Vale la Pena, Cartagena!

I went on another day trip...wooohooo! I am enjoying my ability to hop on a bus, and in under an hour, be in a completely new place with wonderful things to see and do. This trip...the city was Cartagena, the day was warm, and the water looked perfect. What more could you ask for?


We started with a group of around 17 people and, we looked like a class taking a field trip. It was so weird to have so many people and the large number was a little unmanageable. We all went to tourist information together to figure out what sites we needed to see in Cartagena. Of course the first thing out of the woman's mouth was (yup, you guessed it) a castle. I admit, I cringed a little inside when she said it. This time, however, there was the addition of an elevator to get to the castle and things started looking up. Boy... was I wrong in thinking that. Guess what? We paid 3.75 Euros to get into that darn castle and it was probably the most modern looking castle I have ever seen. The best thing about the castle turned out to be the view...here are some pics from the top:)

Jessica and I with the port in the background...

View of Cartagena

After the castle, our big group muddled are way down to the port...the sun was shining, the water was glistening, and it was a great day to be in Cartagena. Once we were at the port people started splitting up into smaller groups that were much more manageable. Trekking from one place to another was a lot easier after we split up. I decided to go to the Maritime and Naval museum they had on the beach. It was free for students and, turned out to be the best museum I have seen while in Spain. It was extremely interesting. It had two sections. One was about shipwrecks and the other focused on shipbuilding and navigation. They had interactive consuls and excerpts to read about and look at. I felt the museum made up for the money I lost on the castle.

Posing with the museum letters....

Right when you walk out of the museum there is a submarine. I didn't realize it at the time but that submarine was the first prototype submarine designed by a local engineer, Isaac Peral. It was built in 1884 and launched in 1888. Its crazy to me that I saw the first prototype submarine...that just blows my mind.

First Prototype Submarine

Then the small group I was hanging out with stopped to eat at this café right on the beach. I had brought a sack lunch and turned my chair to face the ocean. It was stunning! There was a man playing a guitar near us. Between the view and, the chords from the music I was in seventh heaven.

Left to right: Me, Jessica, Carly, and Connie having lunch

After lunch we headed to the Teatro Romano...this ancient theatre in Cartagena was built near the end of the First Century B.C. Its hard to explain what it felt like to be in such an ancient place with so much history. The design was such that whatever was said on the stage would be amplified and, the people in the farthest, highest seats would actually hear the performance the loudest. The theatre in ancient times was a very political and classist venue. Depending on where you sat marked the class you were in. The theatre could hold up to 6,000 spectators. The museum before you reached the actual theatre was very interesting and their were some beautiful statues and ancient artifacts.

Teatro Romano

After leaving the theatre we went back to the port to take a boat ride. There was a tourist boat similar to many whale watching boats I have been on and then there was a catamaran. While we were at lunch one of my friends asked the catamaran crew if we could have a discount since we were students and surprisingly, they said yes. The catamaran which was huge and played great music ended up being an hour in comparison to the 45 minutes on the tourist boat and it only cost 1.75 Euros more. It was the best 1.75 I spent all day long. The boat ride was exhilarating and perfect. We danced, took pictures, let are hair blow in the wind, and did all the things you are supposed to do on a catamaran. The best part was that we basically had a private charter because it was only the three of us and two other couples on this huge beautiful sailing vessel!

I'm on a boat!

beautiful Cartagena!