Built by the Spanish mainly in C16th and C17th, Cartagena's old walled city is a beautiful, romantic place and one of our favourite towns in the world. The fortified walls were built to protect the citizens and their gold from raiding English pirates such as Sir Francis Drake, and took 180 years to complete.
Inside the walls, houses painted yellow, blue, orange, green and pink with red tiled roofs and pretty balconies line the streets.
The town is filled with hat sellers, cigar sellers, street food sellers, tour guides, the sound of music, people talking and sitting in the leafy plazas, young people, old people, rich and poor people, sailors dressed in white, girls in high heels and sparkly tops, flamboyant ladies selling fruit, old churches, statues, arches, flags, palm trees and flowery vines.
As the sun sets over the sea, the painted houses glow in the light, as horse drawn carriages carry tourists past people sitting in the balmy evening air at bar and restaurant tables, being entertained by mime artists, dancers and singers, and the church domes light up in the evening sun.
Outside the walls is a harbour with tall sailing ships and touristy "pirate ships", beaches, buses and the new city with its skyscrapers standing as a sharp contrast to the fascinating and beautiful old city of Cartagena of the Indies.
