Cartagena

Streets of Getsemani in Cartagena

All good tours started with a history lesson. Cartagena was our last stop but it was where Colombia's history with the Spanish began because of its natural harbour. It was more or less the gateway into Colombia at the time. As the Spanish couldn't find enough Indigenous people to use as slave labour in their quest to conquer the continent, slaves from Africa were brought. To this day, The Caribbean Coast of Colombia has the biggest population of peoples of African descent compared to the Andean region. 

Our first stop was Convent of Santa Cruz de la Popa, built in 1607 at Cartagena's highest point by Augustine monks. We were hit by masses of tourists thanks to 2 cruise ships being in town. No judgement here. We'll be one of those annoying tourists in a couple of weeks time! The convent gave a birds eye view of all of Cartagena, including the geography. We could see where the harbour was in relation to the walled city and how the city grew. 

View of Cartagena from the convent

The central courtyard of the convent

Next stop...The Castillo San Felipe de Barajas, a fortress built in the 1600s to protect Cartegena. There seemed to be a theme for our Caribbean leg in Colombia. By now, this heat intolerant family were hot and sweaty, and no one could really concentrate on the information that was being given to us. The basics: built by the Spanish, outsmarted by the pirate-assisted French, and withstood the English. Although as a fort it didn't seem particularly practical as a defensive system...Did I mention it was hot? The sweat problem was real. We were soaked.

Getsemani historically a neighbourhood for the poor, reinvent itself to grab a stake of burgeoning tourism by turning its streets into cafes and bars for partying. Unlike within the walled city which is mainly hotels, shops and restaurants, Getsemani still has a significant residential element of locals. We were grateful that our tour of Getsemani was by minivan and not on foot. However that joy was fleeting as we had to complete our Cartagena city tour with walking around the old city. This time we were given context and information on the buildings that we had wandered past several on our meal quests.

With only 2 days left in Colombia, we had pesos to offload. So it must be emerald shopping time! Lara got lucky here and scored 2 pieces. I may have bought a pendant as well...

Castillo San Felipe de Barajas

The person who poo pooed my umbrella was also the person who stole it

We had lost Jonah already to heat grumps

It was bliss to go into the tunnels to escape the sun

Multiple purposes. Short cuts, false dead ends, and a self-destruct system should the fort be captured

The building where the inquisition was held in Cartagena

Caribbean cuisine

Lots of seafood!