Love in the Time of Cartagena

Vibrant colors and balconitos

From the moment you arrive inside the old, walled city (amurallada) of Cartagena de las Indias, you will be enticed by it’s magical beauty.  We found ourselves strolling  from plaza to plaza through it’s narrow streets and alleys, enchanted by the vibrant colored colonial mansions with their beautiful, flower-covered balconitos(small balconies). It’s impossible not to fall in love with Cartagena with it’s history, charming beauty,  music and storytelling; you can’t help but feel romance in the air.

Catillo San Felipe de Barajas

The bay of Cartagena was paramount to Spanish control and influence in the Americas. In the beginning of the 17th century, it was one of only two places granted the right to be an African slave-trading center by the Spanish crown. All African slaves being brought to South America arrived and were sold here.

Walled city

During the colonial period, Cartagena was one of the ports from which the Spanish treasure fleets would move it’s riches from the Americas back to Spain. This quickly made it a target for invaders and pirates; the walls and the Castillo de San Felipe were built to improve the defense of the city. Despite being destroyed several times through war and pirate attacks, the city has been restored to maintain it’s colonial charm  and romance, which inspired Gabriel Garcia Marquez to write. Several of Marquez's works reference Cartagena

Las palanqueras

We found ourselves strolling atop the walls, through fortresses, galleries and, of course, stopping for some fruit from las palenqueras and a shot of coffee from the tinto vendors. At night we watched the sunset from “al Lado”(as the locals call it), a spot next to Café del Mar, then enjoyed a cheap meal and beer in one of the plazas with the sounds of salsa wafting through the air. Cartagena’s humidity can be smothering, but so was it’s charm!