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MeznG. In the air, on the road, river or sea again
Today we arrive in Cartagena (cart-a-hey-na) Colombia. It's a large city old and new. Not knowing too much about it though and having been advised that there will be persistent vendors that follow you and harass you to buy, we decided to do a tour with the ship.
We just needed to do this to remind us why we don't do ship tours. Our tour guide's name is Jhon (not a spelling error) and English is not his first, second or third language! He is very difficult to understand. Our first stop is Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas (fort of San Filipe). The walk to the top is via a steep paved ramp. The first hurdle is the number of people on this tour who clearly didn't read the itinerary as they were complaining about having to walk to the top. It is extremely hot already and it's only just after 9 am. These people wanted to negotiate a place where they could see the fort without having to walk up there. Jhon stuck to his guns and said if they did not walk to the top with him then they would have to stay on the bus as there are so many vendors and beggars on the street. Ten minutes later we were able to leave the bus. This fort was built by the Spanish military engineers to protect the bays from invasion by pirates. The view from the top is pretty special and well worth the walk but there are definitely people who should not have been on this tour.
The traffic is very heavy this morning, so many buses, taxis and motor bikes. The next stop is Las Bovedas, which was once prison cells and dungeons but is now a shopping strip for handicrafts and souvenirs.Everything you looked at in the shops could also be bought just outside the door from the street vendors. Very strange set up.
Back on the bus we now enter the gates into the old city. The old city is a walled city with narrow cobblestone streets and squares and Spanish Colonial buildings. The streets are too narrow for the buses so we walk to the 18th century Historical Museum or as it was formally known, the Inquisition museum. This is where a good guide would be an advantage as we really found out very little information except that the Spanish Inquisition was based on religion.
Across the road from the museum is the Plaza Bolivar a shady park popular with locals it would seem. We continue our walking tour through the wonderful cobblestone streets to visit the Museo Naval Del Caribe (naval museum of the Caribbean) which I am sure would be very interesting except that it was all in Spanish!.
We watch a cultural music and dancing demonstration and enjoy a cold bottle of water before entering the Sanctuary of San Pedro Claver - For 40 years spanish born Pedro Claver worked as a Jesuit Priest, protecting and defending black African slaves. he was canonised in 1888 and his remains are in a glass case at the altar of this church.
This is our last stop so we return to the bus and drive along the coastline before returning to the ship.
We just needed to do this to remind us why we don't do ship tours. Our tour guide's name is Jhon (not a spelling error) and English is not his first, second or third language! He is very difficult to understand. Our first stop is Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas (fort of San Filipe). The walk to the top is via a steep paved ramp. The first hurdle is the number of people on this tour who clearly didn't read the itinerary as they were complaining about having to walk to the top. It is extremely hot already and it's only just after 9 am. These people wanted to negotiate a place where they could see the fort without having to walk up there. Jhon stuck to his guns and said if they did not walk to the top with him then they would have to stay on the bus as there are so many vendors and beggars on the street. Ten minutes later we were able to leave the bus. This fort was built by the Spanish military engineers to protect the bays from invasion by pirates. The view from the top is pretty special and well worth the walk but there are definitely people who should not have been on this tour.
The traffic is very heavy this morning, so many buses, taxis and motor bikes. The next stop is Las Bovedas, which was once prison cells and dungeons but is now a shopping strip for handicrafts and souvenirs.Everything you looked at in the shops could also be bought just outside the door from the street vendors. Very strange set up.
Back on the bus we now enter the gates into the old city. The old city is a walled city with narrow cobblestone streets and squares and Spanish Colonial buildings. The streets are too narrow for the buses so we walk to the 18th century Historical Museum or as it was formally known, the Inquisition museum. This is where a good guide would be an advantage as we really found out very little information except that the Spanish Inquisition was based on religion.
Across the road from the museum is the Plaza Bolivar a shady park popular with locals it would seem. We continue our walking tour through the wonderful cobblestone streets to visit the Museo Naval Del Caribe (naval museum of the Caribbean) which I am sure would be very interesting except that it was all in Spanish!.
We watch a cultural music and dancing demonstration and enjoy a cold bottle of water before entering the Sanctuary of San Pedro Claver - For 40 years spanish born Pedro Claver worked as a Jesuit Priest, protecting and defending black African slaves. he was canonised in 1888 and his remains are in a glass case at the altar of this church.
This is our last stop so we return to the bus and drive along the coastline before returning to the ship.
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