I know many people who love Cartagena, but I am not one of them. It feels like Bourbon St in New Orleans mixed with some fancy-pants, overpriced Florida city like Miami. Or to be more generous, it feels like some small coastal cit in Spain, but with US city prices. To walk down the street in the evening is to be approached by somebody trying to get you to come into their shop, eat at their restaurant, take a ride in their horse-carriage, etc. I find that exhausting.
Cartagena does have some beautiful colonial architecture, which makes worth it the trip – one time.
The city certainly makes for some wonderful photo opps, especially when traveling with a photogenic individual. 🙂
We walked over to the old city’s fortifying walls to watch the sun set over the ocean. Again, picturesque, for sure.
Also, windy.
We then set out to try to find dinner. The hustling was overwhelming and we were starting to get hot, tired, and cranky. Thankfully, we stumbled upon a lovely place that had a rooftop restaurant above the chaos of the city streets. We enjoyed some food, relaxed in the breezy night air, and discovered that Anna-Sophia likes rose wine better than red but strongly prefers an Aperol spritz. Good to know.
The next day had another boat ride in store for us (gulp), so early to bed, peer usual.
Vacation Days 