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| Hannibal, Commander of Roman Army and Carthagagena Administrator |
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| Poem by Cerbantes |
Cervantes, author of Don Quixote, lived here. Obviously the Romans lived here for a long
time, as the city is practically built on Roman Ruins, some of them are being
lovingly restored and others are still being dug up. Hannibal, the commander of
the Roman army that crossed the Alps with dozens of elephant’s centuries ago,
lived here.
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| Roman Theatre, still in use today |
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| Main Street, Calle Mayor |
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| Outdoor Cafe at the Old Casino |
When one walks through Carthagena today, one enjoys being
surrounded by many attractive Art Nouveau Buildings, pleasant pedestrian zones in
the ‘historic’ centre of town full of shops and restaurants, and one stumbles
over ruins – Roman or Art Nouveau – at almost every corner. As a matter of
interest, the city seems to be filled with facades, all propped up with
scaffolds awaiting reconstruction and incorporation into newer buildings.
Progress seems slow, but at least the abandoned wrecks are being cleaned up and
preserved. Some of the walls that are now exposed are covered with either ochre
colour paint or murals several stories high.
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| Empty Facades |
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| Ochre wall behind propped up facade |
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| This pigeon feeder is several stories high |
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| Mural in fron t of Roman Forum |
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| Prettied up empty facade |
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| Restored on Left, Awaiting Work on RIght |
Sometimes one encounters a newly restored edifice beside an
overgrown façade, demonstrating that these weird walls are beauty in waiting.
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| Shoe-pping.... |
Carthagena also seems to have a shoe fetish, as giant sized
painted stiletto heeled shoes decorate squares, sidewalks and sea side
promenades. Public art does not need a book of instruction to be understood,
and plenty examples are spread throughout the city.
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| Bronze Statue, which is about 5 meters high |
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| Manhole Cover |
Every so often one encounters the ancient massive walls of
the old fortress, well groomed and landscaped trails lead through parks towards
Conception Castle, wind through an antique Roman Amphitheatre, past a the ruins
of a Roman Forum and Therma, as well as along city walls erected during the
Punic Wars a long time ago.
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| Fishing from the Light House Base, note fortification in rear of photo |
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| Small corner in a back street |
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| City Hall |
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| Homeless Man and his well fed dog, gazing at Prinsendam. I gave a good packet of Serrano Ham to the dog. Left over from a restaurant meal... |
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| Bilingualism in Carthagena |
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| Royal Carthagena Yacht Club - many International Regattas take place here. |
Carthagena has more to offer than strolls through the city
and along the sea side, but instead of venturing further afield to beaches and
back country, I was happy to join the citizens in enjoying and relaxing in
their pleasant town.
