there were very helpful and friendly.  Not many people (especially the older ones) speak English here but are patient and my Spanglish helps.

The lunch restaurant.  Matt thinks they have the best pizza but they only serve that at dinner and don't open for dinner until 7:30 p.m.  And, it's a 30 minute drive.

They didn't skimp on portion size - or pepper.  Freshly ground.  

We took a side road on the way home through yet another hill top town and stopped at this park.

First Eileen buried Matt in grass she pulled.  Then he buried her.

January 6, 2025 - Aren't Mondays the Best?

 You know what's better than being retired?  Being retired in Cartagena!  It was 75 when I got up at six with clear skies and calm seas.  I've been sleeping really well and sleeping in a bit, which is nice.

I started my day off with a walk because later, the "feels like" temperature is predicted to be 97.  Add sun and no breeze and that makes walking around the city less fun.

I strolled for about an hour this morning.  My goal was to get some exercise and continue exploring my neighborhood in Bocagrande.  Here are some photos.

My apartment faces west so I don't get to see the sunrises.  But I found a sunrise view this morning.

The sunrise view is from the trash room, across the hall from my apartment.

This is the view when I walk out of my building, which is Edificio MorrosCity.

The main street along the beach is two-way and narrow. Some people park for short periods, making it one lane but still with two lanes of cars.  Superb driving skills are required.  It was easy to cross at 6:30 a.m., with no traffic.  

After crossing the street, there's this not-so-gorgeous path to the beach.

Look back at my building.  See that orange rectangle on the right?  My apartment is right above it.

This morning I met Daniel, a friendly young man who rents chairs and umbrellas on the beach.  For an umbrella and two lounge chairs, it is 50,000COP for all day.  That's about $12 USD. UPDATE - went for a drive with Juan Carlos.  He works at a taxi stand nearby and knows the area.  He said that he would introduce me to his friend, who also has chairs and umbrellas and will charge me about 1/2 what Daniel offered.  It seems that's the gringo price.

The morning sea.

These are part of a beach renovation project and will eventually be buried.

We got a lot of rain yesterday.

Tour busses were lined up early near the McDonalds.

Outdoor seating at a nearby breakfast spot.

View of my building from the back.

There are lots of liquor stores.  

And jewelry stores.  Emeralds are high quality and relatively low-priced.

I took photos of places so I could come back and Google.  This spot seems to be a sandwich shop similar to Subway.

And they deliver - currently, they have a special on with free delivery.

There are several clothing stores with high-end brands.

A Casino!  I love to gamble but hate to lose so don't plan to spend much time here.

I wonder how Starbucks does in Juan Valdez country?  It's like seeing a Starbucks in Boston.

Does a country exist that doesn't like Pizza?  I've never found one.

More clothes.

Bazurto is the large market in Cartagena.  Yo heart Bazurto is a restaurant, not located near the market.

I'm looking forward to trying this place - it gets great reviews online. 

There are a lot of sushi restaurants.

And Italian restaurants.

This seems to be a fusion restaurant owned by the Pandebono chain.

Now I'm hungry for pizza.

The neighborhood was quiet except for this police truck.

Acai and smoothies.

Once, in Mandalay, Myanmar, I was in a taxi when the car next to us came too close in heavy traffic and scraped the entire side of our car.  The driver just laughed and said his car was already dented so he didn't care.  I'm guessing the people shopping here would care.

Second siren of the morning.  I've actually heard surprisingly few sirens, given the dense population in Bocagrande.

The advantages of walking early in the morning are cooler temps and no crowds.  It's a pleasant place to walk but I have to keep an eye out because the sidewalks aren't all smooth and I have an annoying habit of falling.

So thoughtful that someone bagged their dog's poop.

I don't know what kind of grass this is but it is impressive looking.

Winter.

I don't know what this is.  Seems to be styrofoam with a small seat in one end.  Back in the day, we used to find things like this on the beach in Florida - rafts from people trying to travel from Cuba.

The malecon was busy with walkers and joggers.  All ages and genders.  All sweaty in the humidity.

I took this because the sight made me hum "Sitting on the dock of the bay".

The guy above was doing yoga on the dock.  This is the dock where powerboats were picking up day trippers the other day.

This view made me hum the Village People.  Those ships belong to the Colombian Navy.

Bocagrande is know as being one of the more upscale areas of Cartagena.  It is kept clean and safe to keep attracting the tourists and wealthy locals.

All the Christmas decorations are still up.  I'm planning to cruise the Old City one night soon so I don't miss seeing them.

Coquina stone!  Feels like Florida.

This is how addresses are written.  

Did a cocoa pod fall?

Is this a Cocoa tree? Because I'm telling you now, if chocolate falls from above in Cartagena I might have to move here.

I'm not big on coffee and usually only drink decaf but am going to have to try some of Juan's coffee.

More Italian food.  Highly rated for food only moderate reviews for ambiance.

The foot prints left by a bird looked like birds flying, to me,

Thank goodness.  More pizza options.

And Arabic food for when I get tired of pizza.

Spanish food, white linen table cloths and decent reviews.

Many of the business parking lots are roped off.  I'm assuming the ropes are removed in the morning when the building's security guard arrives.

Not surprisingly, it's not hard to find what technology you need.  I was able to pick up a USB wall charger plug at the drugstore.

Another bakery/brunch place.  Is it just me or does Mexico have more bakeries per capita than Colombia?

By the time I headed back, I counted six busses near the McDonalds.

If you prefer local food, you can get an arepa on the street corner.  Filled with eggs, cheese, etc.
Or, step inside and have a McGriddle.

This is on my list for brunch.

I like that they have a guard cat.

I actually brought a hat but may need another one.

Dogs on the beach.

I'm not sure if the butterflies in front of my building are permanent or Christmas decorations.

When you return from the store, you can use a cart to haul your stuff to your apartment.

No rain or clouds today!

I believe this is the best view from a bathroom I've ever had.  Except maybe from the boat I spent a few days on in Halong Bay, Vietnam.

Juan Carlos picked me up to head to the Old City to tour a bit and pick up some ceviche from his favorite place.  El Sombreon Ostreria is an outdoor stand.  There were about 12 people waiting when we joined the line.  They have 10 different sizes.  I got ceviche mixto (combo with squid, shrimp, fish) since they were out of pulpo (octopus).  I ordered the 45,000 COP, which is about $10 USD.  I was hungry and couldn't eat it all.  It was a bit heavy on onions for my taste but delicious.  I'll definitely go back.

I know this is disappointing news but I left my phone in the apartment when we went to the Old Cities.  Never fear, there will be more photos than you ever wanted to see coming soon.
Meanwhile - this is how they carefully prepared my ceviche for the trip home.

It came with saltines and mints.  There were at least a dozen shrimp in that cup along with all the other tasty seafood.

Monday afternoon, reading with a view.  Life is very good.