Feeling a little acclimatized we decided to get to know more about the history of Cartagena or Cartagena de Indias.
Before we took another free walking tour in the walled old town, we decided to have lunch first. We found a very good local restaurant just nearby our hostel. It was totally local, pretty crowded and we seemed to be the only “real” tourists around.
Since the restaurant was pretty busy, an elderly couple joined our table. As it turned out the two, Natalia and Kique, were from Bogota and in town for the weekend. After lunch we joined them for a little walk and ice cream in the old town. Their English was very good so it was easy to talk with them. It was really nice, as they even paid for our delicious ice cream. We exchanged numbers and headed off to our free walking tour.
Cartagena de Indias
Founded in the 16th century, Cartagena is the second oldest city of Colombia right after Santa Marta. Its founder, Pedro de Heredia, a Spanish commander still watches over everybody entering the historic center. The colorful colonial buildings, cobblestone streets and old squares remind of the times when Cartagena was the main port for trade between Spain and its oversea empire. The 11 kilometers of defensive walls sourrounding the historic center were built to protect the city from continual pirate attacks.
After hearing about the historic background we wanted to visit another historical important site. The Castillo San Felipe de Barajas is an impressive fortress. Its strategic location on a hill made it easy for the Spanish to dominate approaches to the city by sea or by land. The fortress was expanded a few times and is striking for its complex maze tunnels. The view was amazing! You could see the historic center, the modern part of the city with its skyscrapers and the sea!
Caribbean Nightlife
After all the history we decided to have a look around in our neighbourhood at night. We found ourselves watching some dance performances with some delicious mojitos from a street stall.
We met up again with our new friends Natalia and Kique for brunch/lunch. They gave us some recommendations about where to go next and even invited us for Christmas! It was really nice meeting them and we would keep in touch while travelling further trough Columbia!
