Here are a few of my photos that I took during a 4 hour walking tour of the city.
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| The ship has 3 ports of call in Spain. Today (Cartagena) and tomorrow (Malaga) are in the Mediterranean Sea. The final Spanish port of call (Cadiz/Seville) will be in the Atlantic Ocean. |
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| Here's a picture as we arrived in the city of Cartagena. It's a beautiful city with a natural port. |
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| I took this shot as we made our way into the harbor. Stone fortresses surround the hills. |
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| Again, the stone fortresses were necessary as this was an import part of Spain with mineral wealth. |
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| As the group exited the ship, we crossed to a beautiful promenade. |
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| There was much wealth in the city. This was a home that was owned by one of the mine owners. It's a museum today. |
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| Here's a look a what Cartagena looked like in ancient times. It was an isthmus with fortifications on the sea. |
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| This is a shot of the tombs under the local museum of the era in which the people of Carthage ruled the area. |
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| There are beautiful squares in the city. This one is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. |
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| This walking tour was easy because of the granite sidewalks. No tricky cobblestones! |
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| Another beautiful square in the city of Cartagena. |
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| At the guide's suggestion, I visited a local restaurant (Pani) and had a snack of the traditional breakfast of the region. That's not pizza, but grilled bread with grated tomatoes on top (Pan con Tomate). It was delicious with the local coffee. |
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| The squares of this city were "family friendly" and lots of folks were walking around with baby strollers. |
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| This is the beautiful city hall which was constructed in 1907. |
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| This is what the ficus tree roots look like when allowed to grow unchecked in a Mediterranean climate. |
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| I climbed up the Conception Castle for a view of the city. This former lighthouse is about halfway up the hill. |
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| Our guide was great, and here she's telling us only a few more steps up to the top of the castle. The tour was about 6 miles total and lots of steps. |
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| It was worth the climb. Here's a look at the part of the harbor for commercial purposes. |
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| Another view from the top ... this was a bull fighting ring, but it was made from Roman ruins. |
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| Another view of the harbor from the ms Amsterdam. |
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| I really enjoyed my time in this Spanish city. |
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| Another "dam" ship! This was taken from the castle high above the city. The ms Amsterdam (right) is nose to nose with a larger Holland America sister ship (left). This is the ms Eurodam which had made it to the port from Ft. Lauderdale for a tour of the Mediterranean. |
