I had a wonderful time in Cartagena! I’m sure that part of that is due to my traveling companion (my lovely boyfriend 😉 ) But it also has a lot to do with the lovely city of Cartagena. I was a bit worried before I arrived because someone told me that they didn’t care for it very much, but I really enjoyed it. There’s a lot of history in the city, and luckily, that history has been preserved very well. Thanks to my mommy, I’m a bit of a history buff, so I found Cartagena to be quite interesting.
The main tourist areas of Cartagena are the old walled city, Getsemani, and Bocagrande. The walled city is the original city and surrounded by walls that were built by the Spanish to help protect the city from invaders. Getsemani is located just outside of the walled city and has been gentrified in recent years. While the walled city and Getsemani both have retained the Spanish colonial feel, Bocagrande is a bit more touristy and modern looking. There are lots of high-rise hotels and apartment buildings. I rode through the area, but didn’t spend much time there. There are great views of the beach there, but it’s a bit pricey and not within walking distance of the historical center of Cartagena, so I opted not to stay there.
We ended up staying in Getsemani. There are a lot of hostels and cheap hotels there. It’s the perfect place to stay because it’s affordable, and within walking distance of the walled city. There are also a lot of restaurants and bars in Getsemani, but it’s a lot less crowded than the walled city and a lot less expensive :). It’s a bit refreshing to not have to deal with a bunch of people when you want to grab something to eat or drink. The hotel I stayed in was near the Plaza de Santisima Trinidad. During the day this plaza is calm and quiet, but at night-time it lights up with locals and tourists. There are lots of food carts, music, and even trampolines for the neighborhood kids. One day there was an impromptu Zumba class. I would have joined in if I wasn’t completely exhausted from exploring the city, which brings me to the Cartagena sun. We walked pretty much everywhere and the sun in Cartagena is no joke. It is the epitome of a Caribbean sun. And this is coming from someone who spent years living in Houston. Houston is hot, but not like this. But we made it through, and it didn’t spoil the trip in the least. One thing I loved about Getsemani was all of the street art. The clash of graffiti against the traditional colonial architecture was really beautiful to see everyday.
The walled city is amazing. We learned a lot about the history of the city during a free walking tour. It was great and super informative. I highly recommend Free Tour Cartagena. The tour is truly free, all they ask is that you tip the tour guide what you feel they deserve at the end of the tour. They offer tours in English and Spanish and the guides are very knowledgeable. The architecture in the walled city is gorgeous. It was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984, so most of the buildings have retained their original architecture and are protected against uncharacteristic changes.
Of course, being the beach bum that I am, I couldn’t go to a coastal city and not find a beach. We took a bus tour down to Playa Blanca. It was gorgeous! Crystal clear waters and a rather tasty lunch 🙂
We spent our last night at a couple of the more popular clubs in Getsemani, Cafe Havana and Bazurto Social Club. Cafe Havana is known for their live salsa band and it was packed! Great music and great dancing. I haven’t been to Cuba (yet) but I imagine there was quite a bit of the Cuban salsa spirit in there that night 😉
Colombia was fantastic and being able to share it with someone special made it even better 🙂 Today I arrived in London and met special guest #2 – Mommy! It’s the first time in Europe for us both, so I’m sure we’ll have a blast. Hasta luego!
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