Saturday, April 29
The ship was only spending 6 hours in Cartagena, so we had to be up early to get off the ship and start exploring this fascinating city. It's history goes back to the 16th Century when the Spanish were in charge, and to keep the British and other countries at bay they built some great forts here. The wealth generated by the gold, emeralds and coffee found in Colombia were shipped through this port, so its always been a key port with lots of lovely buildings established here.
Today we were travelling with Harry and Martha Jane, a Canadian couple we've met on this cruise. We negotiated a tour and rounded up 6 other people to keep the cost down! Our first stop was the fort of San Sebastián where we had great views towards Bocagrande, or the new town. Next was the fort of San Felipe, which is one of the most impressive forts we have seen. It even resisted a huge siege by the British in 1741 despite the British having a massive number of men and ships try to take it.
Then it was into the old town, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, surrounded by massive stone walls, but filled with beautiful old buildings, cathedrals, squares and shops. We wandered around this area with our guide Carmen for nearly an hour, which in the heat and humidity was a good effort! There were lots of hawkers and colourful buskers trying to relieve us of some US dollars, but we didn't need what they were offering. In part of the old wall where they used to store provisions called the dungeons, these have now been converted to tasteful artisan shops with lots of souvenirs on offer.
At the cruise ship terminal there was a free zoo to walk through, with all sorts of very colourful birds including macaws and flamingoes, as well as some little monkeys! We thought this was the best cruise terminal we had been too! We were happy to get back on board and cool down with a shower, and then it was a quiet afternoon before the night's activities begin.
The ship was only spending 6 hours in Cartagena, so we had to be up early to get off the ship and start exploring this fascinating city. It's history goes back to the 16th Century when the Spanish were in charge, and to keep the British and other countries at bay they built some great forts here. The wealth generated by the gold, emeralds and coffee found in Colombia were shipped through this port, so its always been a key port with lots of lovely buildings established here.
Today we were travelling with Harry and Martha Jane, a Canadian couple we've met on this cruise. We negotiated a tour and rounded up 6 other people to keep the cost down! Our first stop was the fort of San Sebastián where we had great views towards Bocagrande, or the new town. Next was the fort of San Felipe, which is one of the most impressive forts we have seen. It even resisted a huge siege by the British in 1741 despite the British having a massive number of men and ships try to take it.
Then it was into the old town, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, surrounded by massive stone walls, but filled with beautiful old buildings, cathedrals, squares and shops. We wandered around this area with our guide Carmen for nearly an hour, which in the heat and humidity was a good effort! There were lots of hawkers and colourful buskers trying to relieve us of some US dollars, but we didn't need what they were offering. In part of the old wall where they used to store provisions called the dungeons, these have now been converted to tasteful artisan shops with lots of souvenirs on offer.
At the cruise ship terminal there was a free zoo to walk through, with all sorts of very colourful birds including macaws and flamingoes, as well as some little monkeys! We thought this was the best cruise terminal we had been too! We were happy to get back on board and cool down with a shower, and then it was a quiet afternoon before the night's activities begin.
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