Day 5 : Cartagena, Columbia

 Finally! Our first opportunity to get off the boat in beautiful Cartagena, Columbia.

Cartagena is a large port situated on the Northern (Caribbean) side of Columbia. Fun fact - Columbia is the ONLY South American country with both Atlantic and Pacific coastlines. I elected to take a walking tour of the old city, whilst Allison took a panoramic tour of the entire city. Every tour starts at the Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas fortress (see left photo) - a truly massive structure designed to guard the port from both land and sea attacks. The only drawback is that you're surrounded by street vendors the moment you step off the bus. Although they're mostly pretty well-behaved and well-regulated.

We learned about Cartagena in English History class. Originally claimed by Sir Francis Drake (the Spanish Armada guy) in 1586, no one paid much attention to it, and it was eventually claimed by the Spanish, who converted its harbour into one of their major trade and military ports. Fast forward 150 years, and we get to the War Of Jenkins Ear. I'm not kidding - look it up! The Anglo-Spanish treaty allowed the Spaniards to board British vessels under certain circumstances. A Welsh captain named Jenkins claimed his boat was boarded and the Spanish Navy cut off his ear. DIscontent brewed for a few years, the populace demanded retribution for this insult, and the Brits and SPaniards went to war in 1739. General Vernon, the British Commander, sacked the port of Portobello just up the coast and turned his attention to Cartagena. It was an ignominious failure. Between some smart tactics from the Spanish general and the ravages of disease, the Brits gave up. 


Meanwhile, trade and, unfortunately, slavery flourished, and Cartagena continued to grow, bolstered by the discovery of emeralds inland. The town was also the site of The Palace Of Inquisition - where in the name of Catholicism, the Spaniards basically tortured and killed anyone they didn't like. I also had a problem as I wanted to recite the Monty Python "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition" line. 


On the more positive side, the old city is gorgeous. There are balconies and flowers everywhere - mixed in with churches, historic buildings, and now boutique hotels. Walking down the streets was a colorful fanfare of fragrances and architecture.







Overall, it was a great tour that I finished off with an iced coffee in a little shop around the corner from the Palace. A great way to end the day and use up my pesos. (4,000 to the dollar - which makes prices seem scary!!) 




Comments

  1. AnonymousJanuary 11, 2024 at 3:32 PM

    👍. Sounds awesome. Enjoy your journey

    ReplyDelete

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