Cartagena

Hi everyone,

We've spent several days here in Cartagena, one more than initially anticipated.  Its a 'must see' place with history spanning the Phoenicans, Romans, Visigoths, Byzantines, Moors and Christians.  It's amazing to find a Punic rampart, a Roman theatre, a modern yacht marina and modern warships all within a radius of a (nautical) mile or so.

Matelots!

Cartagena is a fine natural harbour which explains its use back to ancient times.  Nearby ashore there were silver and lead mines.  When the Romans drove the Phoenicans out of Carthage in North Africa they came here, only to be driven out a generation later.

Naval Base beyond the Marina

The city itself has been destroyed to varying degrees many times, from ancient times up to the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s.  It's a beautiful city now with many very ornate buildings.  Some of the plainer parts of the city are enlivened with murals and paintings, some of which cover the sides of large buildings.

Town Hall

Don't walk into this shop!

There are many bars and cafes scattered around the city.  They're affordable too.

Paella!

Cafe Asiatico

There are a host of city-centre museums which are very cheap to visit.  The remains of the Punic rampart were very interesting, constructed of two walls of massive sandstone blocks, about 5m apart.  The interior was divided into three levels for animals, stores and accommodation.  The rampart was so effective the Romans kept it.

Remains of Punic rampart

The Roman remains are more extensive, including an amphitheatre, theatre, house, baths and temple.

Original mosaic floor in the Roman Baths

Mosaic floor in Roman house

Roman Theatre

Recovered painting (on stone)

Sandstone blocks - new and 2000 years old

Mosaic floor under the Church

The Naval Museum housed many exhibits but I most enjoyed the models of naval craft through the ages.

Galley model

2m long Galleon model

More modern warship models

World's first submarine capable of firing a torpedo underwater

The Museum of Underwater Archeology is equally interesting.  It has a series of cross-sections of vessels through the ages, a set of models and a host of exhibits from each era of Mediterranean seafaring.

Ship cross-section

Phoenican-era Model

Cross-section of Roman-era vessel

Roman-era Model

While here we met the crews of Aussie yachts Roam Australia and Katarina, plus UK yacht Marama.

Also while here we managed to fill our two empty Australian 9kg propane cylinders.  They've been lying empty in the lazarette for 5 years and we wondered where we'd be able to get them filled.  Australian (= US) and UK gas fittings differ just enough to render them incompatible.  We've been using UK cylinders for the last 5 years.

We expect to depart Cartagena tomorrow.  Looks like we'll be beating into a moderate NE breeze initially but that will decrease in strength and go around to the SW over a day or so.  We'll be heading towards the Balearics.  Our plan is to get to Menorca, which positions us to move onward to Sardinia and Tunisia.