Italian Trip: Cartagenas - Old Walled City

Our tour this morning is only a quick stop as we need to be back on the mother ship by 12.30pm as we still have a fare few naughty-kil 😂 miles to sail before we get to

The Panama Canal Crossing tomorrow.

This is a view from our ship early this morning looking over the new city of Cartagena.

I love touching history, imagining who was here younks ago touching and or building with these very same stones.

Here on the cool morning side of the wall is a section of some of the limestone blocks that make up the old walls dating back about 200 hundred years ago.

Although the old city was started by the Spanish in the 1530 it was not till about 200 years ago that the walls were needed and built to protect the city from

rrrrrrrr the “pirates” of that time 🏴‍☠️

The old walls to help fortify the castle and town above.

Colourfully dressed fruit ladies … just so much colour …

They are beautiful and quite talented being able to balance those fruit trays on their heads and dance also…

but these days

they don't want to sell you their fruits,

they only want to sell you, the tourist

💰 expensive picture opportunities 💰

But from a distance I managed a sneaky little long distance candid shot from inside a traditional bar which we just had to stop at to hydrate us two very hot and thirsty tourists.

Enjoyed some local beers on this a very hot humid day

🍻 bliss 🍻

The bar was so cool … great A/C …

But check out the beautiful tiled floors I could have laid on them.

The bar also had a “cool funky vibe”.

Highlighting the brick and stone construction dating back to the 1500s when I don't think it would have looked quite like it does today or as cool as they made it today …

The little gloss red inserts in the off white rendered walls where at night I could well imagine candles flickering romantically was quite reminiscent of our time spent in the

ancient old cities of Morocco.

Got to chatting to the chef as I do! and before you know it I was tasting a Tamarillo for my very first time!

For me I could taste a blend of passion fruit and a sweet & sour tomato salsa, quite complex and tasty.

Sandy … how ever, not quite a fan!

The fruit is know as tree tomato in english and is native to South America, so trying it here for the first time was great.

Then it was back outside into THAT humidity to wander further along the old cobble stone streets of the old town.

Again hit smack in the face with so much colour,

it just made us smile.

The majestic domed church at the end of the street could be seen from all over the old town so a great landmark to get back to our tour bus.

The archway to the church looked so inviting and cool, we were drawn in and sat for a bit of time for quiet contemplation.

Then the organ started to play, plastic chain barricades were place over the doorway and the congregation stood and started to sing. 🎶

It was truly a beautiful experience … albeit in Spanish

BUT we were ment to meet outside the church for our tour driver

… NOT locked INSIDE …

So we left it right till the last moment where we could as to not disturb the congregation … we bowed and slipped quietly under the barricades.

Many door knockers are to be seen on the big solid doors in the old town. Our guide told us if the door had an Iguana for the knocker that the family originated was from royalty.

In for a touch I go …

but I'm sure that the royalty that lived behind these doors in the past probably would have had people to knock for them!