February 2, 2025 - Walking in Getsemani and More

 Our day started when Juan Carlos picked us up at 8 a.m. to head to Getsemani to walk.  It is a colorful area, known for it's murals.  After we walked we headed to Cerro de la Popa, which was very busy because of it was the last day of the festival and hundreds of people were walking up the mountain.

On our way down to the hill, we stopped for sugar cane juice - which became a favorite of mine when I lived in Mandalay, Myanmar.  Then we moved on to the Old City for candy and ceviche.  Helga, your baby boy is bringing you a treat!  And luckily, it is the candy, not the ceviche, which would be pretty nasty by the time he got it back to Edmonton.

Another great morning, including an unexpected stop in Getsemani at the largest park there, to watch young kids race on roller blades.  Bonus that we ran into Juan Carlos' sister-in-law and her family.

I hope you enjoy the photos. And some short videos at the end.

JC and his reliable and comfortable Duster.

Roland's an angel!  There are a couple of spots for 'Gram worthy photos as an angel.

This statue, and the one in the next photo, are in front of the Iglesia de la Trinidad.

Did I mention this neighborhood is colorful?

There were still a few Christmas decorations up, including this one.  Who knew Johnny Walker celebrated Christmas?

Many of the walls are covered with murals.

I painted a mural on the wall behind the pool.  It's since been covered with the HOA-approved white paint.  I think I could do this...

Even the street signs (reminiscent of Spain) are lovely.

JC noticed the iguana knocker on this door.  What the hell is wrong with my hem and my purse?

This wooden door had a cool texture and I plan to buy one of the brass iguanas before I leave.  About $60. And, reputed to bring good luck.

Benches like these are common.  They're sturdy and surprisingly comfortable.  

I agree!

A mural and a street sign.

Fresh tropical juices are popular and readily available.

If you know the owner of this house, could you get me an invitation to the rooftop terrace?  I'll bring the beverages!

When I saw the wires, I thought I was in Bangkok for a second.

Flowers bloom year-round.

Mangoes painted on the door.  The next door was a pineapple.  This could be fun in my neighborhood, instead of house numbers.  Although I'm not sure I'd want to be the rutabaga house.

More murals.

This is a very popular restaurant.  Just look at the depth of that color.

Fresh limonada.  I had a lemonade stand when I was a kid in Tucson.  On a dirt road.  Which got very little traffic.  I hope these guys do better.

Flowers on the bike basket.  Why not?

We paid 38,000 pesos last night to have pizza delivered, including a good tip.  40,000 is $10 USD.  That was dinner for two.

The larger commercial streets aren't quite as picturesque.

We turned off the main street and JC pointed out the park, saying it was the largest park in Getsemani, El Parque Centenario.  He asked if we wanted to walk through it and my lazy self said, no, thanks.

But we heard noise and JC explained kids were racing on rollerblades.  They do it every Sunday.

It was a blast!  3 and 4 year old's racing on roller blades? There were older kids, too.  Lots of families cheering and kids getting medals. They do it every Sunday.  Guess where I'll be next Sunday?

Uniforms, helmets...they were prepared and everyone seemed to be having fun.

These two competitors bravely came over to say hello, in English.  We had a chat.  I complimented their English, they complimented my Spanish.  I will take an experience like this over a visit to a museum any day.

That's JC on the left and his sister-in-law in the middle, with her kids and grand-daughter, who did very well in the races.  

After watching the kids race for a bit and chatting, we headed back toward our car.  This young woman was taking photos with a couple of friends.  We waited for them to finish.  They thanked us and let us take this photo.  I have yet to meet anyone in Cartagena who hasn't been polite, friendly and welcoming.  Including store clerks and police.  I think it helps that I make an attempt to speak Spanish.

How cool is this?  It is a family tree, embedded in the wall of a house.  There are photos of each family member in each house.

After walking in Getsemani, we headed to Cerro de la Popa.  Because it was the last day of the Fiesta de la Candelaria, there were a LOT of cars and people.  We stayed just long enough to take some photos and enjoy the amazing view.  That's Manga in the foreground and Bocagrande in the background.

See those highrises in the background?  That's Bocagrande, where I'm staying.

The airport is just to the right of those buildings.

Another view of Manga and Bocagrande.  I apologize for the technical difficulties.  Some of the photos are out of sequence.  I'm too lazy to go in and fix the HTML code.

After coming down from Cerro de la Popa, we passed the San Felipe de Barajas Fort.  

The local, colorful Chiva buses.  There's a Princess ship in port, so lots of people at the fort.

I love sugar cane juice.  Freshly squeezed with an impressive looking contraption and topped with juice from 1/2 lime, it was cold and delicious.

View of the Old City from Cerro de la Popa.

After stopping to buy more candy (we used the excuse that Roland wanted to take some home) but also bought some for us, we hit the fruit stand to find more fruits we'd never had.  I'll be adding the new ones to the fruit and candy post.

The friendly fruit guy was patient as I photographed and wrote down the name of every fruit.

These dogs were surrounded by tourists near the Torre de Reloj (clock tower) and did not care.  The way he has his paws crossed reminded me of my guy, Buddy.

Scooters for rent.  Broken hip optional.

We stopped so JC could pick up a lottery ticket.  I love the trees in Cartagena.

Our second trip to the Ceviceria Sombrero - tasty and about $5 for a lunch-size serving.  And delicious.  The mixta has shrimp, crab and octopus.

Waiting for the ceviche.  I gave JC a "besito" - a little kiss on the cheek.  Later, in the car, he told us he was never going to bathe again, since I kissed him.  We all had a good laugh.  Seriously, JC is a good guy and a friend, not a novio/boyfriend.

Flako, Gordo and Langosta.

Parque de Las Flores is across the street from the Cevicheria.

When we got home, it was a bit windy and the water was looking a bit brown.

This time we got my second-favorite type of ceviche (by accident).  It is Colombian style and has ketchup, mayo and lime juice.  More like a shrimp cocktail than a ceviche, to me.  My favorite is more Peruvian-style with no mayo/ketchup but heavy on onions and lime.

We may have gone a week but overboard with the candy.